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A Quincy Quarry News exclusive image
— News and commentary about elsewhere covered by Quincy Quarry News
Whacked Pedestrian signal base, left foreground
A Quincy Quarry News exclusive image
After weeks of monitoring the site of a whacked pedestrian crosswalk traffic signal at the deadly as well as otherwise problematic intersection of Washington and Elm Street in Quincy Center, the signal has finally been replaced.
The City of Quincy has twice previously redone the sidewalks at this intersection in recent years, including adding so-called “bump-outs” at the intersection, only to then see the pedestrian signal on one bump-outs whacked, in what would appear to have been a less than successful attempt to make this long know to be dangerous intersection perhaps a bit less unsafe.
Further, so what, apparently, for the fact that putting regular traffic signals at this dangerous intersection would have surely proven far more safe for both pedestrians and vehicular traffic at this well-known to be accident prone intersection with the added benefit of providing some traffic calming along the arguable speedway that is Washington Street.
Further arguable is why is an outside vendor installing the new pedestrian traffic signal?
After all, the City of Quincy’s Traffic, Alarm, Parking and Light Department has at least two and perhaps three snorkel trucks at the ready for such replacements needs.
Then again, city vendors are major source of donations to the mayor’s campaign fund.
In short, Only in Quincy© …
The Traffic, Alarm, Parking and Light Department:
Traffic — Unlimited U-turns and Y-turns on any and every street — all the time, 24 hours a day. And apparently, the absurd lights at two of the city’s crosswalks are designed to create as much chaos as possible, because that’s what they do. Drivers don’t understand them, pedestrians don’t understand them and they create more traffic congestion and safety concerns than standard traffic lights — the Traffic and Lighting divisions of the department must have put their heads together for this.
Oh, I almost forgot — speed limits are apparently up to the individual driver.
Alarm. Any thoughts as to what this is about?
Parking — double parking, triple parking, parking on the wrong side of the street, unauthorized parking in handicapped and ambulance-designated spaces, etc. One could easily assume that these are REQUIRED and accepted activities in Quincy. They certainly seem to be anyway. Even parking-enforcement officers seem to have some trouble adhering to parking regulations.
Lighting — Is this the department that is in charge of keeping the Christmas lights up and shining til well after the New Year?
Cause and correlation seem to have intersected in Quincy. Many of the problems you mention can readily be traced to unimpeded expansion of development. More people, more cars, more traffic. More chaos. It seems obvious that little to no forethought has been given to the inevitable increase in problems associated with thousands of new apartments and condos that continue to tax the resources of an already mismanaged city.