Is This Intersection Unnecessarily Dangerous?

A Burlington resident has been raising concerns about the safety of pedestrians crossing between New England Executive Park and the plaza across the street that houses b.good Burgers, Starbucks and Yeh! Frozen Yogurt among other businesses.

The resident who has raised the issue asked not to be named in this story.

The main concern is that the intersection does not have a set of pedestrian lights or anyway for people crossing the street to get a right of way to cross. There were buttons for a crossing light on the posts, which Town Engineer Thomas Hayes said were never connected to the traffic lights. The buttons have been removed since last week, a move Hayes said was to stop "confusion" among those attempting to cross. 

The concerned resident told Patch he is worried that with , people will be more likely to cross the intersection as they go back and forth to the other restaurants and shops across the street. With the Tavern selling alcohol, he is concerned that with people drinking, both those crossing and potentially drivers leaving the area, there is an increased chance of accidents involving pedestrians.

There was also a concern that many of the street lights over the intersection were out. Crews were in the area last week replacing some of the bulbs but Hayes said there is also an underground fuse in the area that is causing power spikes and blowing out bulbs. He said town employees are working on locating the fuse to replace it and fix that problem.

Hayes acknowledged that the crossing area is in need of improvements, saying it was one of the "worst in town." He explained that the deficiencies at the intersection were identified during a town-wide traffic signal evaluation and that the Planning Board recognizes the need for rehabilitation. Hayes added that the board included provisions for improvements in a recent approval for funding by New England Executive Park that will be implemented when certain thresholds in the development of the park are reached.

The concerned resident stated he felt the improvements should have been required before the opening of Tavern in the Square.

What do you think? Have you crossed Mall Road at that point? Do you think the town should make improving that crossing walk a priority?