Schizophrenia Strikes Busy Vermont Thoroughfare

By Ted Cohen

The public works boss in Vermont's largest city can't decide who's on first.

Or, in this case, who goes first.

DPW Chief Chapin Spencer ordered his crews to replace the “YIELD” signs on a Queen City Park Road bridge with “STOP” signs.

Seems motorists approaching the single-lane bridge connecting the neighborhood’s east and west approaches complained the YIELD signs were causing traffic bottlenecks.

Supposedly drivers didn't know how or when to yield to an oncoming vehicle to determine who should proceed first.

The increased traffic congestion was blamed on the controversial, multi-million-dollar “Champlain Parkway project,” which was actually supposed to reduce congestion.

The railroad bridge, on the Burlington/South Burlington boundary line, is used mostly by residents of the lakeside Queen City Park neighborhood, visitors to Red Rocks Park, and employees at nearby businesses such as Edlund, Burton Snowboards, Rhino Foods and the Green Mountain Transit bus depot.

But work on the Champlain Parkway prompted city officials to close Pine Street where it intersected with Queen City Park Road, forcing some motorists to take the bridge - roughly 1,200 extra cars a day.

So Spencer agreed that the YIELD signs were confusing and now quickly becoming a political brouhaha.

He went to the Public Works Commission, which decided to put STOP stop signs on both approaches.

Spencer then put up huge electronic portable signs on each side of the bridge advising motorists of upcoming “Traffic Pattern Changes.”

A few days later his crews removed the YIELD signs, putting STOP signs in their place.

Then the complaints began pouring in.

Now drivers were whining that the traffic tie ups were even worse.

Apparently motorists were stopping, but then not going, wondering now who had the right-of-way.

While officials had aimed to clarify “right-of-way,” the change caused frustration among residents who found the new setup confusing and slow, leading to debate over whether to revert to the previous, seemingly more efficient yield system.

Fast forward a few more days and the rocket scientists comprising the DPW brain trust agreed it was better before they got involved.

So they schlepped their equipment back over to Queen City Park Road, yanked out the STOP signs and put back the original YIELD signs.

Now nobody is happy, everyone is more confused than ever and neighbors have, believe it or not, a new idea.

They want city officials to consider widening the bridge to two lanes.

After all, what's a few million more taxpayer dollars among friends?