WESTERN AVENUE TRAFFIC CALMING

Traffic Solutions, Inc. made a presentation this week to Selectmen about its findings to date on Western Avenue concerning average speeds, pedestrian and bicycle activity, crashes, etc. They will present recommendations of traffic calming measures in August.

I have a traffic calming idea that I have advocated for several years. I believe that Fessenden Field is the most critical spot on Western Avenue in need of traffic calming because kids cross the street there to access those fields. I suggest that the street be widened about 3 feet on each side (or a total of about 6 feet, not necessarily equal on both sides) and that a 6-foot wide island circumscribed by a 6" sloped granite curb be placed in the middle of the street for the entire distance of Fessenden Field.

This would create a relatively narrow lane in each direction that would slow down the traffic in this area. It would also create a "safety zone" in the middle of the street so that children (and adults) would need to cross only a single lane at a time. A bonus would be that the island could be planted to create an attractive boulevard effect. A complementary idea would be to also install raised crosswalks like the ones recently installed in Holliston center where there is much more traffic than on Western Avenue.