Important Links
Archives
- 04/01/2004 - 05/01/2004
- 05/01/2004 - 06/01/2004
- 06/01/2004 - 07/01/2004
- 07/01/2004 - 08/01/2004
- 08/01/2004 - 09/01/2004
- 09/01/2004 - 10/01/2004
- 10/01/2004 - 11/01/2004
- 12/01/2004 - 01/01/2005
- 01/01/2005 - 02/01/2005
- 02/01/2005 - 03/01/2005
- 03/01/2005 - 04/01/2005
- 04/01/2005 - 05/01/2005
- 05/01/2005 - 06/01/2005
- 06/01/2005 - 07/01/2005
- 07/01/2005 - 08/01/2005
- 08/01/2005 - 09/01/2005
- 09/01/2005 - 10/01/2005
- 10/01/2005 - 11/01/2005
- 11/01/2005 - 12/01/2005
- 12/01/2005 - 01/01/2006
- 01/01/2006 - 02/01/2006
- 02/01/2006 - 03/01/2006
- 03/01/2006 - 04/01/2006
- 04/01/2006 - 05/01/2006
- 06/01/2006 - 07/01/2006
- 09/01/2006 - 10/01/2006
- 10/01/2006 - 11/01/2006
- 12/01/2007 - 01/01/2008
- 07/01/2008 - 08/01/2008
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 2.5 License.
Random musings from a Midwesterner in Beantown.
Monday, November 14, 2005
The downside of Ikea
Stoughton got slammed with Ikea traffic for the grand opening of their first Massachusetts store:
IKEA crowds snarl region
By Elaine Allegrini and Tim Grace, Enterprise staff writers
STOUGHTON - They built it and the crowds came, but some were turned away Saturday when the parking lot of the state's first IKEA filled up.
State police closed the ramps from Route 24 at Exit 19 mid-day to avoid a traffic backup on the highway because the parking lot was full.
Cars from New Hampshire and other New England states were spotted in the grid-locked traffic around the store that opened Wednesday amid widespread attention.
The highway ramps were opened in late afternoon, but state police on the scene monitored the situation and were prepared to close them again if necessary.
Inside the lot and along Stockwell Drive, the main access road leading to the mega-retailer, town police dealt with a steady stream of accidents Friday and Saturday.
And, for residents in the neighborhoods surrounding the store, traffic made any trip out of the house an all-day adventure.
Stoughton resident James Hannon lives on Turnpike Street, less than a mile from IKEA.
The 30-year-old warehouse worker said his one-mile commute usually takes "about a minute."
But IKEA traffic has stretched that to nearly a half-hour.
"Yesterday I just walked," Hannon said Saturday. "It took me less time.
"I went with my roommate to take his dog to Petco over on Stockwell and it took us almost an hour to get there."
Karen Pike, also of Turnpike Street in Stoughton, said the traffic has cut her off from half of the region.
"I can get out of my driveway if I want to turn right but turn left? Forget about it. It's a nightmare out there," Pike said.
Just south of IKEA on Central Street in Avon, resident Stephen Bolduc said clogged roads have slowed his family to a crawl. "It took my sister half-an-hour, 40 minutes to get home from Stoughton," a trip of less than five miles.
John Purnell, also of Central Street, Avon, said he spent 45 minutes driving the two miles from Route 24 to his home. "It's just amazing," he said.
IKEA did prepare for the crush of traffic before the store's opening, hiring dozens of local police to work traffic details. The store also paid for improvements to Stockwell Drive and paved a second access road, giving the store an exit onto Turnpike Street.
Spokesmen for the store did not release opening day traffic estimates but store openings in Texas and Illinois drew tens of thousands.
IKEA crowds snarl region
By Elaine Allegrini and Tim Grace, Enterprise staff writers
STOUGHTON - They built it and the crowds came, but some were turned away Saturday when the parking lot of the state's first IKEA filled up.
State police closed the ramps from Route 24 at Exit 19 mid-day to avoid a traffic backup on the highway because the parking lot was full.
Cars from New Hampshire and other New England states were spotted in the grid-locked traffic around the store that opened Wednesday amid widespread attention.
The highway ramps were opened in late afternoon, but state police on the scene monitored the situation and were prepared to close them again if necessary.
Inside the lot and along Stockwell Drive, the main access road leading to the mega-retailer, town police dealt with a steady stream of accidents Friday and Saturday.
And, for residents in the neighborhoods surrounding the store, traffic made any trip out of the house an all-day adventure.
Stoughton resident James Hannon lives on Turnpike Street, less than a mile from IKEA.
The 30-year-old warehouse worker said his one-mile commute usually takes "about a minute."
But IKEA traffic has stretched that to nearly a half-hour.
"Yesterday I just walked," Hannon said Saturday. "It took me less time.
"I went with my roommate to take his dog to Petco over on Stockwell and it took us almost an hour to get there."
Karen Pike, also of Turnpike Street in Stoughton, said the traffic has cut her off from half of the region.
"I can get out of my driveway if I want to turn right but turn left? Forget about it. It's a nightmare out there," Pike said.
Just south of IKEA on Central Street in Avon, resident Stephen Bolduc said clogged roads have slowed his family to a crawl. "It took my sister half-an-hour, 40 minutes to get home from Stoughton," a trip of less than five miles.
John Purnell, also of Central Street, Avon, said he spent 45 minutes driving the two miles from Route 24 to his home. "It's just amazing," he said.
IKEA did prepare for the crush of traffic before the store's opening, hiring dozens of local police to work traffic details. The store also paid for improvements to Stockwell Drive and paved a second access road, giving the store an exit onto Turnpike Street.
Spokesmen for the store did not release opening day traffic estimates but store openings in Texas and Illinois drew tens of thousands.
Comments:
Post a Comment
