It’s like what baseball great Yogi Berra said about a restaurant that had become too popular.

"Nobody goes there anymore," he said. "It’s too crowded."

People talk about avoiding the Walnut Street/Buck Jones/U.S. 1&64 area during the holidays. Even so, it continues to draw traffic like a magnet.

While the five-phase plan that is emerging would take several years and tens of millions of dollars, the Town must look at the big picture of congestion along the corridor as it considers solutions for the Crossroads area.

The Town is studying the issue from transportation and land use perspectives since each affects the other.

In November, the Town Council’s two committees reviewed the draft of a report from an engineering and planning consultant, Kimley-Horn and Associates.

The council will hold a work session in January. More details on the plan and work session will be on townofcary.org.

Ideas include simplifying intersections and eliminating some left-turn movements, replacing them with right-turns and free-flowing loop ramps.

The Town also wants to increase bicycle and pedestrian connections to neighborhoods nearby.

Recently, work began on widening and straightening Walnut Street farther south between Dillard Drive and Holly Springs Road.

Julie Robison, a local governance specialist for Research Triangle Institute, is the newest member of the Cary Town Council.

Robison is one of two at large representatives on the seven-member council.

She has a master’s in urban and regional planning from the University of Wisconsin at Madison.

In 1997, Robison moved to the Weston Pointe subdivision after having lived in the Triangle off and on since 1989. She and her husband have two children.

She assumes the seat held by Jennifer Robinson, who ran instead for District A. Robinson replaces Jess Ward in the district seat.

The Town will celebrate the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his dream in downtown Cary the weekend of Jan. 18-20, 2002.

The annual Dreamfest celebration promotes a community for all people with cooperation, respect and understanding throughout the year.

Highlights include a musical celebration Friday evening at Greenwood Forest Baptist Church and a unity march and rally downtown on Saturday morning. An ecumenical observance will be Sunday morning, Jan. 20 at Good Shepherd United Church of Christ at 1050 N.W. Maynard Road.

A VIP reception will be at the Page-Walker Arts and History Center on Saturday, Jan. 12 from 7-9 p.m. An art exhibit will remain there from Jan. 10 through February.

Co-sponsors are the Town, the MLK Jr. Task Force and Parents Coalition for Excellence. Events are free and open to all. For details, call (919) 460-4963. Information will be posted on townofcary.org.

Had that feeling before? If you have, you certainly aren’t alone. Nearly a third of violent crimes occur on streets or in parking lots and garages. Here are some ways to reduce your risk of being a victim:

• There is safety in numbers. Try to find a security guard or friend to walk you to your car. Avoid parking in isolated spots.
• Keep a map, spare change, a flashlight, jumper cables and other safety equipment in the vehicle.
• Carry a cell phone programmed to call 911 with the push of one button. Pull off the road before using.
• Never pick up hitchhikers.
• Watch for setups. If you think someone has intentionally hit your car, drive to a safe place or stay inside your car and await police.

Trust your instincts.

Cary’s seventh annual Kwanzaa celebration will be Thursday, Dec. 27 from 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. at the Herbert C. Young Community Center on Town Hall campus. Co-sponsors are the Ujima Group, Inc., and the Town. The event is free and open to the public. Kwanzaa is a secular, non-denominational celebration of African-American heritage. A guest speaker, performers and community market are included.

The Cary Fire Department has maintained its accreditation with the Commission on Fire Accreditation International. The voluntary program ensures that participating departments meet high standards.

We haven’t mastered telepathy yet, so we can’t be sure what you’re thinking unless you tell us.

That’s why the Town is cranking up another biennial survey to hear your opinions on a range of topics.

In January, several hundred of you will receive phone calls requesting participation. The survey takes 15-20 minutes. We’ll try not to interrupt dinner.

Please talk to us. The survey tells us what you think on issues such as growth management, transportation, parks and recreation, public safety, open space, taxes, and services for senior citizens.

The Biennial Citizen Satisfaction Survey for 2000 is on townofcary.org. Results of the 2002 survey will be publicized in February.

Want to start the New Year on the right foot, in a fun and healthy way?

Then hit the tree-lined streets of Bond Park at midnight on Monday, Dec. 31 for the annual Run in the New Year celebration and race.

Run in the New Year provides competition for serious runners on a USAT&F certified 5K course. But if you’d rather stroll your way into the New Year, come on out.. The event is for all ages and abilities.

Race Day registration will be from 7-11 p.m. at the Cary Senior Center, which is in Bond Park.

Sponsors are the Cary Family YMCA and the Town of Cary. Call (919) 469-4061 for information.

Town government offices will be closed on New Year’s Day.

Yard waste will not be collected that week. Tuesday customers will have household garbage, curbside trash and recyclables gathered on Monday, Dec. 31. The regular schedule applies for Wednesday, Thursday and Friday routes.

Looking ahead, Town offices will also be closed on Monday, Jan. 21, 2002 in observance of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.

Yard waste won’t be collected that week since crews usually gather it town-wide on Mondays.

However, the Tuesday through Friday collection of household garbage, curbside trash and recyclables will continue as scheduled.

If holiday season traffic has you singing the blues, the little blue buses could have you humming a different tune, at least on Saturday.

The C-Tran special continues on Saturdays through Jan. 5, providing door-to-door service to all Cary citizens, to anywhere in Cary. Ordinarily, only those who are at least 55 or disabled can ride C-Tran.

Tickets cost $2 each way. See townofcary.org for more details.

Cary residents who receive curbside yard waste collection may call for a loose leaf collection at no charge between Dec. 27 and March 31. The Town will vacuum leaves from the curb. Call the Public Works and Utilities Department at (919) 469-4090 to request a collection.

•••

You can drop off trees between Dec. 17 and Jan. 25 at Green Hope or Oak Grove elementary school or at the Town’s Citizen Convenience Center at 313 N. Dixon Ave.

American flags are everywhere these days. So it’s a good time to review how to avoid inadvertently showing disrespect for the flag.

• Don’t use the flag for advertising or print it on napkins, etc. Don’t fasten advertising signs to a staff from which the flag is flown.
• Don’t let the flag touch the ground, water, merchandise or anything beneath it.
• Carry the flag aloft and free, never horizontally or flat.
• Wear flag lapel pins near the heart. Never use flags as clothing, drapery or bedding. Flag patches may go on uniforms of fire, police and patriotic group members.
• Don’t attach any mark, insignia, word or any drawing to the flag.
• Never display it with the union down, except as a distress signal
• Arrange bunting with blue above, white and then red when draping a platform or speaker’s stand.

Destroy the flag in a dignified way when it is no longer fit for display, preferably by burning.

You’re never too old for toilet training. Call (919) 469-4090 for a "Toilet Training Tutorial." In January, area Lowes, Home Depot, True Value, and Ace Hardware stores will also be offering special "Toilet Training" demonstrations. Watch for details on the Town of Cary Web site, at the Finance window in Town Hall, in The Cary News, The News & Observer, and on fliers at participating stores.

Recycle wrapping paper, chipboard (paper tubes, cereal boxes, shoe and shirt boxes, etc), SBS (toothpaste and deodorant boxes, etc.), corrugated cardboard boxes, glossy magazines and catalogs, Styrofoam peanuts and moldings, Christmas trees (remove all lights, ornaments, and tinsel), Christmas cards and bows.