Hazardous Driving in Concord
By Anthony Dorman. Many visitors come to Concord for a pleasant drive and to enjoy the scenery. But for its residents, there's a lot of frustration and danger on some of the roads.
 |
When our editor asked readers what they thought were the best and worst of Concord roads, little did she know that this question would touch such a raw nerve. The response was immediate, verbose, and passionate. Over 90% was about the places that breed road rage. People seem to have a whole lot to say on this subject!
Here is some of the email we received. Two simple suggestions involving the placement of painted lines and a sign are highlighted...perhaps these might help. The two most voted-for are Court Lane at Monument Street and Crosby's Corner from Cambridge Turnpike.
"There can be no contest for the worst intersection in Concord, though it is
barely in Concord. The merge at Crosby's Corner, eastbound from Cambridge
Turnpike onto Route 2 is a traffic fatality waiting to happen. Morning
commuters, liberated from a long stay at the traffic light, burst forward
through the intersection, only to find themselves merging with the left lane of
Route 2 traffic coming directly from the blind spot to their right rear."
"126 past Walden Pond on summer afternoons when it is total gridlock and
you cannot navigate past the hordes of tourists blocking up the street
from both directions trying to get into the parking lot!!!"
"The West Concord rotary, of course."
"Thoreau Street at intersection with Sudbury Road where people are
pulling in and out of Starbucks."
"Intersection in West Concord by Twin Seafood where you have the train going through and people coming
into the intersection from three directions"
"Since you asked about Concord traffic, I will propose a modest improvement
that will make a big difference in the 6 - 8 morning rush hours. A simple
stripe on Main Street at the intersection of Elm Street and Route 62 would
allow people from Elm Street (including those who come in to Concord off Rte.
2) to enter in the left lane, while people continuing on Route 62 could travel
in the right lane. As it is, traffic from 62 occupies both lanes because
there aren't stripes to remind drivers to stay in the right lane. This
concept works at Crosby's corner, where merging and continuing traffic are
reminded which lane to use by the stripe."
"Where Court Lane dumps people out onto Monument Street and they mostly
turn left to go towards Monument Square. For some reason, these people,
who *must* be commuters because locals don't drive like them, swing out
of Court Lane as if they are forced to take their lives in their hands
(and *mine* on numerous occasions) by going for the slightest, riskiest,
most minute break in traffic lest they never get the chance to execute
their turn. I have seen this happen so many times when there is
practically no one on the road and if they had waited two seconds they
could have taken a leisurely turn rather than miss hitting another car by
a fraction of an inch. People act like absolute maniacs at this
intersection and there is no reason for it!"
(another version of why Court Lane is the worst): "Court Lane where it opens to Monument Street is a hazard because people are CONSTANTLY making left turns from the right lane. This is a one-way street and left turns should be made from the left lane. And I think these drivers know this. It's many a time I've been in the left lane and cut off by someone in the right who MUST see my car beside them (are they BLIND or just CRAZY?!), yet they turn right in front of me. Since I expect this behavior, I can anticipate it. Or else I would have been hit many times. I have never seen traffic enforcement at this spot, but it is really needed. Another thing that would help here is a stripe down the center of the end of the street marking lanes and arrows painted on the lanes instructing which way each lane must turn. And a sign that says "right lane MUST turn right" would help, too. These are inexpensive alternatives to a constant danger!"
"The traffic on Monument Square, Main Street, and Walden Street, Concord Center is awful. Between the traffic congestion, the parking space combat, increased pedestrian traffic, inattentive drivers and a lot of tourists who don't know where they're going and don't stop for pedestrians, it's a miracle someone isn't killed regularly."
"Why is it that drivers entering the rotary at Monument Square from Lexington Road don't yield? At most of the other points of the rotary, drivers generally do (though people entering from Lowell Road try to push their luck, they do seem to understand they are SUPPOSED to be yielding to traffic already in the rotary). It's a major game of "chicken" at Lexington Road: are they or aren't they going to stop? Mostly, drivers don't even LOOK for traffic and seem unaware they are entering a rotary at all."
Join the Concord Discussion List
See your message here! More info"Route 2 is the most dangerous street in town..."
-- Chief of Police L. Wetherbee
|
Where are the Really Dangerous Spots?
We asked Chief Leonard Wetherbee of the Concord Police where the most dangerous spots prove to be by the number of accidents which occur. "...From 1-1-94
to present...Route 2 is the most dangerous street in town without comparison.
The rotary is number one with Crosby Corner as number 2. All other
intersections have high accident rates also," he said.
"As far as in town roads go..... Elm Street at Main Street is the
number one accident location. Main Street through the square area is
number 2." |
