HOLYOKE, Mass. (WWLP) – In the city of Holyoke, residents are calling for city leaders to address an unsafe crosswalk on Homestead Avenue at the entrance of Holyoke Community College.
This busy crosswalk at the main entrance of Holyoke Community College is becoming a safety hazard for residents.
Linee Perroncel, who lives near it, has had too many close calls, “There’s no indicators to stop for pedestrians here, and when people do stop, people just zip right around and that’s where the real danger is of being hit.”
Residents here say speeding is a major problem on this roadway, the crosswalk lacks any pedestrian signage, and the only signal that they have is this light, which residents say only works half of the time.
Since 2016, Perroncel and her neighbors have been urging the city to put in place the proper safety measures for the crosswalk, including replacing the original, more visible, working flashing light, that was damaged in a car crash a few years ago, reducing the speed limit, and installing pedestrian crossing signage. But she says, there have been no improvements.
Holyoke City Councilor David Bartley, tells 22News, “The supplies are in for the lamps and the design is set and approved by the city engineer, the former one, and MassDOT, we just need to get the financing.”
Councilor David Bartley says they need to get the mayor’s approval to finance the crosswalk improvements, pointing to the city’s stabilization account that is meant to fund roadway projects. Another obstacle, Bartely explains, is a change in the city’s department of public works, where there will be a new city engineer beginning next month.
We have reached out to the Mayor’s office who redirected us to the city’s DPW office. We will have their response as soon as we here back.
Kristina D’Amours is a reporter who is a part of the evening 22News team. Follow Kristina on X @KristinaD_WWLP and view her bio to see more of her work.
