Rochester’s Most Dangerous Intersection Gets Blinking Stop Signs

Just ask anyone who drives the back roads of Rochester, and they'll agree.  The most dangerous intersection in town is Mary's Pond Road and Walnut Plain Road.

Traffic on Walnut Plain is expected to stop because of the stop signs posted in each direction, but Mary's Pond Road does not have any stop signs.

It's a road that I personally drive a couple of times a week.  When I do, I regularly preach to my teenaged children that they should ALMOST pretend there is a stop sign on Mary's Pond Road.  At the very least, you'll want to pretend there's a blinking yellow or a yield.  For me, it just doesn't feel right to drive right through that intersection going the speed limit.  It just feels too dangerous.

While many in town have been pushing to make the intersection a four way stop, there has definitely been push back and vocal opposition to that idea.  Some feel that making it a four way stop sign won't make people better drivers.  In other words, they blame the drivers for the accidents, not the intersection, and no amount of signage would solve that problem.

Earlier this year, the town agreed to enhance the existing stop signs on Walnut Plain Road and make them more attention grabbing.  New, blinking stop signs are now up and running, and they are hard to miss.  The signs are solar powered.

Only time will tell whether or not Rochester's blinking stop signs will help save lives.