The 5 Worst Saratoga Intersections, Ranked
Where urban planning failed us: the blind spots and long lights that leave us seething.
We have it pretty good here in Saratoga—getting from point A to point B by car is so much easier than it is in, say, Boston or New York City or, perhaps worst of all, Clifton Park on a weekend. But that doesn’t mean I never find myself unreasonably enraged by an extra-long red light or fellow driver who doesn’t know that a yellow light at the intersection where Route 50 meets Route 9 at Dunkin’ means you gun it.
Here are Saratoga’s 5 worst intersections, ranked:
#5: Old Gick Road & Route 50
This one isn’t all that bad in and of itself, but when you’re driving from Moe’s back to Saratoga (sue me—I like Moe’s), the Old Gick Road/Route 50 intersection is brutal for what it represents: Not only will you most likely get stuck next to Walgreens, you’ll also probably hit every one of the approximately 7,000 lights on the arterial that connects downtown Saratoga and Wilton. You’re so close (that intersection is only 2.3 miles from Broadway), yet so far.
#4: Route 50 & Route 9
I said it above, and I’ll say it again: Yellow means “go” at the intersection at the top of Broadway by Stewart’s and Dunkin’, especially if you’re turning left off Route 50 onto Broadway. If you miss your chance, get ready to sit, and sit some more…I will say that that poor traffic light is working overtime (a five-way intersection!) which is why I put it at only #4.
#3: Route 50 & Railroad Run
This one is especially bad, since it’s not a real intersection. It’s a crosswalk that connects the Railroad Run bike path to the Saratoga Spa State Park bike path. And while I don’t want to encourage jay walking…C’mon, there’s really not that much traffic. The light is also twice as long as it takes the average person to cross the street, resulting in twice the road rage. The same applies to the crosswalk by Complexions.
#2: Franklin Street, Division Street & Clinton Street
I’m honestly surprised there aren’t more accidents at the stretch of Division Street between Clinton and Franklin streets. People are usually going too fast on Division, usually come out too far on Clinton in order to see around Lily Saratoga, and there are usually parallel-parked cars that make it impossible to tell if anyone’s coming from either direction when turning off Franklin. Add in crosswalks at both side streets and all the Spot Coffee customers coming and going, and there’s not really any safe way to cross over Division there.
#1: Federal Street, Washington Street & Railroad Place
The only thing worse than the dangerous three-street intersection that is #4 is the way-too-safe, three-street intersection just past UPH on Washington Street. I mean, really: Are there that many people traversing Saratoga’s West Side—going where? From CVS to Terra Nova Church?—that there needs to be not one, but two traffic lights within 150 feet of one another? Yes, I used to live just beyond that intersection and no, that fact did not play any role in the creation of this list.
—Natalie
Game Time Answers November 7
The bathroom at Harvey’s
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