I do not understand what’s going on at the Route 110 and Route 2 intersections. There are eight points of traffic intersection—four are covered by yield signs and four are covered by stop signs. Based on how people drive the intersection, the general consensus seems to be that the traffic engineers got it all wrong and put the stop signs where the yields should be and vice versa. I have yet to see anyone stop while entering Route 110/111 from Route 2 and this morning someone in a BMW was so convinced that they did not need to stop that they would have driven into my passenger door if I hadn’t swerved into the other lane as I was driving past on 110. Conversely, everyone goes down the ramps to Route 2 and stops at the bottom, creating possibly an even more unsafe condition by stopping in a highway high speed merge lane.
Driving is safest when the drivers are predictable and follow rational behavior—we should expect each other to yield or merge at a yield sign, and to stop at a stop sign. It seems to work at the other highway intersection (Route 110/111 and Interstate 495). Nobody ever stops there while merging onto 495 (thank goodness!), and I haven’t seen anyone drive through a red light when exiting 495. Is there some difference I’m missing?
Michael Lawton
Old Shirley Road
