Accident Raises Safety Concerns at Columbus Ave. Intersection

A recent accident at a notorious Columbus Avenue intersection left two people injured and neighbors wondering how to make the street safer for pedestrians and drivers.

On Monday afternoon, a taxi cab turning onto Columbus Avenue off of West Newton Street was struck by another vehicle allegedly seen running a red light through the intersection, police reported. A witnesses said the taxi cab had a green light at the time of the accident.

Both drivers were transported to the hospital with serious head and neck injuries and both vehicles sustained major damage, according to a police report.

For neighbors, the accident was indicative of a larger problem at the nearby Rutland Square intersection, which is used by many pedestrians traveling to the Corridor or .

“As most neighbors know, this is a routine event in this neighborhood,” Rutland Square Neighborhood Association President Stephen Fox wrote in an email to residents. “If any pedestrian--or parent with a stroller--had been trying to cross Columbus at Rutland at that same moment, they would not have made it.”

The Rutland Square Neighborhood Association has requested that a neon “Pedestrian Crossing” sign be re-installed at the crossing and has asked the city to conduct a formal study of the roadway to see if a blinking red light would be more appropriate for the West Newton Street intersection.

“The RSA strongly supports a more effective pedestrian crossing signal that will slow down traffic for pedestrians, and eliminate the mad dash across West Newton,” Fox wrote.

District D4 police have also been asked to help with enforcement at the intersection.