Suggestions for fixing it will vary, but there's no question the stretch of road from Peabody Square to Bridge Street in Salem is in need of a makeover.
That's why it's good to see elected officials, planners and interested citizens from both cities taking a close look at the busy corridor that serves as one of two major road links between these urban centers. The study is being encouraged by a $20,000 planning grant from the Metropolitan Area Planning Council which has made improving transportation options within the Greater Boston area one of its major tasks.
Main Street in Peabody, which runs from the square to the Salem line, does not work well either for pedestrians or — even though it is four lanes wide — motorists.
The road goes down to two lanes once it enters Salem and becomes Boston Street. This doesn't work either. Pedestrians are intimidated by the width of the road and the speed of the oncoming traffic. Motorists are often confused by the lane drop, sometimes assuming there are two lanes in each direction even though the road markings and signs indicate otherwise.
Improvements are required and they should start with making the roadway safer for pedestrians and more understandable to those behind the wheel, many of whom are tourists bound for the historic attractions in Salem from the highway exits in Peabody.
Some advocate extending the four lanes to Bridge Street in Salem; others propose reducing the number of lanes on Main Street while doing a better job of regulating left-hand turns in order to keep traffic moving.
A walking public hearing held in downtown Peabody this week will be followed by another on Salem's Boston Street next month. Blair Haney, Peabody's assistant planning director, said he and his colleagues hope to have an action plan ready by the fall.
With any luck this will be only the first step in a comprehensive program to beautify and improve the linkages between the two cities, which, besides road improvements, should include a riding and walking path along the North River.
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