Final answer:
To ensure safety at an intersection with traffic entering from both sides, a traffic signal is crucial. It facilitates pedestrian crossing, controls vehicle speeds, and manages increased traffic flows due to nearby developments and events.
Step-by-step explanation:
If traffic is entering the intersection from both sides, the primary concern should be for safety. This includes the safety of pedestrians, many of whom may be students coming to or leaving campus and needing to cross the intersection. Installing a traffic signal would ensure that all pedestrians can cross at appropriate times, reducing the need to dodge traffic and increasing overall safety. Moreover, a traffic signal can effectively manage vehicle speeds, preventing them from speeding through the intersection. With an increase in traffic volume, due to factors such as a new manufacturing plant and an increase in strip mall businesses, as well as changed traffic patterns for college football games, a traffic signal becomes even more justified. The rise in traffic accidents, some of which have been severe, further underscores the necessity of a traffic control device at the intersection to regulate vehicle movement and protect individuals.