Whoever’s in charge of hydrants in Worcester must be a frequent reader. The hydrant featured on this blog yesterday has already had a makeover:
A bit of excavating, a bit of brush removal, and a liberal coat of paint, all in the space of a day. Thanks!
Any chance I could bribe you to paint some crosswalks if I buy you a cup of coffee or a can of Tab? That shade of yellow would look nice at some dangerous intersections.
The Worcester PD has been highlighting cases where pedestrians have been struck by cars and have stepped up enforcement of drivers who do not stop for pedestrians in a marked crosswalk.
As many of us — pedestrians and motorists alike — know, one of the problems is that plenty of city crosswalks are in desperate need of a new paint job.
In addition to the enforcement efforts, we need to also start looking at crosswalks that are barely visible to motorists. It’s not fair — or safe — to either pedestrians or motorists to not also concentrate on making sure all crosswalks are clearly visible.
To that end, I’ve created a Google Doc to list crosswalks that need to be repainted and when those crosswalks make it to City Council and Traffic & Parking Committee.
Over the next few months, I’d appreciate it if readers can note any crosswalks they see (as a pedestrian, as a passenger, as a motorist) that need a repainting. Note those crosswalks in the comments, or email me to get access to update the document directly.
I’d especially like folks to note crosswalks near schools, playgrounds, or parks that need a repainting.
At regular intervals (once a month or so) I will contact district councilors to get these crosswalks on the City Council agenda and then track them through the political process to completion.
Thanks!
(Image: Hearts & Crosswalks, a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 2.0 licensed photo from Spatch’s photostream.)
Roaming the wilds of the western suburbs is Deck-Bumper Guy:
He is what Worcester’s own Log-Bumper Guy wants to be when he grows up & gets some mad skills. This D.I.Y. bumper features a pressure-treated 4×4 post mounted to the truck with galvanized lag bolts. Many local cheapskate handymen would have stopped there. Deck-bumper guy has capped the ends of the 4×4, which protects the end-grain and gives things a “finished” look. He then installed a pressure-treated 2×6 atop the 4×4, thereby creating a larger deck on which to stand as he accesses his tools & such in the bed . . . but it also creates a protective overhang for his snazzy Patriots license plate. To complete the look and keep things legal, he has installed lights on either side of the plate, which is something that he’ll need when it’s time for an inspection sticker. (This slick guy is also rocking the byways with some bright yellow Monroe shocks and a kickin’ trailer hitch.)
Is a wooden bumper a good thing? Well, assuming this one replaces a metal bumper, the wooden one is a bit of a step down in quality of collision protection. Better than a rusty metal bumper, I guess. It’s nevertheless light years better than the plastic & styrofoam that pass for bumpers on 90% of the passenger cars on the road today. And if this guy does decks for a living — a distinct possibility, given all the tools in the truck bed — then this little beauty is simply good advertising for the quality of his work.
Of interest (perhaps) to Worcester residents is news that Best Buy is planning on closing 50 stores.
Rumors have been swirling (for at least two years) that the store at the Greendale Mall would close with the opening of a Best Buy at Mount Mall.
As of now, no word on a list of stores that will be closing, but that store closing would not be good news for the mall.
Nicole, Worcester 