The Perfect (Traffic) Storm is Coming to Winchester…

The above picture (photo credit) illustrates one of the proposed reconfigurations of the I95/I93 interchange, a design that eliminates all the current traffic cross-overs of oncoming and exiting traffic. The current cloverleaf design has tight turning radii that requires drivers to decelerate quickly, crossover entering traffic, and reenter the highway at sub-optimal traffic speeds. The need to upgrade this often congested interchange is illustrated by the fact that between 1995-2001 this interchange ranked between 1st and 6th on a list of the 1000 worst crash sites in Massachusetts. The traffic congestion that will spill over onto alternate local routes during construction will have significant impacts on local communities.

Like many towns in the greater Boston metropolitan area, Winchester has been experiencing greater traffic volumes than the local roads were designed to carry, resulting in traffic congestion, frustration, and risk to pedestrian safety. Long-time town resident Bob Cummings was heard at a Selectman’s meeting last year commenting that traffic had increased tremendously on Pond Street (where he lives) over the past couple decades. Winchester is a well built-out community, but increasing density from local improvements like the 50 new units being built in the Pansy Patch development on Route 3 and the Winchester Hospital expansion (including doctor’s offices at 1021 Main Street) will continue to increase traffic volumes and put further strain on traffic throughput and pedestrian safety.

Add to the increasing local traffic, increasing inter-city commuting traffic, and the forthcoming I93-I95 interchange overhaul (learn more about the project at http://9395info.com/) which will cause regional commuters to seek alternate routes through surrounding towns and you have a perfect storm of traffic poised to surge through our local Winchester streets resulting in greater congestion and injury to Winchester residents. It is worth noting that increased regional cut-through traffic disproportionately risks local Winchester residents as the pedestrians who take the disproportionate injury in car-pedestrian/bike collisions are disproportionately local whereas the cars are increasingly just passing through from other towns so our obligation as Winchester residents and policy makers needs to be disproportionately toward the pedestrian safety of our residents, then to the throughput of both residents and pass-through traffic.

The Winchester Board of Selectmen are aware of these forthcoming pressures and, as they move into studies and work on Phase II of the town’s Comprehensive Master Plan during 2011-2012, will be looking at “Circulation and Transportation (vehicles, bicycles, train, bus, and pedestrian movement).” In fact, the Selectmen ran a competitive bid process and selected Fay, Spofford & Thorndike to conduct the Traffic and Circulation Study on the Town of Winchester. FS&T was provided with the "Forrest-Cross-Pond-Johnson" (FCPJ) Corridor as a case problem for their analysis. In addition to regional cut-through traffic, heavy ambulance/truck usage, proximity to schools/day care centers/recreation facilities, and poorly designed roads were cited as factors for consideration. The consultants were asked to “balance the needs of automobile drivers, truckers, bicyclists, pedestrians, businesses and residents along the corridor.” This is a critical route that is straining under the current traffic pressures and is at significant risk to resident safety now and as volumes increase.

I may have missed a step but see that there is a Public Hearing scheduled on Monday, August 22, 2011 at 8:45 PM in the Board of Selectmen’s Meeting Room, 2nd Floor of Winchester Town Hall to review the traffic study reports prepared and to be presented by traffic consultants Fay, Spofford and Thorndike on the following intersections: Main Street/Swanton Street/Water Street, Main Street/Hemingway Street, Main Street/Skillings Road/Lake Street. The Public is encouraged to attend.

I encourage all Winchester Residents – particularly those affected by this cut-through route – to attend the hearing Monday, August 22, 2011 at 8:45 PM in the Board of Selectmen’s Meeting Room, 2nd Floor of Winchester Town Hall, to see what is being done to prepare for the coming storm.


Click here to enlarge and see the Winchester FCPJ corridor (red) in relation to both the corresponding Lexington MMW and Stoneham Rt 28 corridors (blue), I93-I95 Overhaul site (green), and the FS&T Traffic Study Areas (orange). From the map you can see how commuters on I95N, Rt2E, and Rt3S might connect to the Winchester FCPJ corridor through Lexington, and how commuters on I95S, I93N, and even Rt1 might connect to the Winchester FCPJ corridor. I'm sure the creative I93S drivers will learn that they can take Rt62W to Rt3S to Lowell Street to join the Winchester FCPJ corridor back to 93S, thereby avoiding the I93-I95 interchange during peak delays.

Single Versus Double Yellow Lines - A Quiz!

What does a single solid yellow line tell you on a two-lane road?

A. Unlike a double yellow line, you can pass, make a turn, and even make a U-turn
B. You are on a rural road
C. The same double yellow line rules apply

The answer surprised me. And, it surprised me that the rules of the road on Pond Street had been changed seemingly without notice when the road was mysteriously re-striped last April (see earlier post, When did Pond Street get reclassified as a Double Yellow Road?).

Curious? The answer, according to a Boston.com quiz, is A. Apparently, "Unlike a double yellow line, you can pass, make a turn, and even make a U-turn. Also, since it is so rare, you are likely on an older, rural road."

Interestingly, of the 49,100 votes received before I took the quiz, only 15% selected A (the correct answer), 14% selected B, and 71% selected C (my choice). Assuming that Boston.com is correct, the removal of passing from Pond Street is a good thing. I hope we are still allowed to cross the double yellow line to turn into our driveways...

Derby Day De Facto Parking Lane

If you drive Pond Street on Derby Day, you'll see what the road would be like with a parking lane on the south side. This is due to Rodger's efforts to have guests park along just one side.

Along the straight-a-way, from the Lawton's (blue house)...
to the Reynold's (near the pink tree)...

there is plenty of room for a parking lane along Pond Street. See last post on why this is a good idea...

Top 5 Reasons there should be a Parking Lane on South Side of Pond Street

1 - Traffic Calming - According to the engineer from Fay, Spofford & Thorndike hired by the town to assess traffic conditions on Pond Street, narrowing the traffic lanes is one of the most effective means of calming traffic.

2 - More (apparent) Parking - While parking is permitted on Pond Street (all four wheels in the road), it is not apparent to visitors who often park on the sidewalk or grassy strips (see post People Don't Know Where to Park). A parking lane would make it clear where people should park.

3 - Safer for Walkers on Sidewalk - With a row of cars (or an empty parking lane) as a buffer between traffic and pedestrians, walkers will be safer.

4 - Less Driver Confusion - When a car is parked on Pond Street, traffic cannot figure out if it should stop or cross the center line to go around the parked car. With oncoming traffic sometimes moving over to let cars pass and sometimes not, people don't know what to do. Some stop leading to rage and horns from those behind them. Some try to squeeze by leading to rage and horns from oncoming traffic.

5 - Less Road Rage - I allude to this in #4. It is clear that people are losing their cool as some will hold their horn down the entire time they are driving by a parked car -- even when no one is coming the other way. This is troublesome for those with babies sleeping and cannot be good for people with such rage and lack of control over their emotions to be on the road...

I hereby call on the board of selectmen to adopt the recommendations of the engineer and approve the parking lane. You can see from the photo that there is plenty of room. I am happy to get signatures if it would help.

New School Zone Speed Signs Arrive Near Lynch School

The good news is that school zone 20MPH signs with flashing yellow lights and radar speed display went up in the last day or so. This alone is worth applauding. [Applause]

The bad news is that people are still driving fast -- well over 20 MPH during the school zone hours. Here are my recommendations:

• While the yellow flashing lights are only on during the school zone hours, we should leave the radar speed display operating 24hrs. The speed you are traveling should flash if you are traveling more than 20 MPH during the school zone hours (when the yellow lights are flashing). It should do the same when drivers are traveling over 30MPH during non school hours.
• We should have frequent police ticket writing campaigns -- we could pay for the officer with the ticket revenue. We need a lot of tickets to be issued in the beginning to send a message and then random ticketing over time (once people know that the police often enforce the school zone).
• Let's add a camera to the sign, disintermediate the ticket writing officer, and have the tickets mailed directly to violators.

Need a Parking Lane -- People Don't Know Where to Park

Prior to the sidewalk construction project, I confirmed with the town manager and the board of selectment that parking would continue to be permitted along Pond Street after the new curbs were installed. In fact, I have learned in subsequent conversations with Winchester Police officers that all four wheeles should be on the asphalt -- not up on the sidewalk or our lawn.

Unfortunately, most people seem unwilling to park on the street and instead choose to drive over the curb and park on the sidewalk or on the grassy strips -- despite the reflective posts on each end, this car parked right on my strip where I am trying to re-grow the grass.
It seemd that a simple solution to the ambiguity about where to park that will not only keep our sidewalks and grassy strips clear of cars but will also help calm traffic on Pond Street, would be to add a parking lane on the south side wherever the road is wide enough. It is certiainly wide enough in the streatch in front of our house (see my prior post on adding a parking lane). It would also cut down on people honking at our guests who park as they should on the street.

Here are a few other examples of how confused people are about parking...

When did Pond Street get reclassified as a Double Yellow Road?

Glad to see the lines on Pond Street were repainted, BUT, when/why was the road reclassified as a double yellow line road? If you look at photos from earlier this year (below) you will see that Pond has been a single yellow line road (as recently as April 20th). And, you'll notice that when you cross into Woburn, it becomes single yellow again.

The double yellow line gives drivers the impression that Pond is a higher volume/higher speed road than it is. I have also heard that home appraisers value homes on roads with double yellow lines less than with single yellow so (if true) there are real economic damages as well as the safety issues. I imagine that that the line reclassification was a mistake rather than a conscious decision to make the road feel like more of a highway (Note that no notice of this change was given to Pond Street residents).

I also should note that the new lines are a little premature considering that the Board of Selectmen are considering "re-striping" to add a bike (or parking) lane as part of traffic calming measures.

I don't want to be too critical, but would prefer to see the paint go to the missing crosswalk across Chesterford at Pond Street and hold off on making new "line policy" particularly when that policy (line locations) is under consideration for change.