There’s no doubt that leaving the traffic configuration at the intersection of Oak Street, High Street and Griffin Boulevard would be the wrong thing to do.

We hope that the Farmville Town Council recognizes this truth as it moves forward through its process with McCormick Taylor — an engineering firm hired to study alternatives at the intersection — in considering a traffic realignment of the intersection or a roundabout.

The first public meeting on the study, which will be completed in the coming months, was an excellent opportunity for town leaders to hear what the public thinks about the intersection and alternatives.

It’s our hope leaders will continue to listen to their constituents — which is of paramount importance in this project — and take in the study’s findings before making their minds up.

During the informational meeting, McCormick Taylor Senior Engineer Don DeBerry called the existing traffic pattern at the intersection “an unusual configuration,” noting his gut reaction was “either (alternative) would be better than the condition that exists there today. But I don’t know that yet.”

Deberry also mentioned the current “off-set” intersection tends “to cause more delay than there has to be for vehicles “because you have to operate the signal in a particular manner.”