The new crosswalk signals and concrete platforms that have been catching eyes on the Island’s main roads are part of a state effort to make Vineyard streets safer.
The Mass Department of Transportation (MassDOT) project, which also saw involvement from the Vineyard Transit Authority (VTA), the Martha’s Vineyard Commission and Island towns, has added new crosswalk and bus stop infrastructure to areas including Deep Bottom on Edgartown-West Tisbury Road, Beach Road in Edgartown and State Road in Tisbury by Colonial Drive.
The project came out of a 2023 study assessing which areas of the Island posed the highest risk for both drivers and pedestrians. Though the new infrastructure is generally located near popular bus stops — both official and unofficial — no new stops have technically been added, said VTA administrator Angie Gompert.
Rather, these changes are designed to make it safer to walk, drive and use the bus in high-traffic areas.
“What they’re trying to do is make safety improvements for pedestrians and cyclists,” she said.
The new concrete platforms on the road shoulders at improvement sites are designed to help disabled individuals get on and off the bus more easily while also offering refuge to waiting pedestrians. Crosswalk flashers alert drivers that a pedestrian is trying to cross.
Mike Mauro, transportation commissioner at the MVC, said that the new infrastructure is proximate to bus stops because these areas are associated with a higher accident rate. MassDOT then winnowed the Island’s stops into high-priority areas.
“What sparked that assessment is that Federal Highway (Administration) and DOT had noticed that 40 per cent of fatal and serious injuries happened within 300 feet of a bus stop,” he said.
Though the improvements are just coming online, they represent years of work behind the scenes from MassDOT, the VTA, the MVC and the towns.
“A lot of these projects take a long time to actually get across the finish line,” Ms. Gompert said.
This article appears in May 15, 2026.
I question the fine tuning of some of the locations that are NOT safely placed and in some cases block turning radius’s of adjacent roads. This kind of conflict could have been avoided but now the concrete has been precipitously poured by contractors who simply were ordered where to place these structures. I have already seen cars exiting and literally driving over the ramps of one location opposite Morning Glory Farm. No doubt, there will be more traffic issues at the least and I pray no one gets hit while folks turn into or out of certain adjacent ways. Very poor planning on some of these. Who is responsible? MVC? MVTA? MassDOT? Town Highway Depts? Who will accept responsibility? How do we fix these safety hazards?
Wow. To think these “improvements” were done and this gentleman is reporting this information is insane.
Did anyone at MA DOT think this through? The incompetence is discouraging.
We look forward to the LOCAL agencies data reporting on accidents near non school bus drops and pickup locations. Surely they did not wave a magic wand and simply transfer the data from the mainland to the island, never mentioning the intent ahead of time to build these silly structures and beg the State Of MAss for the funding to do these projects. Does anyone recall any public discussion on the topic?
The walk or bike ride from County Rd along Eastville-Towanticut to NY Ave to the Harbor is without any protection, day or night. To be safe one must quickly jump on neighboring lawns! More sidewalks, Please!
What a waste of taxpayer dollars. Are we going for a city look now ?
The state and its wise wisdom has added one more cut of 1000 cuts to Marthas Vineyard. The tipping point of this once beautiful Island has been reached. Let’s try and make this more like anywhere else in the US. Where once we were unique and a pleasant place to escape, we now are becoming like anywhere else poor Martha.
Color me bewildered. What are these protuberances supposed to actually do?