Isn a signal at Merrimount /Island Crest the safest solution?
Probably not. A signal will likely cause an increase in top speeds along the corridor (a return to speeds measured before the current Merrimount configuration), which isn’t good. In addition the more affordable signal option (four lanes) will expose left turning vehicles on Island Crest to rear end accidents. Also bad. The Merrimount/ICW intersection is difficult today in large part because the lanes are too narrow and the sight lines have not been improved. But since the installation of the temporary experiment at Merrimount/44th and ICW, the accident rate at that intersection has dropped and there have been no injury accidents there (as of end of 2008). Merrimount no longer stands out as a more serious problem than the rest of the corridor. The proposed three lane installation would widen lanes and improve sightlines at Merrimount–reducing the sense of unease we feel there today. And a three lane configuration will improve safety along the whole corridor rather than just at one inte
