By JILLIAN BROSOFSKY
Waltham Times Contributing Writer
City officials plan to take action to slow traffic on Crescent Street, in response to ongoing concerns about speeding through that area.
That was the message delivered by City Councilor Cathyann Harris and Traffic Engineer Michael Garvin, who met with neighborhood residents about a proposed effort to cut down speeding on Crescent Street on Wednesday, Oct. 9.
Those in attendance, around 30 residents, voted unanimously for Garvin to bring the proposed speed cushion to the Traffic Commission meeting on Oct. 17.
If accepted by the Traffic Commission, the cushion would be placed between the Adams Street and Moody Street intersections.
Unlike speed bumps, the speed cushions would be temporary, meaning plows can clear the roads in the winter. They also have wheel cutouts so firetrucks and emergency vehicles can pass unobstructed.
Last Wednesday’s neighborhood meeting was scheduled following a Traffic Commission meeting in September, where Garvin explained his findings on Crescent Street traffic. Garvin said he had discovered that the 85th percentile speed was over 37 miles per hour on Crescent Street – well over the 25-miles-per-hour speed limit. He also studied the effects of a radar speed sign and found that the sign had little to no impact in reducing speed.
Garvin concluded that a vertical deflection (i.e., the cushions) would be a more effective measure for reducing speed.
The proposal was a long time coming.
In the meeting Harris said she had been working on reducing speed in that area for two years and that she knows firsthand how dangerous it can be.
“I almost got hit myself,” she said about her experience while putting up flyers in the area.
Former City Councilor Carl Cincotta attended the meeting and agrees that speeding on Crescent Street is not new. “It was a big issue [in 1971],” he said.
Many residents also expressed concern about the “death left” of turning from Robbins Street onto Crescent Street, which was “a new finding” from the meeting.
The cushions are phase one of many in calming traffic on Crescent Street for Harris and Garvin. Future proposals may include more speed cushions and changing on-street parking to the other side of Crescent Street.
Harris encouraged residents’ involvement in the upcoming Traffic Commission meeting, at which Garvin is scheduled to officially propose the speed cushion.
“If you come, you will be allowed to speak,” Harris told residents.
However, even if the Traffic Commission accepts this proposal, drivers may not encounter the speed cushion for a while. When asked about the specific timeline of the project, Garvin said that he has learned the timetable for city projects can be drawn out.
“Everything takes way longer than I – or anyone – wants,” he said.