Ed BakerThe Taunton Daily Gazette
TAUNTON — City Councilor Jeffrey Postell said he saw “a handful of cars fail to yield the right of way to a young couple” that tried to cross Broadway in a crosswalk near the corner of East Broadway on May 9.
“They (drivers) completely disregarded the caution light,” he said on May 16.
Postell said a pedestrian traffic light was recently installed at the intersection, and the device replaced a previous flashing signal for drivers to heed.
“The new light is much better and brighter,” he said. “I watched a young couple stand at the crosswalk with the caution light flashing and saw a handful of cars traveling outbound from the city go right through it.”
The speed limit is 35 mph on Broadway from the corner of Church Street to the intersection of East Broadway.
Postell said Taunton police should assign an officer to monitor traffic conditions at the corners of Broadway and East Broadway, enforce traffic laws and help drivers become familiar with the new light signal.
“We need some enforcement of the traffic laws and education,” he said. “We should not have to remind many people about pedestrian traffic safety. It would be good to have a police presence near a new system to determine if you have to modify the signal or the overall safety of that crosswalk.”
Bay Street resident Michael Rogers, 18, said he agrees with Postell’s safety concerns.
“A lot of drivers don’t stop for people that are trying to cross the street,” Rogers said after he completed a bicycle ride on Broadway.
Would you like a skatepark in Taunton? Should Taunton build a skatepark at Memorial Park? Here's what it might cost.
The City Council unanimously approved a request by Postell on May 9 to ask police officials to assign an officer to monitor drivers at the intersection of Broadway and East Broadway and enforce traffic laws.
Councilor John McCaul said he’s “seen many cars speeding up and down Broadway.”
“I get complaints from residents,” he said on May 16. “We need stronger enforcement of the traffic laws on Broadway.”
Drivers are limited to a 35 mph speed limit on Broadway from the corner of Jackson Street and through the intersection at East Broadway. The speed limit on Broadway then drops to 30 mph between the junctions of Oxford and Paull streets.
Drivers can increase their speed on Broadway to 35 mph from the corners of Paull Street until they approach the intersection of Church Street, which has a 20 mph speed limit.
The maximum speed limit on Broadway in Taunton is 45 mph from the corner of Jackson Street to the Raynham border.
Mayor Shaunna O'Connell's Chief of Staff Ligia Madeira said she spoke to police safety officer Arsenio Chaves about the concerns that were raised during the Council session.
"He is working on the safety concerns," she said. "It's too soon for him to comment on these matters."
'A growing crisis' Why Morton Hospital wants to close its new $10M Taunton addiction unit
Concerns about speeding cars on Cohannet and Silver Streets
Postell said many drivers speed on Cohannet Street into “a cut-through intersection” at Silver Street.
“There is a lot of excessive speeding there,” he said. “It’s a congested area with housing and families with small children.”
Postell said he almost got hit by a speeding car while crossing Silver Street in 2021.
“I was in the neighborhood visiting some folks, and I almost got hit by a car flying down the street,” he said.
'Wasted money' Massive overhaul of Route 138 slashed, new plan is a 'Band-Aid'
The speed limit on Silver Street is 30 mph under Massachusetts law because it’s a residential neighborhood with homes that are less than 300 yards apart.
Drivers are limited to a 30 mph speed on Cohannet Street, and there are five-speed limit signs along the entire length of the road that also state the area is “thickly settled.”
The signs were placed along Cohannet Street in 2012 after police completed a traffic study that neighborhood residents requested during City Council meetings held earlier in the year.
Postell said the City Council should obtain traffic crash data from police officials about the number of crashes at Cohannet and Silver Streets.
“We would like to get a report and determine the best approach to increase safety at that intersection,” he said.
The Council unanimously approved Postell’s request on May 9 for police to provide crash data about Cohannet and Silver streets.
Postell said the Council would schedule a meeting with police officials on a future date to have “a more robust discussion” about safety issues near Cohannet and Silver streets.
“We will take the (crash) statistics and mention the daily experiences by residents in that neighborhood to have a more solid approach and hopefully end the problem or, at the very least, to reduce the problems there,” he said.
Postell said he has been trying to address traffic safety issues with City Engineer Michael Patneaude and the Department of Public Works officials.
“We need to look at these problematic areas and do what we can to try and prevent accidents,” he said. “We will never solve them all, but if we can reduce them and increase the overall safety at these intersections, we will do our part.”
