Traffic commission acknowledges West End study

By CHRISTIAN MAITRE
Waltham Times Contributing Writer

The Traffic Commission voted to acknowledge proposals in the West End traffic study, but it remains unclear when final decisions on traffic-control measures in the neighborhood will be made.

After residents and local officials petitioned the Traffic Commission to research the effect of vehicles cutting through the neighborhood, the city hired civil engineering firm BSC Group in December 2023 to evaluate traffic patterns and develop short- and long-term solutions.

These solutions were presented during a Dec. 12, 2024, public meeting.

Last Thursday, Jan. 16, Sam Offei-Addo, the director of transportation and engineering at BSC, presented these solutions to the Traffic Commission and broke down the pros and cons of each.

Pros and cons of each proposal

Offei-Addo offered the following information on the proposals:

• One low-cost way to redirect traffic away from the neighborhood is to put up signs restricting the time of day drivers are allowed to turn onto intersections. 
• However, this could prove ineffective if drivers simply ignore these signs.
• Speed feedback signs would increase drivers’ awareness of their speed but could also be easily ignored.
• Speed cushions can reduce vehicles’ speed without forcing emergency vehicles, which have wider wheelbases, to slow down. However, vehicles driving over them can cause noise that may irritate residents.
• Raised crosswalks can improve drivers’ awareness of incoming intersections, but are expensive to install and maintain.

After the presentation, Ward 7 Councilor Paul Katz explained that the purpose of the study was to address the high volume of traffic being redirected through the West End by navigation apps.

Katz said he has witnessed multiple near-crashes while walking through the neighborhood. 

“The great vision is to bring this neighborhood back to the pedestrian neighborhood it was in the ’50s, where the kids are riding their bikes and people are walking and just feel safer because there is less [traffic] volume,” he said.

Ward 9 Councilor Robert Logan expressed concern that a time-of-day restriction could end up moving the traffic volumes elsewhere instead of addressing the issue.

He also urged commission members to conduct follow-up studies if any of the solutions are approved to assess their effectiveness.

The commission voted unanimously in favor of acknowledging the findings of the study.

That was quickly followed by questions on what’s next.

“Where does this project live on our agenda now?” asked City Clerk Joe Vizard.

Micheal Garvin, the city’s senior traffic engineer, said that the commission would have to make final decisions on what solutions would be accepted before any further planning or progress could be made.

A future date or agenda item for discussing the West End project was not set during the meeting.Information on the location of these traffic solutions can be read here.

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