Description
The crossing from the Train Station to Exchange Street, and the subsequent first block on Exchange, is a dangerous mess that ought to be remedied immediately.
Please consider:
1. Prohibiting vehicular traffic on Exchange from Commercial Street to wherever both sides of the street have a sidewalk from, say, 8-9:30AM and 4-6:30PM M-F.
2.Prohibiting all vehicular standing and pick-up/drop-off at the corner of Exchange and Commercial until 2 sidewalks are available then.
3. Painting a crosswalk across Exchange Street at the western corner of Exchange and Jackson.
4. Placing a MPD vehicle and officer near the jersey barrier across from the T but facing toward Rt. 60 (i.e., parked against traffic) to monitor.
At evening rush hour, many drivers block the intersection while pedestrians briefly have the walk-light. Sometimes they even driving slowly right THROUGH the red light as pedestrians attempt to cross! MBTA buses are also offenders. Sometimes they encroach on pedestrians rather than just wait 15 seconds to get through the light and turn into the station busway. Cars double park on the southeast corner, blocking pedestrian access to the sidewalk and waiting to pick up passengers from the T.
Perhaps that's all old news, but with the construction and pedestrian crowding, the negative impact on walking near the T is much worse than before.
The one sidewalk on Exchange is often jammed because it has narrow stretches that get completely blocked by normal, unavoidable use, e.g., parent going slowly with a double stroller, person moving slowly due to mobility issue, people stopped briefly outside the daycare, people carrying parcels...whatever.
Meanwhile, you step off the sidewalk into the narrow driving corridor at your own risk. Some drivers, maybe upset that they had to navigate the crowds of pedestrians back at the corner, accelerate quickly, to dangerous speeds for such a narrow, packed space.
I notice that Exchange Street is fully blocked to traffic when the construction company needs better access. Residents should be afforded the same consideration and safety every day.
30 Comments
City of Malden (Verified Official)
Anonymous (Registered User)
Ken M (Registered User)
Bike Man (Registered User)
Anybody (Registered User)
HEIDI (Registered User)
The issue isn’t just cars. Can’t tell you how many times I see people crossing against the green or crossing no where near the cross walk near the Dunkin‘ Donuts. Many don’t even look they just walk. Maybe the police should start ticketing for j walking too.
That area is going to be a mess until the project is done and pedestrians need to take care to, don’t assume a car is is going to stop for you. You don’t have the right of way if you are not in a cross walk or the light is green.
Closed Anonymous (Registered User)
Reopened JenLapan (Registered User)
Reopening. This issue is anything but fixed, despite Anonymous User's inability to count and his strange aversion to the police ensuring resident safety.
(For the record, there are 6-dozen+ patrol officers and we're talking about the single most heavily foot-trafficked location in the city--to the point that the Chief himself is onsite in the station more evening rush hours than not. There is also frequently a transit officer at the station, and I actually got the idea for placing an officer near the jersey barrier from...wait for it...and officer actually already having been placed there some days, which greatly improved the situation at that time.)
There is no reason the construction company cannot pay for a police detail. The intersection at Abbott and Exchange clearly needs a crosswalk painted. It seems to have been forgotten--all the adjacent intersections have fresh crosswalks.
Pedestrians cannot safely cross on green if cars and even buses are blocking the street--that pedestrian walk light is about 10 or 15 seconds long only. It's absolutely not enough time during rush hour. Everyone ISN'T paying attention--and when motorists don't pay attention, a fix is needed.
Closed Anonymous (Registered User)
Reopened JenLapan (Registered User)
Closed Anonymous (Registered User)
Reopened JenLapan (Registered User)
Closed Anonymous (Registered User)
Reopened JenLapan (Registered User)
Closed Anonymous (Registered User)
Reopened JenLapan (Registered User)
Closed Anonymous (Registered User)
Reopened priscot (Registered User)
Closed Anonymous (Registered User)
Reopened JenLapan (Registered User)
Closed Anonymous (Registered User)
Reopened JenLapan (Registered User)
Acknowledged TraffSGT (Verified Official)
While assigning a police officer to Exchange St would obviously mitigate the situation, to dedicate an officer to this location every day would be predicated upon the resources that we have available on a given day and the volume of more emergent calls that require a police response. We will, most definitely, step up the monitoring of pedestrian traffic at this location, which includes the pick-up/drop off situations on Commercial and Exchange Sts.
While the police presence will help alleviate this situation, it is ultimately the responsibility of the pedestrians to know when to safely cross the street by watching for the proper traffic signal and by staying off of their mobile devices when crossing. Educating the motoring public is much easier then educating the pedestrian public. Common sense should dictate.
As far as creating a temporary pedestrian crosswalk, the Engineering Department is better served to answer this question.
JenLapan (Registered User)
Thank you! Please note that pedestrian common sense cannot fix motorists who run the red light while pedestrians have the walk-light.
I just got off the train and I watched for two light cycles. Both cycles, motorists blocked the crosswalk for the first half of the pedestrian cycle, and a car remained in the intersection, encroaching on the crosswalk.
It's 90 out. I didn't feel like standing there longer to watch more cycles.
Thanks for your attention.
K (Registered User)
Anonymous (Registered User)
Lvpre (Registered User)
Anonymous (Registered User)
Closed Lt. Ryan Fortier (Malden Police) (Registered User)
Stefan (Registered User)