Agenda Text
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Traffic and Parking Director Responding to Various Board Orders
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Official Text
To the Honorable Board:
{The following are responses by Traffic and Parking to various Board Orders.)
Board Order #190205:
That the Director of Traffic and Parking consider making the intersection of Evergreen Ave and School St a 4-way stop intersection, and consider installing pedestrian bump outs and/or raising the roadway level of the sidewalk.
• The installation of Stop signs falls under the standards of the Manual Of Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD). These are federal, state and city standards. Per these standards stop signs can not be installed on School St at Evergreen St.
Traffic and Parking vigorously supports the construction of bump outs and traffic calming tables. However these traffic control devices are expensive. The construction of these traffic control devices would be a function of the DPW and their available resources or through funding from the Safe Start Program of SPCD.
The Somerville Police Department has provided the accident history for this intersection. Since 2005 there have been no pedestrian accidents at Evergreen St and School St. There have been only 4 vehicle accidents at this intersection in the last three years and only nine accidents in the last six years. This intersection is not considered a high accident location.
Board Order #190207:
That the Director of Traffic and parking check the timing of the pedestrian signal light from Bow St to Somerville Ave to ensure that pedestrians are able to cross the entire length of the roadway safely.
• Traffic and Parking has reviewed the pedestrian signal timing for the traffic signals at Bow and Summer St. The Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) specifies the length of time for the pedestrian phase of a traffic signal. The MUTCD is a federal, state and city standard. The length of the pedestrian signal phase is a function of the length of the street to cross at 3.5 seconds per foot. The traffic signal phase to travel across Bow St to the traffic island and also to cross from the traffic island across Somerville Ave far exceeds the minimum standards of the MUTCD. Per the MUTCD all pedestrians are able to cross both sections of the roadway safely.
Please do not hesitate to contact me if I can be of further assistance.