Traffic Lights: A Sign of the Times

We all deal with the reality of traffic every day. You probably do so from behind the wheel of your car. Starting and stopping on the whims of other drivers, various traffic lights, or in response to the sudden dashes of frantic pedestrians. 

By the end of this month you will have another traffic signal to deal with here in Salem. Republic ITS of Billerica is installing what is considered a state-of-the-art traffic control system at the notorious intersection where Derby Street, Congress Street, and Hawthorne Boulevard converge.

This intersection has developed a reputation over the last twenty years as one of the more dangerous in the city. There have been numerous accidents involving motor vehicles and more than a few where pedestrians have been hit by cars. 

This small junction of roads is where three different parts of the city come together.  From the east the Point, from the north the waterfront, and from the south and west our downtown all converge at this one place. Long ago each road led to different ethnic neighborhoods.

Now it just another busy place where the rubber meets the road.

There are many of you who lament the installation of another traffic signal. To you the lights themselves both create and represent the traffic issues you face every day. Long afternoon lines of vehicles idling on North Street and the often gridlocked intersection at Washington and New Derby Streets are all the evidence you need to back up your theory. To you traffic lights are the cause and the effect.

Those who support the installation of these new lights are also firm in their convictions. The many accidents and injuries that have occurred in the shadow of the church steeple and the South Harbor Garage are all the argument they need. They will tell you with sincerity that these new lights will save lives.

As I was watching the work taking place in the intersection late Thursday and Friday mornings I thought to sit back and watch the traffic.  It was interesting to say the least.

For five or 10 minutes at a time there were only a few cars passing through. You could almost describe the intersection as sleepy.  It was what came next that is worthy of comment.

As if on command, five vehicles approached from all points of the compass. Two north from Derby, two east from Congress, five south from Derby, and three west from Hawthorne Boulevard. As they began to navigate the intersection and each other it became a rodeo of automobiles. Each vehicle at this four-way stop seemed to treat the stop sign as advisory in nature. They either drove through without even attempting to stop or rolled through with a "California" stop where you never truly come to a halt.

The next 15 minutes featured the same sort of activity. I unofficially counted 37 vehicles that traveled the intersection. Most of them did not stop at all. Those that did stop were few and some stopped strictly as the result of an aggressive pedestrian. 

In the world we now inhabit traffic lights have become a sign of the times. The volume of traffic, the age and inability of our streets to handle that volume, and the hectic pace of the lives we lead have led us to this situation. The lights are here and they are staying here.

The spring is here, summer is on the way. This traffic signal system may be inconvenient but it is not a terrible thing. We will survive, Salem will continue to thrive and all will be well in our world.