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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2004-05-27-TSAC-minTown of Lexington Traffic Safety Advisory Committee MEMORANDUM #0310 TO: Dawn McKenna, Chairman Board of Selectmen FROM: EriclZanin, Chairman Traffic Safety Advisory Committee Traffic Safety Advisory Committee DATE: 515/2004 SUBJECT: TSAC The Traffic Safety Advisory Committee met on May 27, 2004 to discuss the following issues brought before us: Request: No Parking at Middleby Road Bike Path Petitioner: Kathy Haller McNeil 56 Baskin Road Lexington, MA 02421 Reason for Request: Parked cars for Bridge School drop off obstruct sight lines at pedestrian/bikeway crossing. Recommendation: No parking on Middleby Road for 20' on each side of the pedestrian/bikeway crossing. Reasoning: Crossing location sight lines should be protected and the displacement of 4 parking spaces will not have a significant impact on the parking situation at the Bridge School. Request: Address the traffic hazards caused by the very wide opening at the intersection of Harding Road and Bedford Street. Petitioner: Bill Janovitz 285 Bedford Street Lexington, MA 02420 Reason for Request: The wide opening of Harding Road at Bedford Street and wide radius curves allows traffic to go through this intersection at high speeds and at many different angles. The problems are compounded by vehicles entering and exiting the Mobil station. Discussion: The TSAC acknowledged that the geometry of intersection encouraged fast driving and encroachment into opposing travel lanes. There have been about 6 accidents at this intersection over the last 10 years. An island or curb extension would improve the performance but it would require a permit from the state and be an expensive project. Recommendation: Discuss the problem with the owner of the Mobil to explore traffic and funding solutions. Request: Wood Street Traffic Petitioner: Elaine Higgins 88 Wood Street Lexington, MA 02421 Reason for Request: The Wood Street neighborhood approached the TSAC as a result of the accident that occurred around 80 Wood Street where a pedestrian was struck while crossing the street to board a school bus. The residents requested crosswalks, a reduced speed limit and safety signage. Discussion and Recommendations: The TSAC recommends a crosswalk on Wood Street at Fairview with crosswalk advance signage -- the other locations requested by the neighborhood were considered unsafe or not along a reasonable pedestrian route. TSAC recommends that an engineering study be conducted to petition the state for a speed limit of 30 mph on this streeti - the 25 mhp requested by the neighborhood is not considered" feasible. TSAC also recommends school bus ahead signage be installed to warn motorists. Request: Hartwell Avenue Bike Lane Petitioner: Jerry Van Hook 89 Meriam Street Lexington, MA 02420 a.s Reason for Request: Extending the Minuteman Bikeway to serve the Air Base and Hartwell Avenue business has been a priority for Bicycle and Transportation advocates for many years. The current situation is hazardous to cyclist due to the high speed and erratic movement of vehicles on Hartwell Avenue. The proponents also contend that Hartwell Avenue would function better for motorists if it was limited to one travel lane in each direction. Discussion and Recommendation: The TSAC pointed out that changes in Hartwell Avenue would effect about 18,000 vehicle trips per day. Work of this magnitude is above the expertise of TSAC and should be reviewed by a professional traffic engineer. Nevertheless, we believe that TSAC could be helpful in foliiiing the discussion going forward. TSAC agreed that the present one lane /two lane is problematic. TSAC recommended continuing discussion of this complex issue to a later meeting.