Traffic light at Garland Road and Emerald Isle. Photo by John Botefuhr.
The City of Dallas recently installed a traffic signal at the intersection of Garland Road and Emerald Isle.
As of publication, there is a signal on the westbound side of Garland but not one for traffic heading east on the road.
Emerald Isle is a popular entry point to White Rock Lake and specifically Winfrey Point.
We reached out to the City of Dallas last week to learn more about why this light was installed. Staff is working to gather some information for us, and we’ll update when we hear back.
John Botefuhr, whose chiropractic office is located in White Rock Shopping Center, said in an email to the Advocate that he thought the light would help with cars making protected left turns onto Emerald Isle.
Chris Unruh, who owns Makers Connect in the same strip center, said she thinks overall, the light is a good thing, and that it’s better to be safe than sorry.
But both neighbors said they have seen more issues coming from the other side of the shopping center, near Chick-fil-A.
Unruh said cars coming in and out of the restaurant “block the box” and prevent others from turning left into the shopping center’s parking lot. And Botefuhr said he thought the intersection would benefit from better lighting and signage.
In addition to the Chick-fil-A traffic, the intersection is often used by cyclists and pedestrians from the Little Forest Hills area to access the lake.
But ultimately, it’s one more light added to a short stretch on Garland Road, where there are already three within 1 mile to help traffic in and out of the Dallas Arboretum and its parking garage.
Map showing stoplights along Garland Road.
