Square's red lights have lost their meaning

"Have you been in Union Square (Somerville) during morning rush hour? What a disaster!" says tipster Greg Barker in an e-mail.

"I drive down Washington Street (from Cambridge) into and through Union Square each morning. Cars/trucks/buses coming down Somerville Ave. from Porter Square blow through the yellow-to-red/red light like mad, most turning left to remain on Somerville Ave. The Somerville Ave.-Washington Street-Webster Avenue intersection is particularly bad. I often count the vehicles that blow the red light and I'm up to five. When the light turns green on Washington Street, cars just wait. The light is unfortunately very short in the morning, so by the time all the cars from Somerville Ave. finish turning (during the red) only about four cars from Washington Street get through. Recently I saw an MBTA bus blow the red light on Somerville Ave. and shoot up Webster Avenue, well after the light for Washington Street turned green. It can be scary, if you're not careful."

A Globe reporter stopped by Union Square one morning last week and found a confusing maze of concrete jersey barriers and orange barrels lining the square. Vehicles stacked up on Somerville Avenue, waiting to turn onto Washington Street or head across to Webster Avenue, but with about 11 seconds of a green light cycle, a number of drivers, including some in MBTA buses, decided to hit the gas pedal even after the light turned yellow and red.

"I've only seen a cop pull over a car for blowing the red once . . . and that was in November," says Barker. "I thought that was a sign of the Somerville Police noticing the problem, but I was wrong."

The city is well aware Union Square need lots of work, especially with respect to traffic. "The entire traffic pattern for Union Square is under scrutiny for redevelopment and rezoning," said Thomas P. Champion, director of communications. "Everybody recognizes we want to have some long-term changes to move traffic through that complicated set of intersections," he said. The city has proposed a major zoning change for the area to create an arts overlay district to encourage arts-related businesses such as galleries and lofts, as well as new low-to-moderate income housing, to be built in Union Square, he said. The Board of Aldermen is expected to vote on the proposal soon, said Champion.

If approved, and a $23.5 million road reconstruction of Somerville Avenue is completed by year's end, Champion said the city's Office of Strategic Planning and Community Development will take a comprehensive look at traffic.

In the meantime, Champion said he will ask the city's traffic engineer to review the timing of the signal at Somerville Avenue, Webster Avenue and Washington Street to make sure it's functioning properly.

He'll also contact the city's traffic unit to see if enforcement can be stepped up there.

Residents with complaints about general traffic issues, such as the red light scofflaws Barker writes about, should call the Somerville Police Department's nonemergency line at 617-625-1600.