Prior Crosswalk Requests and Updates
Crosswalk safety is a critical component for pedestrians to access and enjoy the many ammenities the Town of Northborough has to offer. There are numerous items to consider when we talk about crosswalk safety which include but certainly is not limited to the following:
- Sight Distance; How far away a vehicle operator can see a pedestrian at the crosswalk is affected by the vertical and horizontal roadway geometry as well as roadside features such as vegetation, fences, and utility poles. Design standards take these factors as well as typical vehicle speed into consideration when properly locating a crosswalk.
- Proximity; Where is the crosswalk located in comparison to travelling vehicles is critical. Drivers can readily expect a crosswalk to be present at stop controlled intersections. Drivers often do not expect a crosswalk to exist mid-block or within a through traveled segment of roadway.
- Frequency of Use; Crosswalks that provide access to recreational, educational, and commercial facilities often have the heaviest use, where rural or seasonal crosswalks may see very infrequent use.
| Date of Inquiry: 1/25/2021 |
| Question: I live on Thoreau Road and frequently need to cross Rt. 135 at Longfellow Road across from Ellsworth McAffee Park with my children in tow. The number of cars and trucks that barrell past that crosswalk well over the speed limit is incredible and it always feels like an unsafe crossing unless I wait until there are literally no cars in sight, which often takes quite some time. |
| Response: There are several mid-block crosswalks along South Street including at Longfellow Road, Northgate Road, Cedar Hill Road, and Davis Avenue. The safest pedestrian interaction with vehicles is within crosswalks at stop controlled intersections. Mid-block crosswalks are problematic because drivers often do not anticipate or expect pedestrians at these locations, especially when driving through areas they don’t live or frequent. The town has worked in general to improve our crosswalk visibility by repainting them every year with reflectorized paint and by adding roadside signs as shown below. There are additional measures that can be implemented as well, including but not limited to rectangular rapid flashing beacons (RRFB) or bump outs. All measures require evaluation and their implementation comes with an associated cost. For example, the RRFB installation on South Street near Northgate Road required evaluation of several factors before RRFBs were selected as the preferred improvement. The Town has identified several crosswalks that warrant consideration for improvements and the ones on South Street at Longfellow Road and Davis Avenue are two of them. We are seeking CPA funds at the 2021 Town Meeting to construct pickle ball courts at Ellsworth/MacAfee Park within the Longfellow Road end of the park. We plan to incorporate improvements to pedestrian circulation at this park entrance and the Longfellow Road crosswalk in conjunction the work of that project later this year. |
| Date of Inquiry: 2/10/2021 |
| Question: I am writing to request a traffic safety committee or review board for town. Several areas are of concern to me, particularly the 135/Ellsworth Park area. We live on Longfellow Rd and are constantly concerned about the speed at which people are driving by the Ellsworth crosswalk. It happens VERY often that drivers do not see us waiting to cross and many people do not even slow down in general. We have two young children and a dog and cross here frequently. We would really love to see an improved crosswalk area (sidewalk access needs to be fixed at the end of Longfellow) as well as a crosswalk button and flashing lights. |
| Response: Thank you for contacting the Town with your pedestrian safety concerns. We are aware of the issues associated with the crosswalks that provide access to Ellsworth MacAfee Park. Midblock pedestrian crossings are problematic, especially on commuting routes. This has precipitated us to develop an application to MassDOT as part of their Shared Winter Streets and Spaces Grant Program. We are seeking approximately $55,000 of funding to install safety improvements at four crosswalks near our recreational facilities, including the one at Longfellow Road. The work at this location, as well as others, includes construction of ADA compliant concrete wheelchair ramps, new signage, and pedestrian activated rapid flashing beacons. The public notice for this grant application can be found at https://www.town.northborough.ma.us/transportation-safety/news/shared-wi...
This link also leads you to our new Transportation Safety webpage which includes a reporting portal for many different traffic related topics, including crosswalks. |
| Date of Inquiry: 11/03/2020 |
| Question: I understand that Traffic Engineer, Erin Kinahan is no longer at District 3 and Arthur Frost and Ann Sullivan may be handling these types of questions but I also wanted to forward this request to you in the event there is someone else at the District who might assist with answering traffic questions. Recently the Town has received a fair amount of calls and emails from residents concerned about truck traffic and traffic in general in the Maple Street, Bartlett Street and Route 20 area. As you may recall we do have an HCVE on a portion of Maple Street and Collins Road. Recently, I have received a request for a pedestrian activated crosswalk at the intersection of Maple Street and Route 20 (I believe the latest equipment being used is rectangular rapid flashing beacons) and I would like your opinion on the possibility of getting this type of equipment installed at this location along with some additional signage on Route prior to this location in order to assist truck drivers with some advance warning of the HCVE on Maple Street. |
| Response: The District evaluated the issues you outlined below and have some recommendations. The crosswalk makings on Route 20 at Maple Street/Brigham Street and at Route 20/Bartlett Street should be restriped. The pedestrian signal pole on Route 20 WB at Bartlett Street should be replaced. The pine tree obstructing the pedestrian-ahead warning sign on Route 20EB before Maple Street/Brigham Street was trimmed last week. We will try to address the remaining items this winter, but may need to wait until spring if the weather doesn’t allow it.
We also evaluated the potential for providing a crosswalk and RRFB at Maple Street/Brigham Street and Route 20. For this type of evaluation, we have been referencing FHWA’s Field Guide for Selecting Countermeasures at Uncontrolled Pedestrian Crossing Locations for selecting appropriate locations for RRFBs to avoid having them be overused on State Highway. Based on the AADT, number of travel lanes, and the speed limit (35 MPH), we generally wouldn’t propose an RRFB at this location. |
| Question: Thank you very much for taking the time to outline the recommendations and hopefully the winter weather will allow that work to get done sooner rather than later. While I understand and appreciate the district would not propose an RRFB on Route 20 (Main Street) at Maple Street based upon the AADT, number of travel lanes and the 35 mph speed limit in this area, I would like to request you reconsider our request as you may not have been aware there is an Elementary School located on Maple Street approximately 750 feet from Route 20. |
| Response: As you may be aware, we received correspondence from the Town’s local delegation regarding this issue, asking that we re-evaluate the possibility of providing an RRFB at his location. We recently completed our review and have forwarded our response to the legislators.
The District reviewed the crosswalk on Route 20 at Maple Street, including the crash data from the Northborough Police Department provided by you, to help us determine if rectangular rapid flashing beacons (RRFBs) are appropriate for this location. Based on the guidance provided in Federal Highway Administration’s Field Guide for Selecting Countermeasures at Uncontrolled Pedestrian Crossing Locations, a review of the crash data, and field observations, the District feels that RRFBs are not a recommended treatment at this location. Installing RRFBs at locations that do not meet or only marginally meet the criteria could lead to their overuse, which would diminish their effectiveness. For locations such as this one, the District typically considers more traditional methods of improving pedestrian awareness and safety.
In order to provide more emphasis on pedestrians in the crosswalk and to manage speeds in the vicinity of the crosswalk on Route 20 at Maple Street, the District will implement several measures on Route 20. These include providing additional striping to better define the eastbound travel lane between Brigham Street and Maple Street, closing the passing zone to the east of the crosswalk, and installing additional fluorescent yellow/green pedestrian signs on both sides of the roadway facing the oncoming direction of travel. The improvements will be completed during the spring of 2021.
On February 10, 2021, the Town recieved a response from MassDOT regarding the followup to the request for upgrades to the Route 20 intersection at Brigham and Maple Streets. Please click HERE to read the full letter from the state. |
| Date of Inquiry: February 23, 2021 |
Question: The cross walk on Davis Street connecting Davis to Indian Meadow is a concern. Cars drive above the speed limit down Davis Street. Often times when you are trying to cross motorists do not stop and/or do not see you. There are a number of children that live on Davis Street and in Indian Meadow that ride their bikes around town. As well as a number of walkers that walk the Indian Meadow loop. I was hoping to recommend a raised cross walk so that people are forced to slow down as well as allow pedestrians to cross the street. |
Response: Thank you for submitting your question through our new form submission portal regarding Transportation and Safety Issues. We understand Davis Street is very busy and pedestrian traffic is on the increase throughout town and the region. Unfortunately a raised crosswalk is not a viable option at this location due to the lack of a closed drainage system in this area as well as the safety concerns for snow plow and emergency vehicle operations. The DPW has been actively reviewing “mid-block” crosswalks in town and will add this one to list for consideration of additional safety measures. |
| Date of Inquiry: November 1, 2021 |
| Question: My primary question/ask is, can a similar Cross Walk with light be place at Maple and Main Street? That intersection is scary to cross in a vehicle let alone to cross as a pedestrian!! Cars shoot bye at 50mph and ignore you as you stand there. Worse yet, when they do stop and when coming West some cars see the stopped car as stopping to turn left on Maple or Brigham and actually go around them on the right. I've been pushing my kids past a stopped car in a stroller when another car decided to go around them and didn't see us until we walked in front of the stopped car. A full set of street lights would be the best option at the intersection in my humble opinion as someone who tries to turn left out of there many times a week, but at least having lights to show a pedestrian is crossing would be a very big safety win. |
| Response: Main Street (Route 20) crosswalks are under the control of MassDOT. The Town specifically requested the State install pedestrian activated rapid flashing beacon assemblies to the crosswalk near Maple Street. MassDOT denied this request on two occasions with the response of “The District evaluated the issues you outlined below and have some recommendations. The crosswalk makings on Route 20 at Maple Street/Brigham Street and at Route 20/Bartlett Street should be restriped. The pedestrian signal pole on Route 20 WB at Bartlett Street should be replaced. The pine tree obstructing the pedestrian-ahead warning sign on Route 20EB before Maple Street/Brigham Street was trimmed last week. We will try to address the remaining items this winter, but may need to wait until spring if the weather doesn’t allow it. We also evaluated the potential for providing a crosswalk and RRFB at Maple Street/Brigham Street and Route 20. For this type of evaluation, we have been referencing FHWA’s Field Guide for Selecting Countermeasures at Uncontrolled Pedestrian Crossing Locations for selecting appropriate locations for RRFBs to avoid having them be overused on State Highway. Based on the AADT, number of travel lanes, and the speed limit (35 MPH), we generally wouldn’t propose an RRFB at this location.” |