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MEMORANDUM
TO:
Center Revitalization Committee DATE: 7.26 .83 PAGE:
FROM: Eric T. Clarke SUBJECT:
Traffic Safety Advisory Committee Gschwendtner letter -
Bedford Street/Harrington Road
intersection
With respect to the forthcoming meeting of the Center Revitalization Committee,
the subject of Mr. Gschwendtner's letter to the Selectmen - desirability of a
long range plan for parking and traffic flow policy in and around the Battle
Green area - was discussed by the Traffic Safety Committee on 22 June 1983 in
terms of the specific recommendations in the letter that fell within the T.S .C. 's
purview. The T.S.C. concluded that it was not involved in the question of a ban
on parking in front of Mr. Gschwendtner's house, but would investigate the prob-
lem of parking obstructing the turning movements of large buses at the Harring-
ton Road/Bedford Street intersection. It agreed that parking was properly the
subject of Town policy with respect to the general area around the Green and that
this should be the subject of recommendations by the Center Revitalization Comit-
tee . During the discussion, several points arose:
- A memo of 16 June 83 from Captain of Traffic to Chief of Police noted that
the Bedford-Harrington intersection has the second highest accident frequency
of Town locations with 24 accidents in 1982. This supports Mr. Gschwendt-
ner's recommdnations that cross traffic should be discouraged by making
Harrington Road one way .
- The possibility of reopening Camellia Place as an extension of Hancock Avenue
should be investigated as a method for relieving traffic flow at the Bedford-
Harrington-Hancock Street intersection. The original cause of closure, acci-
dents at the railroad crossing, is no longer relevant.
- It was noted by committee member Captain Lima that proposed traffic patterns
can be tested experimentally on special occasions such as the Discovery of
Lexington that took place recently.
- Traffic flow around the Battle Green must be laid out in the larger context
of traffic patterns in the general area in the vicinity. While the Traffic
Safety Committee is happy to assist in arriving at such patterns, it is not
in a position to take the lead in this effort.
F-TM-1 MP-3M