Drivers forced to play chicken at Cleveland Circle
It's "already one of the worst intersections" he's ever driven through, says tipster Richard Duran. But for the past several months, something as simple as a malfunctioning traffic signal in Cleveland Circle has made things even worse. Duran tells GlobeWatch that a left-turn arrow at the intersection of Chestnut Hill Avenue and Beacon Street hasn't been working for what seems like ages, causing major confusion for drivers and putting everyone at a significant risk for accidents at this busy crossroads, he says.
"If you head downhill from [Commonwealth] Ave. to Beacon and want to make a left-hand turn at Cleveland Circle onto Beacon Street (now heading toward Boston), the left-hand arrow is supposed to let you turn onto Beacon before the opposite direction traffic starts heading up hill toward Comm. Ave. This arrow is usually green for about 15 seconds before turning yellow," writes Duran.
"For the last nine months, the 15 seconds of green portion of the arrow is not working. What is happening now is there is no green arrow," just the brief period with the yellow arrow. "All the drivers wanting to turn left just sit there, fearing oncoming traffic, unaware that this is their time to turn.
"This is an unsafe intersection as is. Now it is less safe and inefficient. Those that are waiting and then see no oncoming traffic now venture out to turn, but by the time they do, the oncoming traffic starts."
A visit by a Globe reporter last week found that while the yellow turn arrow worked fine, the green turn arrow remained dark through seven or eight signal cycles. A sign posted at the base of the signal states drivers should wait for the green arrow before turning, so some did, but they quickly gave up after no green arrow appeared. Most attempting to turn left onto Beacon Street simply waited for the regular green light and then maneuvered their way into position until oncoming traffic had cleared enough to make the turn.
"I can't believe that this has not been reported by someone - and am shocked that it still isn't repaired after such a long time. Please help," writes Duran.
The city responds
Workers in the city's Transportation Department checked out the signal last week and found that the green arrow light was, indeed, not working properly, said James Mansfield, a department spokesman. It appeared that a cable had been "crushed" and needed to be replaced, he said. Workers planned to install a new signal cable over the weekend and the light should be fully functional by Monday, Mansfield said.
WHO'S IN CHARGE
Thomas J. Tinlin, commissioner
Boston Transportation Department
1 City Hall Square, Room 721
Boston, MA 02201-2026
Hotline: 617-635-4283
