By AUBREY HAWKE
Waltham Times Contributing Writer
The Traffic Commission last week declined to take action on a study outlining proposals to restrict vehicles on Main Street and to create a pedestrian mall, deciding instead to get more public opinion before taking action.
The commission had intended, at its meeting last Thursday, Oct. 17, to hear a petition to accept the newly released Moody Street Pedestrian Mall Feasibility Study.
However, Mayor Jeannette McCarthy spoke against the petition, asking the commission to hold off on a decision until the Planning Department can gather more public feedback.
“The request before you is to accept the study. I believe that is premature, because the study doesn’t have the public engagement process included yet,” McCarthy said.
The commission unanimously voted to table the hearing of the feasibility study, which shows possibilities for reducing or even eliminating motor vehicle traffic on the popular street in favor of a more pedestrian- and bicyclist-friendly area.
Hearing on West End Neighborhood Traffic Study
The same scenario played out with the West End Neighborhood Traffic Study, which was also on the commission’s docket for Thursday.
McCarthy similarly urged commission members to postpone action on that study, calling the issue procedural. “I want them to finish the public engagement before you accept the report,” she said.
Ward 7 Councilor Paul Katz, who as petitioner had sought commission action, said he already had held two meetings to gather public input – meetings he said he had scheduled at the commission’s request.
“I’m fine tabling it, letting them process it with the neighborhood, and then when the project comes back to us we can get the good, bad and ugly of what the community concerns are,” Vizard said.
The commission voted unanimously to withhold action on the West End Neighborhood Traffic Study until it has more community feedback.
Moody Street bike racks
The Traffic Commission also heard a petition regarding the installation of bicycle racks every 300 feet along Moody Street.
“We don’t even have a bike rack for City Hall. If you want to come to this meeting, there’s no bike rack,” said Ward 9 City Councilor Robert Logan, speaking in support of the petition.
Logan said he recently saw bicycles chained to lamp posts and lying on the sidewalk while he was walking down Moody Street. He cited one recent incident where a bicycle left alongside the front of Global Thrift fell into the front window, breaking the glass.
“If you install bike racks now, you can control where they put their bikes,” Logan said.
The commission decided to pass a motion moving the decision along. It will have to go through the City Council and mayor’s hands before installation will begin.
Other commission actions
In additional action, the commission heard a petition from Logan regarding the implementation of a school zone for the Waltham Family School. The Moody Street school provides an English language program for immigrant families, according to its website .
The city’s traffic engineer, Michael Garvin, told Logan and the commission that regulations prevented such a move.
“A school zone can only be established for schools officially recognized by the [state’s] Department of Elementary and Secondary Education,” Garvin explained, adding that the commission could not implement a school zone there because the Waltham Family School does not appear on that list.
Logan suggested extending Moody Street’s pre-existing 20 mph safety zone instead.
Garvin, who is not a voting member of the commission, spoke against this proposed extension, saying, “I would not recommend extending the limits of the safety zone. The street really does change character as you cross Maple and High [streets].”
The commission voted unanimously to extend the existing safety zone to the intersection of Moody and Alder streets to include the Waltham Family School.
In other action the Traffic Commission
- voted to extend a no-parking zone on the corner of Banbury Avenue and Trapelo Road.
- voted to extend a no-parking zone on the corner of Harvard and Charles streets.
- approved the relocation of the MBTA bus stop currently at 41 High St. to a wider area of High Street.
- voted to add a painted cross hatch to the intersection of Beech and High streets.
- voted to reinstate a no-parking regulation on Sun Street.
- tabled a petition to move a crosswalk on Parmenter Road.
- tabled the hearing of a Beaver Street railroad crossing design change.
- voted to add a crosswalk on Beaver Street between Waltham Fields Community Farm and the Girl Scouts’ Camp Cedar Hill.
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