This street in Massachusetts is such a mess drivers are getting bumper stickers to show they "survived" it
SOMERVILLE -- A bumper sticker is circling around the streets of Somerville. It says, "This Car Survived Highland Avenue." The joke sticker has neighbors wondering when the troublesome road will get an overhaul.
"Ambulances and important vehicles can't get down the street. I think that is really important," said CeCilia Melendez, a manager at Magpie, a shop on Highland Avenue, "There's a lot of double parking and not a lot of room on this street."
What's wrong with Highland Avenue?
The road has stretches that are littered with potholes or a scattering of patched potholes.
Other parts of the street have issues with congestion or a road design that makes parking and maneuvering treacherous. WBZ-TV saw two near-accidents while reporting on this story.
"You wait a few minutes, you are going to see something. Someone yells at someone. Someone is almost crashing into another person," said Melendez.
The problems prompted Melendez to make the "This Car Survived Highland Avenue" bumper stickers, which are actually magnets. She spotted the image online and was searching to see if anyone else was selling them.
"The subreddit for Somerville was calling for this magnet. It seemed very important," she told WBZ. "I was like no one is making this. It's just an image online. I'm an artist myself, so I am not trying to rip off anyone. I was like 'I am going to give the people what they want,' so I made it into a magnet."
What is Somerville doing to fix Highland Avenue?
The city is actively working to correct problems on the road and has a plan in place that begins this summer.
A spokesperson for Somerville told WBZ-TV in a statement:
"The City is undertaking major upgrades to its outdated and aging sewer system, and we've had to dig up Highland Avenue to install modern sewer mains under the roadway, and we are using the opportunity to upgrade other utilities. We understand that residents would prefer not to drive through a construction site, but ask that they bear with us as we complete this work, put down interim smooth paving this summer, and launch the planning process for a full redesign of the street with improved sidewalks, crossings, bike lanes, tree planting, and more."
