PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The best answer to the dangerous intersection at Valentine Road and Lakeway Drive may be to reconstruct it. 

 

Commissioner of Public Services Ricardo Morales told the Traffic Commission on Wednesday the right way to fix it is to change the geometry of Valentine Road rather than installing signage or markings because the road gives drivers space to travel at high speeds. 

 

"That would be my preferred option, in a sense preventing drivers from traveling at those higher speeds rather than counting on the drivers being able to see the signs or the lines in the road and counting on them to slow down," he said.

 

One solution could be to make the intersection a mini-roundabout to deter speeding drivers approaching the intersection. Speeds would be reduced to about 20 mph through the roundabout as vehicles go through unimpeded.

 

"We should not treat ourselves as an exception and we have to start looking at these traffic-calming measures to make them more available in our community," he said. "They work, and we should take advantage of them." 

 

Morales said he was reviewing this project before the COVID-19 pandemic, but had to shift his focus because of the virus. He will need time to evaluate and determine the best traffic calming measure to take on this intersection.

 

City Council President Peter Marchetti had submitted a petition to explore and implement safety and traffic calming measures to improve the intersection.

 

"I received several complaints over Memorial Day weekend with car accidents," Marchetti said. "Anything we can do to improve that intersection would be greatly appreciated." 

 

Marchetti said it is hard to see the intersection with Lakeway after coming around a corner on Valentine. He said he has spoken with Morales and trusts his ability to come up with calming and safety measures to improve the intersection.

 

Police Sgt. Marc Maddalena said there have been 14 crashes at the intersection since between Jan. 1, 2018.

 

According to the data, these crashes are significant in damage because of the speeds that are coming over the hill on Valentine Road. Most of these crashes were a result of cars failing to yield on Valentine.

 

Valentine Road changes from a 45 mph speed limit to a 35 mph just south of the intersection, with Taconic High School's playing fields on the southeast side of the intersection.

 

There are stop signs on Lakeway Drive and crosswalks across the south side of Valentine and the east side of Lakeway. Morales noted that there is a dog park being developed west of the intersection on Lakeway Drive, which will increase pedestrians' access on a regular basis.

 

Ward 7 Councilor Anthony Maffuccio said he has had 15 to 20 calls about this intersection, the speeds that lead up to it, and the danger that it poses. He also mentioned that the intermediate care facility on Valentine is in close proximity to the intersection and that it seriously concerns the staff.

 

Maddalena referenced a "dangerous intersection" sign that was put at the intersection of East Housatonic and Pomeroy Avenue, where a number of accidents had previously occurred.

 

"Something as simple as that solar-powered sign dropped our crashes from between 10 and 20 a year down to this year where we got two," Maddalena said, suggesting that this method may be worth it as an initial attempt.

 

The Traffic Commission referred the petition to Morales for further study. 

 

The commission also unanimously voted to remove the old winter parking ban of 11 p.m. and 7 a.m. and institute alternate-side parking during snowstorms.

 

Marchetti described the old ban as "archaic."

 

"I want to give kudos to Councilors [Nicholas] Caccamo, [Peter] White, and [Helen] Moon because this was a battle that I fought for many years and especially for the residents of Morningside and West Side areas who live in four-family apartments with no driveways or driveways that fit a single vehicle and it allows them some flexibility," he said.