Where Should Natick Install a Red Light?

If you’re frustrated with the red light situation in Natick, you are in good company.

While stop lights are one of the necessary evils of commuting, they don’t guarantee safety for pedestrians or cooperation from drivers.

According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, red-light running is the number one cause of urban crashes. Furthermore in 2013, approximately 127,000 people were injured in red-light related accidents.

In August 2015, the National Coalition for Safer Roads released an interactive safety map that would allow users to see the number of red-light running deaths in their area as part of the group’s ‘Stop on Red’ initiative.

At Patch, we appreciate that our readers and motorists know the stop lights in Natick best. We asked you on Facebook how you felt about the red lights in our area. Could Natick use more red lights? Are there too many? What intersections need a stop light, or should get rid of one?

Here’s what readers said on social media:

• "We need a right turn lane turning from 135W onto Speen St (at corner of CVS). So few cars use the left turn lane (toward Roche Bros) but it is always backed up to go straight or right."

• "We may need a light at the intersection of Washington Street and Route 27. It is much harder to turn left onto 27 since the construction of all the paperboard apartments"

• "The left turn at 27 and Bacon backs traffic down to Dairy Queen. Years ago there was a no left turn 4 pm to 7 pm. It was awesome. Guess only the complainers called."

• "I always think we need a roundabout at the Bacon St/Walnut Street 5-way intersection."

Is there red light in Natick you can’t stand? Is there an intersection that could desperately use a red light? Let us know on Facebook.