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PLAINVILLE, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — Shoppers cutting through neighborhoods to skip traffic on main roads won't be a problem for Plainville residents this shopping season.
Plainville Police are stepping up to help direct traffic away from residential areas that get congested with traffic from shoppers headed to the outlets in Wrentham this time of year. Plainville Police Chief James Floyd told WBZ's Chris Fama that shoppers end up cutting through neighborhoods because they try and use a GPS app to direct themselves away from traffic on the main road.
"If it will save you thirty seconds you will go to an area where you're not familiar with and then there [are] just 25 cars in that neighborhood," Chief Floyd said.
Streets like Berry Street, Wampum, and Everett Skinner will have police stationed directing shoppers away and letting residents in. The traffic in residential neighborhoods can cause firefighters and police to have a hard time responding to calls and emergencies.
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"And the idea behind that is if we need to go to a call for service in one of those neighborhoods and it's basically gridlock it's going to be really hard for us to get there efficiently and take care of what we need to take care of," Chief Floyd said.
Plainville Police partnered with the app, Waze, to ensure those neighborhoods will not come up as alternative routes to beat traffic on the main road. The police electronically detour drivers away from smaller residential areas through the app.
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