When a state highway runs through town, the town loses control of a vital artery. At least, that seems to be the case in Northfield, where the mystery of the missing pedestrian crosswalk signs came to a head recently.
The problem is longstanding. All manner of signs along Main Street have been disappearing: holiday bazaar signs, political signs, church signs including one put up this summer by the Community Bible Church announcing its pandemic-inspired outdoor services. None of these were in the roadway or impeding drivers’ visibility. All of them cost money. All of them — vanished.
Over the years, the town’s highway department came in for its share of the blame. Or was it political opponents? People against churches? No one seemed to know.
As it turns out, those missing signs were being removed not by town employees, not by bored teens looking to redecorate their bedrooms, not by vandals, but — wait for it — by none other than the state Department of Transportation itself.
The issue gained clarity when a Northfield police officer spotted a state truck decamping with the last remaining pedestrian crosswalk sign, planted in the middle of the crosswalk in front of the elementary school. It turns out MassDOT had been sweeping them up and depositing them at the state garage on Route 10. The reason? The worker caught in the act said the signs were in violation by being on state property. Residents are still scratching their heads over the incongruity of a safety sign being deemed a violation. The signs were put there to alert drivers and protect pedestrians as they crossed the street.
Readers with long memories will recall the 2004 death of Richard Holbrook, struck in a pedestrian crosswalk in the center of town. Following that tragedy, selectmen resolved to ask the state Highway Department for immediate help in solving the problem of making crosswalks on Main Street more visible to drivers, noting that there were no signs on the state highway indicating that pedestrians will be crossing on any of the five crosswalks in the stretch of highway with a speed limit of 35 mph. The selectmen said they hoped to have a commitment from the Highway Department by April 22 to increase the visibility of the crosswalks. That’s April 22, 2004.
That was 16 years ago and the town is still fighting the same battle. These expensive pedestrian crosswalk signs, at least some of which were paid for with citizen donations, are its latest skirmish. Their disappearance is particularly galling because the town had worked hard to make sure crosswalks were prominently included when the state repaved this busy highway a year ago.
Chief Rob Leighton lost no time sending an officer to retrieve the five signs that were being held at the state garage in Bernardston, and reaching out to MassDot online to apply for a permit to allow the signs to be placed on state property. Leighton has also reached out to state Rep. Paul Mark’s office to make him aware of this issue in order to avoid another such incident while the application is being processed.
We would go even further, requesting Rep. Mark’s help in changing MassDOT policy to permit a two-week window for displaying lawn signs promoting political campaigns, church fairs and other community events along Main Street, in front of consenting homeowners, to inform the community about upcoming events.
When a state highway is also Main Street, the town should have more say about its use.