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Dan Rosan submitting comments re: #200639, a raised crosswalk at the West Somerville Neighborhood School.
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To the Honorable Board:
Both of my children (4 and 6) are WSNS students and we would welcome continued traffic calming on Powderhouse Blvd. The recent installation of the stop sign and "popped out" corners at Packard & Powderhouse have dramatically improved safety since they were installed but more needs to be done.
Here are my suggestions:
- Top priority: focus first on the area immediately around the school (e.g. bumps at the cross walks, or a raised tableau at Hardan Road & Powderhouse Blvd - the raised tableau at haskell street and rindge avenue in Cambridge is a nice example). We need to improve traffic safety right in front of the school as quickly as possible.
- Next: focus on other child safety locations, especially North Street. The new North Street playground is fantastic and gets a big crowd of kids who cross mid-block on North. there is also a lot of church goers mid block. but North is very narrow, extremely poor visibility, and it is an accident waiting to happen.
- Finally, a comprehensive pedestrian traffic plan around Teele Square more broadly is long overdue. The pattern in the Square (which many kids cross in the morning on their way to WSNS) is confusing and encourages bad behavior from all involved. (the green arrow from Broadway to Holland is particularly confusing because pedestrians can not see it and think they have the light).
So, take away -- quick action now, and a comprehensive approach rapidly implemented afterwards.
Thank you
Daniel Rosan