I also complained about this in the past and sadly nothing was ever done. It’s a free for all and the police don’t take notice

It's definitely a difficult compromise for DPW, with multiple factors to consider (e.g. traffic spilling over into the Commercial/Rt. 60 intersection, left hand turns from Commercial into the drop off/pick up lane that back up traffic, the taxi stand on Commercial).

Hopefully the insight provided in the issue might bring a voice on behalf of many pedestrians who use this intersection daily, yet don't necessarily think to reach out via SeeClickFix. Hopefully once the new City Hall complex is constructed, this pedestrian issue will be a thing of the past.

The jaywalkers are a nightmare. How hard is it to use a crosswalk? How hard to wait for the walk signal? I am seriously surprised more people aren't hit by Malden Center T station.

DCCS, unfortunately the pedestrian crosswalk has a timer of about 10 seconds. Even as a younger, more able-bodied person, I barely reach the sidewalk on Exchange before the crosswalk light turns solid orange. To reach it, I have to cross in a diagonal pattern across the intersection. If every person followed the route of crossing both crosswalks (Malden T to corner of construction, corner of construction to Exchange/BoA corner), they'd never make it. Hence all of the jaywalkers.

The same could be said for the drivers blowing through a red light, preventing pedestrians from crossing. How hard is it to wait at the red light?

Alas, this will be an issue of entitled pedestrians vs. entitled drivers, something that has always (and will always) be a difficult topic to broach with the general public.

If it is not an "all stop/all walk" that let's you walk diagonally, then do what I do - cross one street and then WAIT for the signal to cross the other street! The area around the station is a nightmare for both pedestrians AND drivers. Bad/illegal behavior (on either party) should get a ticket.

It is an "all stop/all walk," as all traffic is stopped (flowing N/S on Commercial, E on Exchange). The thing is, before the construction, you didn't need to cross two streets to continue walking down Exchange. Now you do.

The original suggestion is to give pedestrians a few extra seconds (15 - 20 seconds) or even a crossing guard during rush hour so that they can reach Exchange/Malden Center T without having to wait two light cycles (totaling over 1-3 minutes, depending on time of day). The pedestrian signal is still timed for being able to cross to/from pre-construction Exchange when there was a sidewalk on both sides of Exchange.

Disregarding the near-fist fight that occurred between an Uber parked within the pedestrian crosswalk and a pedestrian this evening, to clarify an earlier point, the duration of the pedestrian crossing time is approximately 18 seconds.

Distance from T curb to Exchange curb (near the Jersey barriers): 60 ft
Distance from Jersey barrier curb to Exchange/BoA curb: 84 ft
Diagonal from T curb to Exchange/BoA curb: 120 ft

MassDOT intersection design guide suggests assuming a 3.5-4 feet per second walking speed (or 3 seconds per ADA guidelines).

The max distance suggested for crossing at an 18 second signal would be 63 - 72 ft for MassDOT, 54 ft for ADA.

Hopefully this provides a perspective that supports potentially extending the crosswalk signal time for pedestrians, or additional public safety measures. Thanks!

That's great info BJF, thanks!

This issue was recategorized from Traffic Signs, Traffic Signals and Paint/Markings to Traffic (Safety and Speeding).

Malden 311 (Constituent Services Representative) assigned this issue to Police Department

The Malden Police Department will assign traffic enforcement officers to the area during the morning commute similar to how we do during the evening commute.

I've reported similar cases at different intersections throughout the city and got nowhere. So many crazy drivers going through red lights and the police continually do nothing about it. Another terrible intersection is Main St and Charles St.

The Malden Police Traffic Division has monitored this area for several days. Many motorists have been stopped and made aware of the need to yield to pedestrians and to just be generally aware of their driving habits. Several citations have been issued as well.
We will continue to monitor this area as the need arises.

Thanks for fixing this request!