Addressing Downtown Traffic Issues

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Addressing Downtown Traffic Issues

by Bobby Blair 9/26/12

State Department of Transportation members arrived in town on Wednesday to conduct a traffic and saftey audit...

Six members of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation led by Traffic Safety Engineer Lisa Schletzbaum arrived in town for a 10:30 a.m. gathering at the Holliston Police Station. Schletzbaum was accompanied by Keri Pyke Director of Transportation Planning and a consultant for the firm of Howard/Stein-Hudson Associates.

Schletzbaum told those assembled which included the Board of Selectmen, Rep. Carolyn Dykema, Police Chief John Moore, Fire Chief Mike Cassidy, Town Administrator Paul LeBeau, Jack Donovan and Karen Sherman from the Planning Board, Highway Supt. Tom Smith, and several downtown business owners that she had been in town on Saturday during the Celebrate Holliston festival trying to make a left turn onto Washington from Central Street.

Schletzbaum began the discussion by citing police statistics regarding crashes in the downtown area. One third of accidents happen during the summer months; the rest are spread evenly across the remaining months. One third of all crashes happen on Fridays between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. One half of downtown crashes are angle crashes and one quarter are rear end accidents, failure to yield being the cause. 80% of crashes happen during the day and 60% occur during sunny and dry conditions, weather not being a factor. The age of drivers involved in crashes was evenly spread out.

Selectman Jay Leary said that left turns onto Washington Street were particularly challenging. Schletzbaum affirmed Leary's concerns by noting that on Saturday she stopped at the stop bar (painted white line on the road) but had to keep pulling up on Central Street to see the line of cars traveling from the West.

After an hour discussion of problems plaguing traffic conditions downtown, the entourage visited the troubled spots.

The cadre of officals walked the entire downtown area pointing out problem spots. While Schletzbaum cautioned the media about reading too much into the options discussed (and there were many) some interesting ideas came from those at the DOT. That striped traffic island in the photo above across from Church Street could be turned into a real island with planting. Reverse angle parking in front of St. Mary's Church was yet another new idea with drivers heading East backing into their spot for Mass. When it comes to bump outs, one was suggested at the corner of Hollis and Washington Street which would prevent drivers from sneaking down the empty parking spaces and hanging a right onto Hollis Street. There was talk of moving the crosswalks, a signal both visible and audible to let pedestrians know that the yellow crosswalk lights are functioning.

The was also talk of lowering the yellow flashing pedestrain lights to give drivers a second more to concentrate on pedestrians in the crosswalk and of enlarging state law signs. A bump out was suggested in front of Brick House Realty and angle parking which would increase parking spaces 30% on the South side of Washington Street. With much discussion, the Mass DOT will return a report within five days to town officals with suggestions. The four-hour session which began at 10:30 a.m. ended at 2:30 p.m.

Posted in Police/Fire, News.

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Comments (16)

The Washington St. crosswalks are positively dangerous! Since when do cars stop when a light blinks yellow, particularly when you don't see anyone in the crosswalk (which you can't when they are still on the sidewalk), never mind when there is a car on your right obscuring your view of the pedestirans. Change the lights to blink red, or solid red when a pedestrian pushes the crosswalk button. That can't be that expensive. Washington Street is the most dangerous street to cross in town. In the afternoon particularly, scores of school kids are crossing and it is the one street without a crossing guard. Crossing at Washington and Central is even worse than the crosswalk across from the library. What are we waiting for...an accident before we take action?

- JTM | 11/4/12 9:04 AM

Angled parking on the corner of Washington and Hollis street is a terrible idea. Every time I have to make a left off of Hollis, (which is fairly frequently since I live on the street), I pray there is no one parked in the street spaces closest to the corner, because the parked cars make it so I can't see traffic coming from the righthand side until I am about to be hit. I think it is a hazard to have any parking that close to the corner. Is it possible to make that a turning lane onto Hollis? I also agree with the person who mentioned the problem with taking a right off Central onto Washington. I was once almost hit by someone looking left to see if they had an opening to go. The person never saw me and my then infant son in the crosswalk with the light blinking. Since that time I pay more attention to the problem and I notice it happens a lot.

- Lisa | 10/2/12 11:34 PM

How about having a police officer at Washington and Hollis St during the morning and afternoon commuter hours?

- Yvonne Giargiari | 10/2/12 9:19 PM

Another unresolved issue is the speed of the cars, especially driving west on Washington Street. I would propose a mandatory 20mph speed zone both ways from Town Hall past Chesmores. A potential option at Hollis and Washington would be a rotary island, similar to the two in downtown Norfolk. That would, at least, give the drivers coming down Hollis Street a fighting chance to go left..plus force speeds to be reduced..

- SJM | 10/2/12 10:25 AM

The Planning Board has recommended to the Selectmen to proceed in evaluating whether traffic lights are (1) warranted and (2) wanted. The minimum warrant is a minimum of 750 vehicles per hour (Wash.St.) and 75 vehicles per hour side streets (Central and Hollis). These counts need to be taken by a qualified company. If the traffic counts do not meet those numbers, Mass DOT will not approve the lights. If the vehicle count is met, Mass DOT does not force the Town to install lights - they need to be requested. The Selectmen wanted to wait for the Mass DOT Road Safety Audit to be complete before they discuss traffic lights, which is the right way to go. The report will be issued on October 3rd. Jack Donovan Planning Board

- Jack Donovan | 10/1/12 3:35 PM

I now turn right at the end of Hollis Street even if I want to go east on Washington Street. I then go left on Central and down Woodland to the light on Washington. Why? Because it is increasingly dangerous and almost impossible to make a left turn from Hollis onto Washington. Parking is not the issue. For all of the traffic problems mentioned here we need coordinated traffic lights.

- Ginny Keniry | 10/1/12 9:07 AM

The main problem with the light and cross walk at the corner of Washington and Central is that they are on the wrong side of the intersection. People edging out on to Washington St. to make a right hand turn are looking to their left for an opening - not to the their right for pedestrians.

- Jeff Weise | 9/30/12 7:20 AM

I think this is a case of "be careful what you wish for." Traffic lights never get removed. If put in, I suspect there would be plenty of "Traffic through town goes at a crawl because of those stupid lights." The options of bumpouts and other suggestions were targeted at reducing the possible vehicle flows so that a driver or pedestrian doesn't have so much to watch out for to be safe.

- Mark | 9/29/12 2:29 PM

I agree with Dianna - the intersections of Washington/Central and Washington/Hollis need coordinated red/yellow/green traffic lights. Drivers do not stop for the blinking yellow cross lights. And it's dangerous to have to pull almost out onto Washington from Central or Hollis just to see the traffic. I don't understand the discussion of parking options and bump-outs and islands. Wouldn't it be less expensive to simply install real traffic lights at those two intersections?

- Jenn | 9/29/12 11:13 AM

Here is what the official mass government rules of the road says about flashing yellow. Flashing Yellow A flashing yellow light is a warning. Proceed with caution, and stay alert. Look both ways when crossing an intersection I don't believe most motorists equate flashing yellow lights with pedestrians in crosswalks and the need to stop . Clearly they are ineffective.

- Mike | 9/29/12 10:01 AM

Ah! Lower the traffic lights, that's the solution! Now the tractor trailers can bump into them. There is a minimum required height. Doesn't anyone get it? The yellow flashing traffic lights are poorly positioned so neither motorists nor pedestrians can effectively see them. Is that the white or pink elephant on the couch that you fail to acknowledge?

- RPW | 9/29/12 9:21 AM

I wish the site visit had happened on a school day. Then they could have witnessed first hand the high school lunch traffic roaring down down Hollis Street or the downtown after-school traffic. Lights are needed.

- Judy Grosjean | 9/28/12 1:46 PM

Angle parking? You have to be kidding! That is about 1000 accidents waiting to happen! Parking isn't the issue, trying to cross the road in a crosswalk is the problem. Trying to turn left out of Hollis or Central - those are all the real problems. More parking would help the businesses, but please don't make it angled. Please.

- DLA | 9/28/12 1:20 PM

Parking is not the issue. Are we going to wait for a pedestrian to be seriously injured or killed before we decide that stop lights are necessary? I hope not.

- Karen Humphrey | 9/28/12 11:09 AM

more parking spaces is not the issue is it? I thought this was a traffic issue, do we need more parking in town? do not think so.

- Reed | 9/28/12 9:57 AM

Bump-outs, lowering the yellow flashers, and reverse angle parking will do NOTHING to really fix the truly dangerous driving problems in downtown Holliston. Proper traffic lights at Washington and Hollis, and at Washington and Central, with left turn arrows, will. Apparently that is not even under discussion. Why not? Bump-outs?!? The problem is that you cannot safely turn left anywhere downtown, and you cannot safely cross the streets unless traffic has a red light. Drivers will not consistently stop without a red light.

- Dianna Vosburg | 9/28/12 8:12 AM

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