OPINION: Stop Cumberland Farms from building on busy part of Acushnet Ave

The following was submitted to New Bedford Guide by a concerned resident:

“North [End] Residents, Business Owners and Employees in Far North End, Voc Tech Faculty, Staff, Travelers, & Any Concerned Citizens:

Your Presence and Support is Needed Wed. night, Jan. 9th at 6 PM, Downtown Library, 3rd Floor

The New Bedford Planning Board will decide to approve or disapprove a new LARGE Cumberland Farms, to include a gas station AND a car wash. The proposed location is directly at the Acushnet Ave curve lights (adjacent to Orthodontics and across from Pa Raffa’s – and close to the Rte. 140 gateway into the north end).

This meeting is a continuation from a December meeting where the developers shared their plan. Cumberland Farms hired a traffic review, who did a traffic safety analysis for ONE day, on a Tuesday, to determine if it would be safe to add a Cumby’s in that location. ONE DAY, plus, they only used Mass DOT accident info to tell the Planning Board “only 15 accidents at that location in x number of years. Councilor LINDA Morad then spoke sharing New Bedford Police accident data indicating over 100 accidents PLUS a FATALITY.

PLEASE ATTEND on Wed., Jan. 9th at 6 PM to show your OPPOSITION to having a large Cumberland Farms with gas station and car wash at a dangerous traffic location (plus, there are currently 4 gas stations near there, a car wash a few blocks away and a grocery store. Is Cumby’s needed there? NO!).” – Jacqueline Coucci‎