CARIBOU, Maine — Caribou resident Wilfred Martin raised concerns about traffic on York Street, where he lives, during a Nov. 27 City Council meeting.
Martin said the road has several “blind driveways” making it difficult for residents to determine whether or not they should leave their driveway. He added that many motorists also drive over the speed limit, making matters worse.
“People are driving as fast by my house as they are when they go down Interstate 95,” Martin said. “I’m almost run over when I try to get out of my yard.”
Martin said that he’s spoken with the police chief as well as the highway department about “getting some signage put up on York Street,” and he asked councilors if they could direct him to where he has to go, or what he has to do, in order to get something done about the traffic.
City Manager Dennis Marker said he has spoken to the police chief and highway department officials, and that they are “looking into what needs to be done,” and determining the best solution.
Marker said that additional signage isn’t necessarily the best solution, considering that York Street is “out of the way,” and there “isn’t a lot of traffic there.”
Martin disagreed, saying that York Street is “still within the urban area,” and that additional signage is necessary for the safety of residents.
Mayor Gary Aiken agreed that York Street can be an unsafe area.
“I don’t know if it’s quite like Interstate 95,” he said, “but drivers are certainly going over the speed limit.”
“They’re on the uphill side by the time they get to your place,” he said, “so they slow down.”
Before moving onto the next agenda item, the city manager agreed to take a look at the road and the traffic issue himself.
