Norton Residents Sound Off on Safety Issues

Norton, MA - Summer’s nearly here, and with each walk in the park, day at the pool and backyard BBQ comes the risk of snakebites, drowning and fires, but don’t worry! There’s no reason to stay cooped up inside all season.

Patch put together a list of summer safety tips to keep you safe and having fun while the weather’s warm. Make sure to give snakes their distance and always swim with a buddy to stay carefree during the dog days.

Keeping these tips in mind, there are other possible dangers that affect Norton residents year round.

We asked Patch readers what they thought the biggest safety issues were in their town. Here’s a list of the most pressing problems, from break-ins to traffic jams:

• "I think it's the speeding problem. Especially because a lot of people, myself included, take walks. Add in the curved roads and it's a recipe for disaster."

• "No traffic lights in front of Tedeschi on North Worcester or on the 495 overpass!"

• "Lack of funding for after school activities and sports."

• "The end of Smith Street where people park cars to fish in the reservoir has alway been a problem. They park right at the fire hydrant and nothing is ever done about it."

• "I wish there was a light at N. Worcester and S. Worcester streets. The accidents are common there and traffic is just too much sometimes. You are taking your life into your own hands when you cross over Rt 123 there."

• "No sidewalks on Reservoir St."

• "Large trucks and 18 Wheeler's using our rural country roads as cut-troughs and short-cuts. A lot of families live on these roads and one of these days a child is going to get killed by one of these trucks as they are whizzing by!"

• "The filthy water that comes into our houses."

• "Noone stops at the crosswalk at Edgewater for the kids to get to the bus stop. Not even the police."

• "Opiate addiction and the many ways that it impacts our children, families and residents"

Is there a problem that wasn’t mentioned? Share it with us in the comments below or on our Norton Patch Facebook page.