Words: Miranda Mason

On Monday, Nov. 4, and Wednesday, Nov. 6, all first period teachers were told to hold attendance because a large number of students were arriving late for the 7:25 a.m. bell due to a traffic light malfunctioning.

The light at Old Annapolis Road and Centennial Lane was not turning green for drivers attempting to turn left from Old Annapolis Road onto Centennial Lane. Centennial’s School Resource Officer, Mark Perry, went up to observe the problem after it was called in by a Centennial faculty member. Perry had to briefly control traffic before county officials arrived to fix the problem.

“The light would miss a couple of cycles,” said Perry. “At one point I directed traffic.”

According to Kris Jagaratu, Chief of Traffic Engineering in Howard County, the light is controlled by a camera, which informs the system whether or not anyone is waiting to turn.  A spider web was blocking the lens of the camera, which prevented the system from recognizing the cars. The light should function normally from now on.