CAMBRIDGE, Md. – Drivers navigating Locust and Willis streets in Cambridge will notice something new: a crosswalk and stop sign designed to slow traffic down.
City officials say the addition is a response to an accident that took place last year and a wave of complaints about speeding in the area.
Ben Cullen, who has lived on Locust Street for eight years has been waiting for this change for a while. His family has no choice but to cross Locust Street just to reach their car, since it's a one-way road.
"People like to really fly down the street. Much more than any other, because it's such a wide street in general and there's no lines going down it or anything like that," Cullen said. "So this being right in the middle of the main drag, kind of breaks it up nicely and, makes it a lot safer for me and my kids to get across the street getting to and from school and everything,”
That danger became personal last year, when a crash at the intersection sent a vehicle crashing straight into the Cullens' home. The impact caused $25,000 in damage and rattled the family — Cullen was in the room that took the hit.
Cullen says he's hopeful the new stop sign and crosswalks will finally get drivers to ease off the gas.
“It means so much to me and my family. Without it, it becomes more of a fear aspect of living here. I mean, we've thought about putting up a barricade in front of our house after I got hit by a car one time,” Cullen said.
City officials say the changes came after Cambridge's Traffic and Safety Committee fielded repeated complaints about speeding along Locust Street.
Commissioner Brian Roche is on the Traffic and Safety Committee. He says the new stop sign is an attempt to get people to pay attention to the fact that they are driving through residential neighborhoods.
"It may be a minor inconvenience for people passing through, but it is a force multiplier for people wanting to live and feel safe in the city of Cambridge," Roche said.
According to Wayne Suggs, Director of Public Works for Cambridge, this installation is coming out of the city budget. He says it is a demonstration project for a federal grant.
That larger initiative — backed by the federal Safe Streets for All grant — aims to improve sidewalks and connectivity throughout Cambridge.
For neighbors living near the intersection, the impact has already been noticeable.
"So just this past week since it's been up, the breath the fresh air when I get out of the car and someone is going that slow, it's just like, I'm not panicking. I'm not worried. I can tell that people are stopping and there's enough time for me to cross, so it's not like I need to rush," Sarah Hahn said.
More changes are on the way for Cambridge. City officials say a new roundabout, bike path and parallel parking are also in the works, with roundabout construction expected to begin by the end of the month.
