Letter to the Editor, Published in The Sun Chronicle 3/26/2025 and Foxboro Reporter 3/27/2025
By Robert Gillis
3/25/2025
To our Foxboro Selectboard, respectfully — Regarding replacing the existing information signs at the top and bottom of Foxboro Common with electronic signs, the problem is DISTRACTION.
Driving around Foxboro Common and the rotary is DANGEROUS — and the location of the two existing signs — if they are changed to electronic and constantly updated, they become an immediate distraction at a place when driver focus absolutely MUST be on the road in front of them.
Driving the rotary with O’Reilly’s Auto on the right and the Common on the left, and taking the left to continue on to Central Street / 140 south is dangerous because of
- Cars coming up on the right from Bird Street
- Cars entering from Main Street
- In the afternoon, the sun is directly in the driver’s eyes
- Most dangerous of all — the frequent crossing of pedestrians jaywalking from their parking spot to cross in that blind spot to get to the Rodman Center or Station One.
Eventually, there will be a terrible accident at that spot.
So: If we have an electronic /always changing sign to get information at that part of the Common, that is an immediate distraction. Everyone driving by is going to read it — when their eyes need to be looking in multiple directions and being on the lookout for jaywalkers where they should not be – a distraction there may well lead to a tragedy.
Please — leave the original signs at the top and bottom of the Common alone – we love them, they’re iconic and lend nostalgic charm to Foxboro Common – but stop manually updating them as a source of information.
DO have an electronic sign — in front of TOWN HALL.
Yes, that road is not as frequently traveled as around the common where more people can see it, but what we don’t need is another distraction at such a dangerous place. Having the electronic sign in front of town hall is sensible and provides information in a SAFE manner.