By Chief Steven J. Wojnar
Dudley Police Department Several areas in Town are the subject of traffic complaints. Recent upgrades to the traffic signal at the intersection of Routes 197 and 12 (West Main Street and Schofield Ave.) have finally taken place. Thanks to an initiative spearheaded by our Town Clerk, Ms. Ora Finn, a new traffic signal was approved at Town Meeting and installed. Turn arrows and a new cycling of lights enable drivers in the area to pass through the intersection safer. This should help alleviate backups and limit crashes at this location. I wanted to make drivers aware of this upgrade. This intersection is divided into turn lanes for both east and westbound traffic. One of the problem spots at this intersection involves West Main Street traffic heading to Webster. Much of the traffic intending to turn left onto Village Street, had difficulties passing through safely. This resulted in backups and a number of crashes. The addition of designated turn arrows in both directions on West Main Street will assist to limit these situations. The lights cycle in two stages for the West Main Street traffic. When drivers are headed east toward Webster, the green signal and arrow will activate first. This will stay active for approximately 10-15 seconds. The green arrow then fades out while the through traffic is allowed to proceed. At this time, the solid green signal for the westbound traffic starts. After several seconds, the eastbound traffic will have the red signal. When this occurs, the westbound green arrow activates, allowing traffic to turn onto Route 12 south (Schofield Ave.). Of main concern at this point is some vehicles have a tendency to enter the intersection without the turn arrows active. This causes many issues for traffic in other directions trying to proceed. We are asking drivers cooperation to avoid blocking the intersection. This is one of the locations in town that is heavily traveled and requires a major upgrade. These new signals are helpful, however; they are considered more of a temporary solution. We are looking into long term fixes. In the meantime, it is important for people to pay attention to signals and not block the intersection. This area is very tight for the volume of traffic and it has been the site of many crashes. The extra attention and cooperation of drivers is greatly appreciated. |
Thanks again for your questions and comments. Please send them to me at the Dudley Police Department 71 West Main St., Dudley, Ma. 01571 or email at swojnar@dudleypolice.com. Opinions expressed in this weekly column are those of Chief Wojnar only and unless clearly noted, do not reflect the ideas or opinions of any other organization or citizen.
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