(Editor’s note: This letter was originally addressed to Ken Bassett and Noah Eckhouse in response to their June 23 letter to the editor.)
To the editor:
While I agree that rerouting Weston Road or installing traffic lights may be farfetched fixes for Five Corners, there have been some constructive suggestions posted in the Lincoln Squirrel. And while signage and traffic management may be surprisingly complex, we could certainly move a stop sign ten feet without having to commission a speed study.
I have read here a few fixes from knowledgable townspeople that would likely improve the safety and efficiency of Five Corners. They are inexpensive and can be implemented quickly, unless my understanding of such matters is totally naive (always a possibility). I’ll try to paraphrase to spare anyone having to search past posts. In order of urgency:
- Move the STOP sign on Trapelo all the way up to the crosswalk, so that cars pulling up may easily see the intersecting roads. Currently cars coming up Trapelo must stop awkwardly short of the intersection. Drivers may even be forgiven for believing that after stopping, they can blindly proceed without having to yield. In fact, I see Peter Braun do this all the time. (No, not really. Peter is by all accounts an impeccable driver.) Note that such a change would necessitate installing an additional STOP (or YIELD) sign for cars turning right onto Bedford Road.
- For traffic approaching Five Corners from Sandy Pond Road, reinforce the need for drivers to keep right before the island. I have seen otherwise competent drivers keep left because of the currently ineffectual signage. My vote is for two-way reflective yellow round ceramic pavement markers to be placed atop the single yellow lane divider.
- For some drivers coming down Bedford Road wanting to turn left onto Trapelo, there is confusion about whether they must turn before or after the flower pot/urn/horse trough(??). This could be solved with the same ceramic pavement markers mentioned above, or else with flexible traffic delineator posts. (A quick Google search will quickly identify these common road markers.)
- For the eleven drivers approaching the intersection from Weston Road, I can only counsel an abundance of hesitation and forbearance. This intersection will forever treat us unfairly.
Additional police presence would be welcome, too. But if you implement these few needed tweaks, the police would be left mostly (one hopes) to enforce civility. Too many drivers plow through the intersection without waiting their turn. If the police do want to put resources into Five Corners, they might consider directing traffic during rush hour. They could relieve bottlenecks by waving through many cars at once.
Thank you for inviting input at public meetings. But please also be receptive to solutions and ideas that reach you through other venues. Lincolnites trust you to make and implement sound decisions.
Sincerely,
Jonathan Rapaport
Winter Street
Letters to the editor must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to news@lincolnsquirrel.com. Letters must be about a Lincoln-specific topic, will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Letters containing personal attacks, errors of fact or other inappropriate material will not be published.