Town officials are looking to increase pedestrian safety in Padanaram in the next couple weeks, opting to eliminate the crosswalk at Bridge Street where a resident was recently fatally struck by a vehicle.

With the red-brick crosswalk at Water Street becoming the primary sidewalk for the area, Public Works and the Police Department are working to get a solar-powered, button-operated rapid flashing beacon installed.

The new beacon was originally planned for the Bridge Street crosswalk. However, the Select Board decided to eliminate the crosswalk based on recommendation from Traffic and Safety Officer Steven Canario.

“I would have never supported that crosswalk being constructed,” Canario said, noting the addition occurred before his time. “Mathematically, it doesn’t make sense.”

Having studied the area, he said drivers coming off the bridge toward the village only have about two seconds of reaction time — also noting it is not a speed issue.

“There are a lot of distractions there that could absorb two seconds of time,” Canario added.

Select Board Chair Shawn McDonald questioned the actual usage of Padanaram’s crosswalks, which Canario confirmed are not consistently used by pedestrians. 

Canario said in the age of high distracted driving, “Crosswalks do give people a false sense of security. … If someone’s distracted and things go wrong, the car wins every time.”

“It’s going to be a big plus,” he said of the approved changes, but it isn’t a guarantee for safety.

The Select Board said they would also consider other measures they could possibly take to promote the use of the crosswalks in the village. Additionally, the team working on the project was asked to look into the possibility of adding moveable speed bumps before and after the bridge for the village’s busier seasons.

Select Board member Heidi Silva Brooks said, “Whatever we can do in Padanaram, and any spot within the town where there’s heavy pedestrian use to make it safer for pedestrians, we need to do.”