The crosswalks on Damon Road in Northampton are a disaster waiting to happen. Signs, which are scattered and too small to read quickly, say “Crosswalk — Stop on Red — Proceed on Flashing Red When Clear.” But drivers are often not aware that pedestrians and cyclists have lights of their own. They have a button to press which will in short order make the lights change in their favor — red for cars, white “WALK” for pedestrians and cyclists.
Drivers seeing the crosswalk, but ignoring the signs and the laws that govern them, often stop before the light turns red. This risks a rear-end collision with a following driver who is not prepared to stop, since there is no red light. It also endangers anyone who might walk across at that time, since cars coming from the other direction will not be prepared to stop since there is no red light for them.
In Massachusetts, when a crosswalk is paired with an active traffic light or pedestrian signal, the right-of-way is governed by the specific signal displayed rather than standard uncontrolled crosswalk rules. Both drivers and pedestrians are obliged to follow the traffic and walk/don’t walk signals.
Drivers who stop when they shouldn’t — and pedestrians or cyclists who are clueless about the rules governing crosswalks — aren’t doing anyone any favors. Rather, they are inviting an accident.
Stephen Petegorsky
Florence