John Ruch
JP CENTER—The high-visibility pedestrian crossing sign that went up in Centre Street last month has disappeared. The sign, which warned drivers not to run over pedestrians, apparently was itself run over.
Boston Transportation Department spokesperson Jim Mansfield blamed a “car making a wide turn” for wiping out the sign. Architect Scott Payette, a board member of the Jamaica Plain Business and Professional Association, said at that group’s meeting this week that he witness an MBTA bus crush the sign.
Either way, the sign was sheared off at pavement level.
“We are doing an engineering review on whether it is a good spot to put a [sign],” Mansfield told the Gazette.
The bright yellow sign, known as a “pedestrian delineator,” was bolted to the pavement at the intersection of Centre and Seaverns Avenue to warn drivers about yielding to pedestrians in the crosswalk there. The sign had been requested by the Sumner Hill Association and the Jamaica Plain Business and Professional Association.
The $250 sign lasted about six weeks before disappearing, with its mount still bolted into the street. BTD previously told the Gazette that the sign was designed to be flexible, but could be broken off by a direct hit. A vehicle would have needed to cross the double-yellow line to do so.
Mansfield said BTD would be reviewing the sign’s location this week. He said that similar signs have been hit by turning cars in other areas of the city. If the pedestrian delineator doesn’t work out at Centre and Seaverns, other types of signage are a possibility, he said.
Sandra Storey contributed to this article.