HomeMy WebLinkAbout2009-09-10-PB-min
PLANNING BOARD MINUTES
MEETING OF SEPTEMBER 10, 2009
The Planning Board sponsored two community meetings to introduce public and business
owners to the Hartwell Avenue Traffic Mitigation project. Planning Board members Manz,
Hornig and Canale were present, as were planning staff McCall-Taylor and Henry. The meetings
were held at 91 Hartwell Avenue, beginning at 5:30 and 7:00 p.m.
*********************HARTWELL AVENUE AREA STUDY******************
The meeting was run by the consultants Rick Bryant and Sasha Wood of Tetra Tech Rizzo.
Cindy Frené of TransAction Associates was also present.
Tetra Tech Rizzo gave presentations describing the scope of the project and requested public
participation. Many community members attended the meetings, including a few business
owners within the overlay district.
Comments from the audience:
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The State previously approved a traffic signal at Eldred Street along Bedford Street. Neighbors
would like this idea followed through. Pedestrians have difficulty crossing Bedford Street at
this location to access the MBTA bus.
?
Hartwell Avenue and Wood Street are used as a cut-through route to avoid congestion on
Route 128. Can the volume of cut-through traffic be determined? What measures can be taken
to address this?
?
Some companies could provide flexible work hours. This would distribute the traffic flow over
more hours during the day but reduce some of the peak hour impacts. Some neighbors are
opposed to this idea as it could serve to extend the hours of congestion.
?
The Hanscom gates are causing excessive delays and long queues. One neighbor asked if the
gates could be moved back to provide more storage within their site and provide more buffer
space. The possibility of providing two gates to increase the volume processed by the Base
was also raised.
?
One neighbor asked if a grade separated bike path option could be explored since the signal is
frequently actuated by cyclists crossing Hartwell Avenue. Another mentioned that the bike
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Minutes for the Meeting of September 10, 2009 Page
signal helps to create gaps for other Hartwell Avenue traffic (turns out of driveways).
Updating the signal equipment was discussed. Some felt that the signal should prioritize
bicycle movements minimizing the delay to cyclists.
?
Page Road bridge in Bedford is closed. Traffic adjustments may need to be considered to
account for the shift in traffic that may be occurring as a result of this closure.
?
Much of the audience agreed that traffic should be reduced on residential streets as part of this
project since they believe the status quo is unacceptable.
?
One audience member suggested sending out a survey to the residents (as was done for the
business owners) to get a larger set of ideas to consider.
?
Residents find it difficult to make left and right turns onto Bedford Street from Winter Street.
The light cycle delays from the jug handle intersection seem to make this more difficult for left
turns out of Winter Street.
?
The transition to one lane per direction along Bedford Street (just west of Winter Street) also
seems to cause some traffic problems. Occasionally this merge can cause back-ups to the
Hartwell Avenue traffic signal. Lengthening the four lane cross-section (at least back to the
Bedford town line) should be considered.
?
Since the Base seems to be the largest traffic generator along the corridor, a direct connection
from Route 128 to the Base would be helpful. This connection could be made in between the
two existing exits (Route 2A and Routes 4/225) along Route 128 and could connect through
the landfill. This would alleviate much of the traffic congestion along Hartwell Avenue.
?
The re-striping of Hartwell Avenue has negatively affected Wood Street. Traffic used to travel
in two lanes up to the Base and queues were not as bad as they are today. Now the queues get
to be very long and it can take a long time to get from the back of the queue to Wood Street or
to turn right out of Wood Street if there are vehicles waiting to turn left to go toward the Base.
?
There is concern about the Margarita’s restaurant that will be opening on Bedford Street.
There may need to be a pedestrian connection to the restaurant. There is also concern about the
number of left turns happening here even though there is signage in place that prohibits left
turns. One resident suggested that vertical flexible strips be installed along the centerline to
prohibit the left turns and force drivers to use the jug handle.
?
There are not enough crosswalks along Bedford Street and many people find it dangerous to
cross. If traffic signals are not allowed at intersections, perhaps a pedestrian actuated signal
Page 3 Minutes for the Meeting of September 10, 2009
option could be explored. This could be used to get pedestrians and bicyclists safely across the
street and also to provide access to the bus stop from the Eldred Street neighborhood.
?
Wood Street has never been good for pedestrians; congestion there goes back many years.
There are no crosswalks on Wood Street and sidewalks only on one side.
?
Bedford Street residents recognize that they live on a State Highway, but would also like some
consideration when it comes to traffic calming accommodations, to the extent possible.
?
One neighbor questioned how the reduced building setbacks included in the overlay district
would affect the nearby wetlands. It was explained that the wetland buffers have not changed
with the rezoning and the reduced setbacks apply only to property line. This should not have
any negative effects on the wetlands because all previous regulations are still in effect.
?
There is a bike path proposed that will connect to the existing Minuteman Commuter Bikeway
and run through this overlay district. This path should be considered in the alternative plans
developed for the corridor.
?
There is a fair amount of truck traffic along Wood Street. This should be kept in mind when
planning traffic calming measures for the street (i.e. narrowing the roadway may not be a
viable option).
?
One neighbor asked if there were any plans to discontinue Old Mass Avenue and suggested the
National Park Service be contacted in order to determine any future plans they may have for
the road.
?
Hartwell Avenue has very poor pedestrian and bicycle access.
?
Drummer Boy Way would like two-way access to the jug handle, but it was denied by
MassHighway a while back because of the angle of the driveway and the additional traffic that
would have been added to the intersection, which is already at or near full capacity.
?
Boston Sports Club left turns are allowed from Bedford Street, but they occasionally back up
through traffic light and cause traffic safety and operations issues.
?
There are some concerns with the count dates chosen. School was in session when counts were
scheduled, but some neighbors feel the counts were done too close to Labor Day.
The meeting adjourned at 8:50 p.m.
Wendy Manz, Acting Clerk