Does Salem Have Too Many Red Lights?

If you’re frustrated with the red light situation in Salem, 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 Salem best. We asked you on Facebook how you felt about the red lights in our area. Could Salem 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:

• "Way too many. Having too many lights is what's causing all the traffic. Salem is a very congested city as it is.
  Which makes it even more dangerous for drivers and pedestrians"

• "Salem is well known throughout the state for having way too many lights... which leads to way too much traffic! I have had sooo many people say to me I love Salem, but the traffic is brutal...I could never live in Salem...the lights at every corner contribute to the major traffic problems in Salem, MA."

• "The number of red lights in Salem is too damn high. Any time any road work is being done I cringe knowing that some how a new red light will be installed. Its as if we have an excess supply of red lights laying around at the DPW and are just trying to find ways to use them before they go bad or something."

• "Too many. Makes drivers frustrated so they end up running the lights. The extended pedestrian time -- same thing. Drivers don't want to sit at the extended light so they run it. More dangerous than just having no or fewer lights."

• "It's not the number of red lights that is concerning, it's the number of unnecessary crosswalks. For instance, at the square downtown (with Tavern and Dunks) there are two crosswalks next to Dunks, one controlled by lights, one not. So which do you think pedestrians use (if any!)? Unnecessary. Get rid of the one not controlled by lights, traffic will flow smoothly. Or the number of crosswalks between Derby and Winter Streets..insanity. No wonder traffic never moves, every five feet there is a pedestrian crossing, holding up traffic."

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