Traffic Commission hits metaphorical red light on Appleton Road issue

The Traffic Commission was unable to initiate a vote to change the current signal at Appleton Road and Main Street at its meeting on Thursday.

Because of recent construction, the signal is currently unable to detect cars approaching  the Appleton Street intersection, and is therefore operating on a fixed schedule — and often blocking traffic on Main Street. 

The commission considered taking out the current signal cycle and instead installing a flashing yellow light. Without a seconder, however, commission members were unable to vote on the motion.

City Clerk Joseph Vizard said that he would only support the switch if it still involved an option for a pedestrian walk cycle. “We definitely need a crossing. There’s a bus stop there, it’s the downtown section of Waltham… people need to be able to cross that section of Main Street.”

Traffic Engineer J. Michael Garvin explained that although it was possible to implement a flashing yellow light with a pedestrian walk cycle option, that solution would take additional money — and the mayor’s office already rejected a funding request for it.

Wires Controller Tim Kelly also expressed support for a pedestrian crossing solution, adding that he would like to hear input from the ward councilors and possibly from a neighborhood meeting before making a determination on what to do with the intersection.

Additionally, the Traffic Commission:

• Approved a request for a 15-minute parking area in front of local convenience store Kristina’s Variety on Warren Street. The business has suffered from a lack of parking after the opening of a nearby children’s playspace, although the playspace and other businesses agreed Kristina’s could use spaces directly in front of it. Without the ability to reserve on-street parking, Kristina’s requested the commission limit parking in those spaces to 15 minutes. About a dozen customers showed up to support the request. The commission voted to designate the space as short-term parking and paint clear parking spaces in front Kristina’s Variety. 
• Approved a request for a “no engine braking” sign on Trapelo Road to limit noise.
• Approved a permit modification for JMC Driving School that would allow it to block off a section of road for driving tests weekly instead of once every two weeks.
• Granted permission to close parts of Moody Street for the WEBF Strides for Education Road Race in May.
• Heard updates on the Traffic Department’s work since last month, which included adding “no parking” signs on Amory Road and approving bike lanes on Farwell Street.
• Modified a letter it sent to the state requesting improvements to two traffic signals on Weston Street. The commission added a request to add a vehicle detection camera to the traffic signal at the intersection of Weston and Stow and improve its built-in timing.
• Postponed a vote about parking on Elson Road until after a Ward 6 neighborhood meeting scheduled for Jan. 14.
• Rejected a request for a speed bump on Lakeview Avenue.
• Voted to proceed with signal and pedestrian crossing improvements at the intersection of Weston, Cabot, Eddy, and Vernon streets.