VALPARAISO | The city's Traffic and Safety Committee decided Tuesday that eliminating the no right turn on red at the five-points intersections was not good for traffic or safety.

Chief Deputy Engineer Tim Burkman said Mayor Jon Costas asked the committee to look into the wisdom of eliminating the no right turns on as many legs of the Calumet Avenue/Roosevelt Road/Vale Park Road intersection as possible.

The committee discussed a couple of possible right turns, one from southbound Calumet and one from northbound Roosevelt, but Engineering Director David Pilz said he didn't think it would be a good idea.

"The angles are so weird, and cars are coming at you from three different directions," Pilz said. "I've thought about it because it's so irritating to have to wait, but it's too dangerous."

Burkman said, "You've got an extra leg of traffic people aren't used to looking out for."

"It's one of the highest accident intersections in the city (55 in the last five years), and I don't want to make it worse," Pilz said.

Assistant Fire Chief Dan Lamb said, "The minute we open it up (to right turns on red) and there is an accident, I'll feel like we caused it."

The city plans to build a roundabout at the intersection in 2010.