Deaths on ‘DUI Corridor’

A group of neighbors on Cathedral Oaks Road are organizing to try to stem the tide of accidents, many of them fatal, on our street. In addition to the spate of fatal accidents — three deaths in the last year and a half, right on the stretch between Kellogg and Cambridge — several neighbors in the area have had vehicles run off the road into their lawns.

Children walking home from school along this stretch of road have been nearly hit in the crosswalks, which drivers routinely disregard. A school bus stop is right in the middle of this stretch, where kids are picked up and dropped off every weekday.

We are also aware that this part of Cathedral Oaks is regarded unofficially as the “DUI corridor,” and indeed, many of the accidents that have taken place on this road have involved alcohol. But this is not true of all of them.

The stretch of road invites reckless driving, given the curvature of the road and the placement of stoplights. People get going at high speeds as they enter this stretch — the speed limit is 40, which is already too high for a residential area — and it’s not uncommon to clock people at speeds of 70, 80, and even 90, as was the case in one recent fatality.

The road needs to be narrowed to two lanes, with traffic calming features installed, as with other stretches of Cathedral Oaks. Some neighbors have tried reaching out to local officials of various sorts, who seem unmoved by our concerns.

We’re tired of seeing people die on our doorstep, and we think the media should cover this story. The routine loss of life on this street is unacceptable.