Making the Square Safer

The town follows through on a selectman Riley’s recommendation to install new flashing pedestrian crossing lights in Cliftondale

By Mark E. Vogler

Corinne Riley wasn’t yet on the Board of Selectmen when she recommended to State Rep. Donald Wong (R-Saugus) several years ago that he should go after funding for flashing pedestrian signs she had seen in a neighboring community. Wong credited Riley – his former campaign manager – with suggesting “a great idea” to him after he obtained a $50,000 state grant to buy pedestrian crosswalk signs in Saugus more than three years ago.

“When I saw them in Melrose, that was the first time I ever saw them, and I thought we needed to get those here,” Riley told The Saugus Advocate in an April 2021 interview, shortly after Wong had announced that he had sought and received a grant that could probably buy enough solar-powered electric signs that could be installed at 10 intersections, a pair at each intersection.

Riley had hoped that a few of the flashing pedestrian crossing lights would be installed in Cliftondale. Since the town’s receipt of the grant three years ago, flashing pedestrian lights have been installed at intersections where the Northern Strand Community Trail passes through town as well as at other locations that have been targeted as priorities for correcting dangerous traffic conditions for pedestrians, cyclists and motorists in the community.

Town Manager Scott Crabtree recently announced the installation of two new sets of flashing pedestrian crossing lights at high-volume crosswalks in Cliftondale Square. “The illuminated flashing lights and signage are designed to capture the attention of drivers as they approach crosswalks,” Town Manager Crabtree said in a press release issued by his office.

“Having these lighting systems in place improves safety for pedestrians and motorists alike,” Crabtree said.

The solar-powered systems feature a button that pedestrians can push to activate flashing warning lights as they cross the street. Bright yellow pedestrian signs and diagonal arrow signs accompany the flashing lights to alert motorists traveling in both directions about the crosswalks.

The pedestrian crossing lights are located on Jackson Street just before the entrance to the Cliftondale Rotary, with the other system extending from Banana Splitz across Lincoln Avenue to the Mobil gas station. The lighting systems are funded through a state grant.

Riley, who has continued to advocate for the improvements since being elected to the Board of Selectmen five years ago, said she believes the pedestrian crossing lights represent a proactive approach to reduce the chances of accidents involving pedestrians. “I’m glad the town has taken this important step to make it easier for pedestrians to safely navigate the rotary area,” Riley said. “The addition of these flashing pedestrian crossing lights definitely benefits public safety in Cliftondale Square.”

The Police Department has worked with the town in identifying locations where the flashing pedestrian crossing lights could be installed. Cliftondale Square was one of three locations that Wong had suggested to selectmen for placing the crosswalk lights.

“When I first worked with Representative Wong on getting the crosswalk flashing lights in Cliftondale Square, I knew that it was going to be a safety measure that we’d be able to take to protect pedestrians crossing the street,” Riley said in an interview this week.

“I was very pleased recently to see additional sets of lights in other trouble spots where people try to cross. Because of additional traffic using Cliftondale as a cut-through, it definitely isn’t as safe as it could be, especially with the big construction trucks and 18 wheelers that go through our town,” Riley said.

“But because it’s a public road, it’s very difficult for the town to stop trucks from using our streets. Enforcement of speed limits and yielding to pedestrians will be a great help as well, and it’s not just for cars and trucks, but for electric bikes and scooters too. I hope that residents and other motorists will also do their part, by focusing on the road rather than smartphones while driving,” she said.

Riley suggested that more needs to be done to make the streets of Cliftondale safer for everybody. “An additional step I would like to see is the addition of a few traffic cameras around Cliftondale. I think that cameras would provide peace of mind to residents and business owners in Cliftondale,” Riley said. “Public safety is the top priority for the Board of Selectmen and the Town Manager, and we’ll continue to explore all areas to improve public safety to protect the residents of Saugus.”

In an interview at the time that Wong announced receipt of the grant money, Wong stressed that pedestrian safety was already a chief neighborhood concern. “Just wish we got it earlier,” Wong said of the grant, noting that a Saugus couple – Robert and Judy Hoffman – wound up getting hit in a crosswalk (on Central Street in January 2018) long before the town obtained the grant. Mrs. Hoffman later died from injuries she suffered from the accident.

Wong noted that pedestrians getting hit by cars has been an unfortunate occurrence too often in Saugus – like in April 2021 when a 60-year-old Revere man in a wheelchair was treated for injuries after being struck by a car driven by a 74-year-old Malden woman in the area of 1500 Broadway near Route 99. Wong also recalled a selectman being hit, not mentioning Michael Serino by name.

“I applied for it because I think it’s very important for prevention and the safety of our community,” Wong told selectmen at that time.