Quincy Center green lights disaster for pedestrians?

<![CDATA[
– News about Quincy from Quincy Quarry News
Quincy Center new green traffic lights pending disaster for pedestrians?
In the wake of three pedestrian fatalities already this year and then calls for improving pedestrian safety in Quincy, it would appear that things instead continue to be Q-ed up in the Q – at least they are in Quincy Center.
After spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on new traffic lights as well as related design and construction efforts at the outlet for the MBTA’s Quincy Center bus station from the many millions of dollars spent on the long ongoing Hancock Street Misalignment Project, the pedestrian crosswalk light signalization clearly appears to have been errantly set and so setting the stage for potential disaster.

As documented photographically, the pedestrian OK to cross the street signs go on when the green traffic lights also go on for cars coming uphill on Russell Park and which ends at this “T-intersection” with Hancock Street.
Accordingly, given a green traffic light, most cars – other than the rare car that goes straight into the private parking lot access way that directly abuts this intersection – turn either right or left and so drive through the very same crosswalks where pedestrians also have a green light to cross the street.
Conversely, typical safe and “Best Practices” at a busy intersection such as this one are to signalize such an intersection so that all vehicular traffic is to stop so that pedestrians can cross the street safely in all of the intersection’s crosswalks.

In this case, however, pedestrians are lulled into thinking that they can safely cross when in fact they are putting themselves at risk to be struck by motor vehicles that also have a green light.
Quincy Quarry News personnel monitored this potential disaster scene over several days and so noticed a number of near misses as well as at least as many of one-fingered waves.
While fortunately so far no pedestrians have been struck, it is likely only a matter of time before a pedestrian is struck at this intersection.
The Quarry considered reaching out to the City of Quincy’s Chief of Police Paul “The Beav” Keenan for comment; however, it was assumed that he as well as a growing number of police department personnel are tied up with federal grand jury appearances and related investigatory matters and thus no attempt to contact anyone at the police department was endeavored.

Quincy Quarry also did not bother reaching out to City of Quincy Department of Public Works Commissar Dan “Spanky” Raymondi for comment about this new local pedestrian safety hazard.
Not even Quincy Quarry’s cantankerous City Editor is so heartless as to subject any of the Quarry’s reporters to listen Spanky go on and on and on and on even more about the hardworking men and (some, ed.) women at the DPW when the Quarry as well as ever increasingly more Quincy residents know better.
Do, however, expect Quincy Quarry to monitor this latest clear and present danger facing pedestrians on the increasing mean as well as now also increasingly dangerous streets in the Q.
QQ disclaimer
 ]]>