Grodin is not giving up safer intersection effort

Written by Gregg Bartlett
Wednesday, 04 November 2009 14:50

Charles Grodin has not given up his campaign for a safer intersection at Routes 53 and 106 in his Chestnut Hill Road neighborhood. Mr. Grodin told The Bulletin on Monday that the Police Commission has placed discussion of the matter on an agenda for an upcoming meeting.

He said he has also let Attorney General Richard Blumenthal know about the intersection, which Mr. Grodin calls dangerous and a potentially serious litigation threat if ignored by state transportation officials. Mr. Grodin said the attorney general appeared interested in checking out the intersection and the problem there.

For five years Mr. Grodin has waged a campaign for the installation of another stop sign and caution sign for motorists approaching the area. He revived his efforts again this summer, and in early September he arranged a public forum so that other neighbors and commuters could share their views on the Routes 53 and 106 intersection and other traffic trouble spots in town and later present their findings to town and state officials.

“It’s simply common sense that we have a sign saying ‘Warning Stop Sign’ before the curve where 106 intersects 53, and a stop sign on 106 slightly ahead of the one on 53,” Mr. Grodin wrote in an Oct. 26 letter to Police Chief Michael Lombardo. “These warnings followed by stop signs are all over that area at intersections that aren’t even precarious, because there are stop signs at all of them.”

Mr. Grodin, who has recounted several close calls while driving through the Routes 53 and 106 intersection, declared he has had his “closest call” there recently. “I crept out in the lane on 53 to see if anything was coming on 106. It was clear, so I went ahead and was close to being rear ended by a car driving very fast on 106 that I just hadn’t seen. I’ve been in a lot of movies but not the Exorcist, so I’m unable to turn my head 360 degrees.”

As he has in the past, Mr. Grodin offered again to pay for the warning sign and the extra stop sign, “or do a fund-raiser in town to pay for it.”

In his letter to the police chief, a copy of which was sent to Mr. Blumenthal, Mr. Grodin wrote, “In common sense terms, whether the town or the state controls this must be of secondary interest because we’re talking about possible life and death and certainly reducing the daily stress for our drivers on Route 53, not to mention possible future lawsuits because of the attention this intersection has gotten.”

The Police Commission, which is the local traffic authority, plans to discuss the matter at its Nov. 9 meeting, according to Mr. Grodin, an actor and radio commentator, who let the chief know that he would not be able to attend the meeting because of a previous commitment in New York. He sent his letter as a way to share his thoughts with the commission.