Lowell Street Safety Meeting

[courtney o'keefe]

Davis Square LiveJournal Friends: I thought this would be of interest to you considering the extension of the Community Path and bicycle safety.

Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone and Ward 5 Alderman Mark Niedergang

Invite all community members to discuss traffic calming plans, traffic safety, and other roadway improvements at the upcoming LOWELL STREET BRIDGE & CORRIDOR COMMUNITY MEETING.

When: Wednesday, June 25, 2014 at 6:00 p.m.
Where: Lowell Street VNA, 259 Lowell Street

For additional information, please contact Hayes Morrison at (617) 625-6600,Extension 2522.

Comments

[ron_newman]

I'll try to be there. I think a 3-way stop with raised crosswalks at the corner of Lowell and Vernon would make the street safer.

[courtney o'keefe (from livejournal.com)]

The suggestion of a crosswalk came up when there were issues for VNA residents trying to cross on the south side of the Lowell Street bridge. We were told that there is not enough room for vehicles to come to a safe stop between the bridge and where we wanted the crosswalk. My assumption is that this applies to the opposite side, as well.

I do, however, like the idea of a Stop sign for Lowell Street motorists approaching the Vernon Street intersection.

[ron_newman]

If you have a stop sign, then you may as well have a crosswalk, since the vehicles on Lowell Street will be stopped.

You're going to need a crosswalk around there anyway for the Green Line station entrance.

[courtney o'keefe (from livejournal.com)]

In looking at the renderings, there is a crosswalk at Vernon Street...probably because the existence of the Lowell Street Station will slow traffic down, naturally (?).

They are also considering chicanes, as well, to slow vehicles down as this is a major part of the problem on Lowell Street.

[avjudge]

The crosswalk would be MUCH safer at the top of the curve of the bridge, where the crown of the bridge doesn't block the view of traffic from one direction or the other. When you're on top of the bridge you can see all traffic coming down both hills. For safety's sake I only cross there now (going from Vernon to anywhere).

[ron_newman]

but people on bikes turning left off Vernon onto Lowell would be safer if the northbound Lowell traffic had to stop at the intersection.

[kalimba21.livejournal.com]

The biggest problem is that the bridge over the tracks is elevated so that there are no sight lines to see if a car is coming.

If the meeting has a slightly wider scope - does anyone else think that the newish traffic light at Medford St. and Lowell St. creates total gridlock in Magoun Sq.? Even for pedestrians, there is now a noticeable lowering of air quality due to all the cars idling.