POLAND – Michelle Murray doesn’t let her three children play in the front yard.

Murray was relieved to hear that selectmen changed their minds about accepting the Maine Department of Transportation’s offer to install a flashing yellow light where Route 11 crosses White Oak Hill and Megquier Hill roads.

“The only time people go slow is when it’s snowing,” said Murray. “It’s just a matter of people not paying attention.”

State officials identified the Poland intersection as a high crash site three years ago. State traffic engineer Stephen Landry approached selectmen last month about taking over maintenance costs if the state agreed to install a flashing light.

The original vote was 2-2, which denied the motion to accept the traffic light. Board member Lionel Ferland opposed on the basis that the light would annoy residents on the corner. Glenn Peterson rejected the offer because of the lack of information on costs and effectiveness. Board members David Corcoran and Patricia Nash favored the light. Selectmen Steve Robinson was absent.

But Wendy Sanborn, who lives on Bragdon Hill and is one of four candidates running for two selectmen seats, decided to pursue the issue after reading about the board’s decision in the Sun Journal. Sanborn presented the board this week with letters from the corner residents that stated their support for a traffic light.

Town Manager Richard Chick estimated that the town’s cost to have the light would be about $11.50 a month.

“I’ve witnessed several accidents myself,” said Sanborn. “I decided to check with the neighbors because it seemed to me that it would be more annoying to have cars piling in their yards.”

Given the feedback from residents and the cost estimates, the board quickly agreed unanimously to take on the maintenance of the light after the state installs it.

“I think the flashing yellow light would let people know that there’s an intersection,” said Murray. “I was glad that Wendy stopped by because I didn’t know anything about it.”

The intersection has had nine accidents between 1999 and 2001 with five of those occurring in 2000, according to state records. One accident was reported in 2003.

State statistics provided to the board revealed mixed results about the effectiveness of already installed flashing lights. While most areas had improved, some remained the same or had a higher number of accidents the next year. Fire and Rescue Chief Willie Rice said that a spike in accidents over a period of time is often due to unusual weather or other unusual circumstance during a particular year.

“I was surprised to hear how little it would cost,” said Murray. “It’s better than paying for emergency crews. It’s a good idea to at least try something.”