Realistic traffic solutions for Somerville?

[turil.livejournal.com]

Yesterday, I walked down to Davis Square and, being the transportation geek that I am, I naturally watched the traffic to see what people were up to. This is what I noticed:

- A very large percentage of people, if not most, don't actually come to a legal and safe stop at stop signs, stop lines, and even some red lights. (They either blow through them, slow down but don't actually stop long enough to be able to yield to the traffic that has the right of way, or don't stop until they are well into the intersection and block cross-traffic.)

- Some people rely on stop signs, red lights, and crosswalks for safety (specifically, cross-traffic with the right of way - both vehiclular and pedestrian traffic).

- Other people, who believe that stop signs/lines/signals aren't very reliable indicators of safety, are afraid to use the public ways or are reluctant to go when they have the right of way. (Especially those who don't have a couple of tons of metal armor protecting them!)

- Current policing doesn't seem to be making things better, and the problem is rapidly increasing! (I used to walk to school by myself when I was in kindergarden in this area, and these days I imagine that there isn't a single parent around here who would feel safe letting their kid walk to school alone.)

What to do? It seems like we need a solution that combines a realistic understanding of natural human behavior (including inertia, self-centeredness, and self-preservation), real physical and emotional safety, and clearly defined policies/design. Should we stick with the stop signs, lines, and signals, and just spend lots more money on enforcement? Should we try to create new street designs and signs that work better than the ones we have? Should we try to change people's natural behavior by getting them to understand how important it is for them to cooperate with others? The usual solutions that come from traffic engineers, the police, and city hall don't seem to be working for Somerville. So, I'm thinking that the solution needs to come by thinking a bit more "outside the box"... (remember, Davis Square isn't actually a square! :-)

Also, can we learn anything from other parts of the world where traffic does flow well and safely? Or learn from the past, when things were better in Somerville?

Comments

[mrpet.livejournal.com]

Almost no one honors the stop signs on the entrance nor any of the lights. PH is one of the most dangerous circles that I have ever seen. Don't even get me started about the stop signs since it is already state law to yield to traffic already on the rotary. People blow through the stop signs and do not yeild at all.

[komos.livejournal.com]

I'm guessing our Powderhouse Circle advocates are not drivers.

[mrpet.livejournal.com]

While I'm a driver, I would never what to ride my bike there or even try and cross as a pedestrian. One of my friends who bikes calls it 'the circle of death'

[komos.livejournal.com]

I figured you were since you have a realistic vision of how Powderhouse works.

When I was riding regularly, I had one too many close calls and decided on better routes. I still drive through, but will often find ways around just so I don't have to guess which entrance is going to spit out a car at an unfortunate moment and cause a white-knuckle moment.

[plumtreeblossom.livejournal.com]

Crossing it on foot is a true nightmare that usually takes me at least 5 minutes. I take my life into my own hands every time I have to do it.

What amazes me is that there's a park in the middle of that island, with benches. Who, who, who would grab a book and go chill on a bench in the noisy center island of the Powderhell rotary? Or of any car rotary, now that I think about it? I just have to laugh at where my tax dollars go...

"Visual speed bumps"

[turil.livejournal.com]

It's possible that the idea of the park in the center of the circle is a traffic planner's attempt at making people slow down by using visual clues that they need to worry about the kids, pedestrians, squirrels, and dogs that usually come with parks. I'm not sure it really works all that well in this case, but it's probably better than if they'd put a big cement wall there, and give people the impression that it was a superhighway :-)

[four-thorns.livejournal.com]

there's a dude that sleeps there sometimes. it's noisy, but i bet he never has competition for the benches...

[two-stabs.livejournal.com]

PH has always treated me fine. It's a matter of being a confident and aggressive driver. Other motorists smell fear and halting driving habits, and capitalize on this by just going.

[four-thorns.livejournal.com]

agreed. i have no problems with it as a driver (except that having traffic lights in a rotary kind of defeats the point of the rotary). as a pedestrian, i'm annoyed by how long it takes to cross.

[readsalot.livejournal.com]

As a driver, I'm irritated by PH. At busy times, there's always an infinite number of cars coming from whichever side has more right-of-way than me, and if those ever stop, then the people on the other side decide that they're going to just go.

[four-thorns.livejournal.com]

i used to live across from the rotary. some days i'd sit on the front porch and just watch the traffic. i never saw any accidents, but there were a lot, a LOT, of near-misses.

[twe.livejournal.com]

Yeah, it's pretty awful, especially during rush hour. I'm really glad I don't have to drive through it every day any more.

[ukelele.livejournal.com]

Yup. This is how I feel about Powderhouse as a cyclist.

But I'm apparently in the minority :).