Other Traffic Related Requests and Updates
| Date of Inquiry: 11/13/2023 |
Question: Can we get a center line on Crawford St? Cars take up too much of the road and force others to go off the road to avoid collisions. |
Response: The Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) warrants a minimum road width, traffic count and road classification to qualify for a double yellow line. Crawford Street is identified as an urban collector per the MassDOT. The criteria that must be met to warrant a centerline for urban collectors is the road must be 20 feet wide or more and have an average daily traffic volume of 6,000 vehicles or more. The average daily volume for Crawford Street is 2,600 vehicles, therefore, it does not meet the minimum criteria for a road centerline. |
Date of Inquiry: 02/11/2021 |
Question: The speed limit on 135 at Northgate coming from the center of town is 25 mph which I am sure you are aware is seldom adhered to. It immediately returns to 35 mph before a blind bend in the road that has Greenwood Road on the right, Brigham Street on the left and Intervale on the right just beyond that. *People crossing at Intervale need to do so very quickly and with extreme caution. (Reminder this is a 55+ community) *Now that there will be a crosswalk at Longfellow it would seem appropriate to keep uniform speed limit between Northgate and Longfellow to allow safe crossing from Intervale and approaching the new crosswalk. |
Response: The way speed limits are changed is through a traffic study which tracks how fast vehicles actually drive on the road. The data is then analyzed to determine the 85th percentile speed and that is what the new speed becomes. As I’m sure you can understand, this often provides results opposite of the desire and the new speed limit actually increases. |
| Date of Inquiry: 02/23/2021 |
| Question: Could you please install signage on Solomon Pond Rd., Corey Way Condominium complex side, to notify trucks that NO "jake" braking is allowed. Truckers do not need to use this option when approaching the intersection of Solomon Pond Rd. and Bearfoot Rd. Now that the amount of truck traffic has increased dramatically in town taxpayers shouldn't be blown out of bed at 5:00AM due to trucks using this very noisy "jake" braking option on their trucks. |
| Response: Thank you for submitting your question through our new form submission portal regarding Transportation and Safety Issues. Town residents have reported this concern to us in several different locations around Town. Unfortunately the Town does not have the ability to simply post signs prohibiting the use of compression brakes (aka Jake Brakes) without Town Meeting approval. The Police Department is sponsoring an article at the upcoming annual town meeting requesting support for a Compression Brake Prohibition Bylaw. If passed, this prohibition would be applicable along certain routes in Town as defined by the associated regulation which is adopted by the Board of Selectmen. We will include Solomon Pond Road to the list of routes which will be consider during promulgation of the regulation. Please plan on attending the Annual Town Meeting to support Article 23, Compression Brake Prohibition. |
| Date of Inquiry: 02/23/2021 |
| Question: The beginning of that stretch of road is treacherous. That area of the street is too narrow for an SUV and car to pass thru the tight curves and blind areas. The construction and landscaping trucks and school buses make it incredibly dangerous. The enormous trees, the rock croppings, leave no space to move over without damaging your car. There are several large rocks on the right side of the street, near the beginning of the road, that have scraped numerous car as they try to hug the right side to avoid getting hit by cars coming around the tight, tree bound left side. Someone is going to be gravely injured as traffic continues to increase on that road. The large rocks need to be removed at the least. Taking the large trees down would make it less narrow. |
| Response: Thank you for submitting your question through our new form submission portal regarding Transportation and Safety Issues. We are aware of this type of concern on many of our local and rural roads, specifically north of Route 290. The DPW works to address these items as time and funding allows in conjunction with normal operations and maintenance. As mentioned in your email, several issues along this segment of roadway. Once the snow removal operations come to a close, the DPW will be starting their annual roadside mowing operation to trim back vegetation that is encroaching on the traveled way around town. We will have this area addressed. In addition, there are specific roadside ledge outcrops in the southern segment that will be lowered. |
| Date of Inquiry: 02/23/2021 |
| Question: The stop light with the left hand turn signal (east bound ) on Main street needs to be retimed . The left signal light lasts about 15 seconds and hence does not allow many vehicles to turn before it turns red . This backs-up traffic , increased congestion and air pollution . My suggestion is to increase the timing to 30 -45 seconds or move to a flashing yellow and allow vehicles to turn when opposing |
| Response: Thank you for submitting your question through our new form submission portal regarding Transportation and Safety Issues. The traffic signals in the downtown area are located on State Highway and are therefore controlled by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT). I have forwarded your comment to the District 3 Office for their consideration. I know the timing of the traffic lights and some of the turning movements within the downtown area have been the subject of many questions from residents and I can tell you that MassDOT has been pretty responsive in making adjustments where possible. As for your recommendation to allow left turns (I am assuming you mean onto Church Street from Main Street) when a train triggers each of these signals to turn red, I am not sure that is possible but will leave the official determination up to the State traffic engineers. |
| Date of Inquiry: 02/23/2021 |
Question: I notice your 2021 paving program has not yet been posted. I am hoping that you will consider paving Brewer St from Church st to Green St. this year. I am certain the plow drivers can attest to how broken up the road surface is, and it has been patched over and over again. Please please consider re-paving it this year. I have asked about it for the past 3 yrs but it has been overlooked in favor of other projects. It gets a lot of cut through traffic from Church st. Thanks for your consideration. |
Response: Thank you for submitting your question through our online form submission portal regarding Transportation and Safety Issues. The Town’s pavement management program evaluates all roads in town and each road is given a rating in order to assist the DPW with determining which roads require which type of treatment. There are several factors used in determining which roads get repaired and when including the value of the required repair, coordination with other utility work, level of service, and regional considerations as well (we try to address roadways throughout town so all residents receive the benefit). This section of Brewer Street is scheduled for repair this year. The full 2021 paving program will be posted when final pricing is obtained. |
| Date of Inquiry: 03/30/2021 |
| Question: What is the town plan for using the funds that Amazon has allocated for mitigation along this corridor? |
| Response: Amazon has committed to providing the Town with mitigation funds to improve traffic safety along Bartlett Street. Work includes, but is not limited to, the installation of painted bicycle lanes, flashing pedestrian activated beacons at the high school and Stirrup Brook Trail crosswalks, and additional traffic safety signage at the Lyman Street intersection. |
| Date of Inquiry: 04/13/2021 |
| Question: What is the goal of the traffic engineering study on Bartlett other than to protect the police when they issue citations (which is a valid reason)? What is needed from the study to determine whether a speed safety zone is necessary? If the high school is in a vulnerable area even before the proximity to the truck traffic and we've already had multiple accidents, what else is the study looking to provide? |
| Response: The Town is following industry and engineering standards by conducting this study. MassDOT standards for speed zoning on municipal roads specifically states “Posted speed limits in Massachusetts shall only be established after an engineering study has been conducted in compliance with standard traffic engineering practices.” In addition, these standards state “Regulatory speed limit signs, including Safety Zone speed limit signs, are required to conform to the MUTCD, per MGL c. 85 § 2. Therefore, an engineering study must be performed to validate the posting of signage. The engineering study “shall include an analysis of the current speed distribution of free-flowing vehicles.” This study will document the traffic conditions that justify any proposed speed limit changes or safety zone implementations. It is important to keep in mind that speed limits are established to provide a means to promote safe and efficient traffic flow and not intended to serve as a consequential deterrent to any specific user group. |
| Date of Inquiry: 09/14/2022 |
| Question: I believe we need a four way light at the intersection of Main and Lincoln Street. It is very busy in dangerous especially in the morning. |
| Response: Thank you for expressing to us your traffic safety concerns with the Route 20/Lincoln Street intersection. We have received other similar reports in the past. This intersection, as are all intersections along Route 20 in Northborough, is under the control of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT). We recently requested they consider installation of a traffic control signal, and not just a pedestrian signal, at this location. Their response was “the District has reviewed the pedestrian signal on Route 20, just west of Crestwood Drive and Lincoln Street. Any changes to the traffic signal equipment, including additional signal heads, will require a review of the Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) traffic signal warrants. Based on a preliminary investigation, it does not appear that a traffic signal is warranted at this location.” Please be aware that in this context the term “warrant” carries a very specific meaning in that specific circumstances and criteria related to traffic volume, queue length, and vehicle accident history must be met in order for a traffic signal to be considered. In the case of this intersection, the professional opinion of State traffic engineers is that those criteria would not be met. |