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February 9, 2012

Our View: Flashing light sends mixed message

You know our traffic laws have become too lax when we need to employ "crosswalk warning devices" that advise pedestrians, "Cross street with caution. Vehicles may not stop."

But that's the ominous message greeting those attempting to cross Salem's busy Bridge Street at Skerry Street near the Carlton School. Worse, as Ward 2 Councilor Mike Sosnowski points out, it can be confusing to children who regularly cross Bridge Street to get to class or play with friends.

Unlike the old red-and-yellow light that required motorists to stop for pedestrians in the crosswalk, the new one that was installed as part of the Bridge Street reconstruction project flashes yellow. And as many adults know from past near-misses, for every driver who slows down for a flashing yellow, there's another that interprets the signal as an invitation to proceed.

We can see where devices such as these might be useful — on Main Street in Peabody, for example, or in Danvers Square. But it doesn't belong at a school crossing on a busy thoroughfare that runs through a residential neighborhood.

The state Department of Transportation says it's too late and would be too expensive to change the light. Given the amount of time and money that has been spent "fixing" the road thus far, DOT's response is simply unacceptable.

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