Town Council Backs Call for Union Street Rotary Pedestrian Lights

BRAINTREE, MA - Members of the Braintree Town Council are joining residents in calling on the state to consider taking steps to make the Union Street rotary safer for walkers.

Tuesday night, the council voted to ask the Massachusetts Department of Transportation to install pedestrian flashing beacons on the two crosswalks in the rotary.

The idea for the resolution was brought forth by residents Dave Speredelozzi and Robert Kearns who met with Councilor Stephen O'Brien. Kearns created the framework for the resolution before the council refined it prior to Tuesday night's vote.

After the vote, Kearns said he became concerned with the rotary while crossing it to get to the train station. Wanting to do something about what is a daily danger for him, he created a Change.org petition for flashing beacons at the rotary, which gained 132 supporters.

At the meeting, Kearns gave the council a sample of some of the comments from the petition including:

It's dangerous to cross this intersection. Drivers do not slow down to enter or exit the highway. - Robert Kephart

I just moved to East Braintree with the idea of commuting to my job in Cambridge via the Red Line but this is impractical due to safety issues on the rotary. - William Tremblay

I walk to the train for work. A flashing sign would greatly help me with my walk home daily. Making Braintree a more safe walking environment is good for everyone. - Tamara Menghi

Click here to see the petition and all the comments.