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

[ratatosk.livejournal.com]

Stuff I would try:


- raised crosswalks (like Columbia Street in Cambridge), to serve both as speed bumps and to make pedestrians easier to see

- aggressively ticket double-parking, especially commercial vehicles. I think this is the only ticketing that would have a deterrent effect, because it is the most likely to catch repeat players. So many cars go through Davis, there is such a high turnover of local residents, and it is so incredibly confusing the first few times through, that it seems unfair to ticket ordinary drivers. Double parking slows down traffic, makes it behave erratically to avoid the unexpected obstacles, and worst of all makes it hard to see pedestrians. We have these nice, wide crosswalk entrances ("neckdowns"?) that in theory provide a buffer between parked cars and the line of sight to pedestrians, but double parking destroys that benefit.

- Make it easier for people who do not want to go through Davis at all to avoid it. The first things I would try are making Willow two-way traffic its entire length (and putting a light at the intersection with Elm), and just plain keeping Winter street free of potholes. This really requires a study of where traffic is coming from and going to first.

- Get a bus system that more people actually are willing to use, so that there is less reason to drive to Davis and try to park. I don't know much about the particular buses in the square, but the usual complaints about MBTA buses are that they are infrequent, unreliable, and not worth the fare.

[ukelele.livejournal.com]

Make it easier for people who do not want to go through Davis at all to avoid it.

Brilliant.

Now that I live in Ball Square it's almost impossible to drive/bike to Porter without going through Davis -- I know no one want traffic cutting through their neighborhoods but not to have *any* route is absurd. (Particularly when there *is* a direct route in the opposite direction.) Once I get off maternity leave my shortest-distance bike route to work involves going through Porter, and I cannot figure out a way to navigate that legally and still exit Porter where I need to be, and the roads keep gravitationally attracting me toward Davis...

I know it's a confluence of major roads, but the square itself is not suited to through traffic.