Lehighton Borough Council last night heard a passioned plea from residents living in the area of Third and Bridge Street in Lehighton to have a stop sign returned to that intersection.

About a year ago a stop sign was placed there to accommodate a woman who is legally blind. After receiving complaints from another resident, the stop sign was removed last month.Following last night's dialogue, the council instructed Borough Manager John Wagner to perform a study not only on traffic volume but on the safety aspects of the sign.About a half dozen people attended the meeting and appealed for the return of the stop sign."How many times are we going to be dealing with this situation?" asked councilman Lee Getz.Denise Gasker of 414 Bridge St., who initially campaigned for the stop sign because of her difficulty crossing Third Street, told the council that she experienced many close calls at the intersection.She said when the stop sign was located there, it was much safer crossing the street.Since the stop sign was removed, Gasker said, "I can't cross the street again. It's ridiculous. It's a major safety concern."One man said that without the stop sign, it becomes difficult just getting into and from his car.Another man commented, "When cars stop (at the stop sign), the drivers pay attention to pedestrians."Kim Frable of 317 Bridge St. said she has twins 2 1/2 years old. She said it was much safer crossing the street when the stop sign posted.Opposed to the sign is Rodney Snyder of Millway Street. He asked council for a study that had been done previously by Chief of Police Matt Bender on the intersection.The council said the only study it will consider is the one being done by Wagner. The borough manager said he will make public the results of his study.Rehrig commented, "Our main concern, Mr. Snyder, is the word 'safety.' Safety is for everyone."Another council member, Darryl Arner, said he was against removing the stop sign."With so many close calls, I don't want to wait until a child is killed," he said.