Williamstown Selectmen Discuss Safety of Main Street Intersection
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The Board of Selectmen on Monday heard concerns about the safety of a Main Street intersection.
David Armet, who was injured in an accident at the corner of Main Street (Route 2) and Colonial Avenue, told the board that the site has issues that the town should address on its own and/or in consultation with the Massachusetts Department of Transportation.
"That night, laying in the hospital, I thought I was pretty lucky to be alive, and I want to see if the town can do something about this," Armet said. "The issue there, in my opinion, is there's a bit of a blindspot along what is being promoted as a bike lane."
Armet was traveling west on his motorized scooter on Main Street when he was struck by a car pulling out of the side road.
On Monday, he told the Selectmen he returned to the intersection to look at it from the perspective of drivers coming from Colonial Avenue and determined that road elevation and obstructions combine to create a blind spot for motorists.
"With the guard rail and the telephone pole, it does appear as if a blind spot to the shoulder, which is where I was traveling," Armet said.
Armet told the board that through his work as a physical therapist, he knows of at least one other accident at the site, in 2012, involving a bicyclist and a motorist.
"I feel like at the very least, there should be a sign as a reminder to motorists coming out of Colonial Village to watch for cyclists in the bike lane," Armet said.
Town Manager Jason Hoch told Armet that the sign suggestion is a "reasonable, moderate" step that the town can look into taking on its own.
Any other changes to the intersection require the input of MassDOT, which has looked at the site since Armet's accident, Hoch said.
"Their view was there were not other improvements that needed to be made on the state road," Hoch said. "That said ... they generally look at it from a motor vehicle standpoint first.
"In the short run, a sign reminding drivers of caution is easy to do. We'll ask if they have any other guidance for the bike lane."
In other business on Monday, the board approved a waiver for 3,000 gallons of liquid propane storage at a residence on Hancock Road, set Jan. 20 at 8:45 for the board's annual retreat and heard an update on the Mount Greylock school building project.
Hoch and Selectmen Hugh Daley, who serves on the Mount Greylock School Building Committee, told the rest of the board about this Thursday's meeting, when the School Committee plans to vote to appropriate the debt to pay for the renovated and expanded junior-senior high school.
That vote would trigger a ballot vote later this winter in both Williamstown and Lanesborough to approve a debt exclusion. Williamstown currently plans to hold that vote on March 1 to coincide with the presidential primary.
In addition to the board's business, Chairwoman Jane Patton used Monday's meeting to recognize the life of town resident Sally Cramer, who died earlier this month.
"Authors write stories about characters like Sally and hope to do her justice," Patton said. "Whether it was helping her husband to run for state offices or organizing campaign teas for JFK's presidential election ... she had a joie de vivre that I envied.
"We have these remarkable characters among us in Williamstown, and when they leave us they leave a hole."
Tags: accident, intersection,
