From suggestion to improvement: 'It has made a WORLD of difference'

It’s my privilege to take an occasional turn handling ADOT’s Constituent Services online system and phone line. It’s a good chance to hear what’s on our customers’ minds.

Those who handle constituent feedback work diligently to get it quickly to ADOT personnel who can either address the issues described or benefit from the information in other ways. It’s all about living ADOT’s values of being easy to work with, collaborative and results-focused. 

That’s why quite a few people at ADOT were pleased to see Kevin Hayes’ letter to the editor in Sunday’s Arizona Daily Sun, which is based in Flagstaff, praising an improvement that started when he reached out to Constituent Services.

“They did not have to take this on, but they championed this simple fix, making the streets safer for everyone,” Mr. Hayes wrote. 

His suggestion was to have the traffic signals at Interstate 40’s interchange with Country Club Road in Flagstaff automatically signal “walk” when the light is green, regardless of whether someone has pressed the button to cross. Mr. Hayes, a bicyclist, said the change would benefit not just riders but pedestrians. 

Constituent Services shared Mr. Hayes’ suggestion with ADOT’s Northcentral District, where Joe Reed and Keith Johnson with the Signal and Lighting Group, which is part of the ADOT Transportation Systems Management and Operations Division, reviewed it and made the change.

“As I bike through town, it has made a WORLD of difference,” Mr. Hayes said by email when I reached out to thank him for his kind letter.

Thanks again, Mr. Hayes. It’s always nice to hear that we’ve made a difference for Arizonans.