GREENFIELD — The city is changing the configuration of the stop signs at Franklin and North streets.
Starting at 9 a.m. Friday, Oct. 29, the stop signs on Franklin Street will be removed, according to the Greenfield Police Department. The intersection will become a two-way stop: Traffic on Franklin Street will no longer stop, but North Street traffic will still have to.
Several traffic studies have been conducted over the years that indicate these signs can be removed, Capt. Chuck McMichael, public information officer for the GPD, said in a release.
“This should also help with the intersection of Franklin and Main, with this intersection being so close to Main Street,” McMichael said.
The Greenfield Street Department put up message boards on North Street reminding drivers of the change, as well as permanent signs on the existing stop signs on North Street indicating that cross traffic does not stop.
“As always, for some drivers this will be a welcome change, and for others not so much,” McMichael said.
However, based on traffic studies and GPD’s own enforcement efforts, the switch should help to both reduce crashes in the long run and help with congestion.
“I want to remind drivers to always pay attention to road signs, as they sometimes change,” McMichael said. “We all get into routines where we don’t pay any attention to signs along routes that we always take, and this could cause an issue.”
That’s what happened when a temporary stop sign was added on McKenzie Road at Swope Street during construction on State Street, McMichael noted. A number of drivers disregarded it because they weren’t paying attention.
