2011-12-20 TPC MinutesTransportation and Parking Commission
City of Northampton
210 Main Street, Room 18,
Northampton, MA 01060
(413) 587 -1210
www.northamptonma.gov / tpc
MEETING MINUTES
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
City Council Chambers, Puchalski Municipal Building
4:02 p.m. — 5:34 p.m.
Members Present: Maureen Carney, Debin Bruce, Leslie Stein, James Lowenthal, Wayne
Feiden, Gary Hartwell, Jesse Adams, Paul Sustick, William Letendre
Members Absent: Russell Sienkiewicz, Ned Huntley
Others Present: Laura Hanson, DPW
Meeting called to order at 4:02 p.m. by Chair, Maureen Carney. Quorum met.
1. Public Comment - None
2. Approval of Minutes of November 15, 2011
• Scrivener's errors and corrections provided by Ms. Hanson and made to
Minutes include: page 5, 3 d bullet -item "and that that would give Union Street
priority" changed to "thus giving Union Street priority ";
• Page 5, Item #8: "for Riverside Drive" is added to "Traffic calming meeting
tonight "; "(11/15)" changed to "(11/15/2011) "; and "Pfeiffer" changed to
"Feiker ";
• Page 6 Discussion, Bullet -item 7: "a 5- to 6 -year project" changed to "not to
begin for approximately 5 -6 years ";
MOTION, Mr. Adams, to Approve Minutes; Seconded, Mr. Letendre; Motion carried.
3. Henshaw Avenue Parking Concern — Ms. Maureen Kielv. 29 Henshaw Ave.
• Said she's been living with this concern for 9 years, addressing it with Mr.
Letendre and Ms. Marksbury of Smith College before; said Smith students park
their Zip Cars and white vans in the garage opposite her driveway, requiring her
and Mr. Kelley to beep their horns while pulling in or out, particularly out of
concern for pedestrians; offered a choice of solutions after having met with Paul
1
Specter most recently 6 weeks ago, including 1) make the neighborhood
resident -only parking as in other Wards; or 2) have non - residents park on the
opposite side of the street; urged the TPC to take time to examine the photos
provided and requested resolution from the Commission;
Copy of letter addressed to Chair Carney from Maureen Kiely and Thomas
Kelley, dated 10/14/2011, provided; Subj: Parking in the Vicinity of 29
Henshaw Avenue;
Photos also provided.
Discussion
Ms. Hanson asked about the photo showing cones blocking a space, wanting to
know who did that (Ms. Kiely: Often times Smith does that.);
Chair Carney inquired from Mr. Letendre whether it was legal for private
individuals to place cones for the purpose of claiming parking spaces (Mr.
Letendre: No.); sought clarification as to the parking being too close to the
driveway; cited Middle Street in Florence as an example where the city actually
marks the 3 -foot parking line to driveways; suggested a petition drive akin to
residents of Kensington for overnight parking, adding that renters would be in
good standing as owners on the matter, and advised that said petition would
have to be passed through multiple committees before approval; noted a policy
determination where residents of Henshaw requested no parking between 12:01-
6:00 a.m. to prevent the warehousing of Smith vehicles; referred the residents to
the city's book of ordinances to see what precisely is spelled out determining
legal parking; suggested residents photograph license plates of offending
vehicles for police referrals; noted the Chief (not in attendance) would follow
through;
Mr. Letendre clarified as to the placement of cones: "Only by me "; contended
that enforcement eventually does improve the situation "99 times out of a 100 ";
observed in summary that Northampton is a city that was a series of cow paths
at one time and consequently many of the problems aren't fixable; suggested the
property has room for the vehicle to turn around after pulling in;
Ms. Kiely confirmed her main contention is the proximity of parking to the
driveway making it extraordinarily difficult to enter or exit; she acknowledged
she's had police tag cars in violation of proximity but that she still can't get in
or out until the car is moved; lamented that Smith students can park at the
beginning of Henshaw Ave as there are no no- parking signs, but that residents
cannot park in front of their house; shared a personal concern for safety as her
son was hit in '86 and her father was killed by a drunk driver; concluded that
she emailed Sgt. Powers at the police department but that he hasn't responded;
Mr. Lowenthal inquired and learned that 3 feet as the legal limit re: proximity of
parking to a driveway;
Mr. Lowenthal requested added perspective as in one photo it looks like the
parked cars are in compliance with the spray painted corners of the driveway
(concurred by Ms. Kiely, but too often the matter depends on the size of cars
impairing her vision as to oncoming traffic); determined that her difficulty
2
happens approximately once or twice a week; suggested more information be
needed before any determination is made;
• Jackie ( ?) noted that perspective by the city and by residents are different, and
having visited Ms. Kiely, could see that it's kind of dangerous for reduced
visibility; same with her residence on West Street;
4. Jackson Street Mini- roundabout revisited
a. Wayne Feiden
• The problem goes back 10 years with cars that race up Jackson, Prospect, and
Woodlawn Streets; DPW looked at the problem 18 years ago and stopped left -
hand turns from Woodlawn onto Elm Street;
• Said Keith Wilson was on the planning board when the city first started talking
about roundabouts and believes the right -of -way is wide enough to put in a
mini- roundabout without implementing a taking from Childs Park;
• Said at the time (a dozen years ago) none of the roads were Federal aid roads,
meaning it would not be eligible for State or Federal funds, contrary to the usual
procedure where the city pays for design or lane acquisition and then
construction money from the State or Federal would be forthcoming;
• Said in '02, the warrant was met for a signal to be placed at Jackson Street
School;
b. Laura Hanson
• Said the Jackson Street School project was $500K and was told by the State that
it could not afford the intersection requested at several meetings;
• Estimated temporary curbing for a roundabout to be $35- hundred ($17 /linear
foot); but confusion may occur when the temporary measures are removed and
no money is provided for a permanent construction; stated a view of different
phases will be implemented for this intersection;
• Compiled a list of Federal aid streets which will help in applying for a
transportation improvement program (TIP), which can take 5 -8 years to be
realized;
• Another project from Boston DOT re: intersections with 3 or more accidents per
year, based on accident data from 2006 -08, and that there are six (6) such
intersections in Northampton, including Jackson/Prospect, which qualifies for
new stop signs, using thermoplastic to upgrade the stop bars and crosswalks,
and she suggested it would be an excellent candidate for 4 -way stop signs;
added that there are eight (8) different kinds of warrants for traffic signals;
• Added that Childs Park is "untouchable" with statutes prohibiting traffic change
infringements to back that up;
• Said Boston DOT wants more recent data than the '02 PVPC study suggesting
traffic - control signals before they provide money for a 4 -way stop sign warrant;
estimated those signs could go in earliest by Spring 2013, considering projects
going out to bid;
Discussion
• Chair Carney emphasized a recent accident, where two girls were hit, as not
having occurred on Jackson Street but on Taylor Street; would like this
discussed as a traffic calming mechanism;
• Ms. Stein inquired as to whether a warrant for a 4 -way stop vs. a signal were the
same (Ms. Hanson: No.); asked if a 4 -way stop would not be adequate (Yes, in
that it would slow people down);
• Mr. Lowenthal would like the whole layout redone, with Fog lines to demarcate
the travel lanes for the whole length of Prospect; noted the intersections are
where the accidents are happening, kids at the High School and Jackson St.
School; thanked Ms. Hanson "for being on top of that ";
• Mr. Feiden expressed his caution being the 4 -way stop as a temporary solution;
added more permanent solutions would include curb extensions; suggested that
Childs Park is a private park and, while emphasizing he's not advocating a
taking, suggested that it ought to be known that it is in fact not protected by
State statute as public parks are; expressed a concern about adding a roundabout
in that traffic is like squeezing a toothpaste tube and afternoon traffic may be
increased as a result;
• Ms. Hanson added other intersections in the DOT report include State/Finn Sts.;
Cooke Ave./Hatfield St., and that DPW would discuss them with DOT;
No Action Taken; Matter to be Continued Pending Further Information from DPW.
5. Overhead Vehicle Detection Warning System — Laura Hanson
Announced (along with PowerPoint presentation) projects working on with
District 2 and UMass' Divisional Travel Information Center;
Said during their last meeting, a truck got stuck, which provided a good photo
op on the subject at hand;
Said the primary problem is trucks coming off I -91 at Exit 19 and are supposed
to go straight on Damon Road, but they don't always do that; cited a recent
report that over 13- thousand vehicles travel Damon Rd. daily (uncertain what
percentage are trucks); said a study in '05 commissioned by the PVPC
indicating several "bridge strikes" from both directions; it concluded with the
recommendation to install the warning system, adding signage
Thanked the Northampton Police Dept. for providing updated data; noted the
PVPC didn't provide data on how many times the police were called in to assist
when trucks didn't strike the bridge but were stuck and couldn't move out of the
way of traffic;
DPW had a meeting with the police, residents, and Coca Cola, addressing GPS
systems that have been suggesting trucks make the wrong turn off Exit 19, and
0
that attempts to correct the situation are being effected, although changes
happen with GPS computers on a quarterly basis;
• Said District 2 has moved the sign directing vehicles to Industrial Park;
uncertain as to whether it's improved the situation; suggested current signage
remains confusing;
• Said the best solution are the warning systems to be placed on Exit 19, then on
Pleasant Street, and followed by King Street, perhaps putting an additional sign
on the east side of the bridge; said if funding is available, another warning
system on Main Street; said the State believes 3 or 4 locations can be
completed, their eyes squarely on the cost of everything;
• Said a post could be placed off Exit 19 with a small laser detector (SICK) that
would cause a sign to flash to offending vehicles saying something akin to
"Oversized Vehicle: No Left Turn ";
• Said she approached Coca Cola for a donation of funding; hasn't heard back.
Discussion
Mr. Feiden suggested that there's no reason that more systems cannot be
installed if & when State funding becomes available;
6. Truck Escape Route
a. Councilor Freeman - Daniels
Noted when he previously asked for an alternative route to Lincoln Ave/North
St., the reception wasn't positive; said Fair Street or Old Ferry Road as an
alternative would have less impact on residents as well as addressing
environmental considerations; nonetheless, he reiterated his request the
Commission consider an alternate to Lincoln Ave., not to take away from
Lincoln Ave. but to provide an added option; recommended signage on Bridge
Street directing trucks to loop at Fair Street, while removing the one directing
trucks to Lincoln Ave.
b. David Newton— 211 North Street
• Summarized the concern of what to do with trucks that make a left off the Exit
and need to be redirected in the most expedient manner to where they're
supposed to be; would like more of discussion of getting truckers to know
they're supposed to go straight on Damon from the ramp vs. not turn left; said
he believes the GPS System has been misdirecting them and they end up lost
• Suggested plant gate- keepers be enlisted to assist in directing truckers;
• Said signage visibility isn't always optimum depending on the light and time of
day;
• Pointed out that if a trucker is in the left lane on the ramp, he has to turn left and
cannot go straight onto Damon;
Said that as an engineer he thinks helping truckers know to go straight is
optimum; would like for the coke plant to help dispatchers;
lei -,cii-,-,ion
• Chair Carney suggested if they go down by the Fairground, Cross Path, take
right on Old Ferry, it would bring them out on Pleasant Street; corrected by Mr.
Freeman - Daniels that they'd come out on Bridge Street but on the right side to
go back to Damon Road, but that doesn't always work;
• Councilor Freeman - Daniels suggested a less radical solution than eliminating
Lincoln Ave outright is to add the Fair /Cross Path/Old Ferry to be used most of
the time because it's less impactful; added it isn't necessary to prohibit the use
of Lincoln but simply not to guide truckers down Lincoln; noted Mr. Zimnoch's
suggestion of Hawley Street, but as a last resort because Phillips isn't wide
enough; Mr. Zimnoch's other suggestion, according to Mr. Freeman Daniels, is
that Hancock has the necessary width and that they all have to end up at
Pomeroy; acknowledged he could introduce an ordinance but that he also
wanted to know the minds of the Commission on the matter;
• Ms. Bruce assured Mr. Newton that the TPC has been in contact with GPS
companies and that MassDOT has a planner to best instruct truckers to go
straight on Damon;
• Ms. Stein cited Chief Sienkiewicz as being aware of the signage problems;
• Mr. Feiden clarified the laser system would provide timely warnings to truckers;
• Ms. Hanson confirmed that the plant management and gate- keepers are
instructing truckers as to the proper directions of approaching and exiting the
plant; said the minimum height that will trigger the laser will be 10 -feet "to be
conservative ";
• Chair Carney suggestion would like to see the detection systems in place before
determining alternate truck routes; reminded Councilor Freeman - Daniels that
his introducing an ordinance might be expedient with respect to the timing of
the warning systems being installed;
• Mr. Lowenthal said he's not aware of any political difficulties with respect to
making Fair Street to Old Ferry Road as an alternate;
• Ms. Bruce said political resistance could be alleviated by alternate routes being
put in place;
• Mr. Feiden said restricting trucks would required State approval;
Item to be kept on Agenda for Next Meeting; To Be Continued.
7. DPW Updates — Laura Hanson
• Chair Carney noted with respect to the matter of Massasoit Street's speed limit,
Mr. Huntley researched Home Rule petitions, as suggested by Mr. Zimnoch,
and found the city of New Bedford's as the only one to his knowledge;
0
• Speed limit; Home Rule; Ned Huntley/Laura H.; 85 percentile
Discussion
Mr. Lowenthal offered that posting a speed limit as not necessarily affecting the
speed cars drive, and as such he suggests no action be taken;
Ms. Bruce suggested that Mr. Zimnoch be informed of the No Action
determination;
Ms. Hanson provided a supporting history of the speed regulation specific to
Massasoit, and that a study was done in 1986 suggesting the limit be set at 25
mph; no data was found on why it's currently set at 30 mph other than "the 85'
percentile" making the determination;
No Action Taken.
8. Committee Reports
• Ms. Stein re: Minutes for the Public Transit Committee said she sent the
Agenda to Wendy Mazza;
• Ms. Hanson said Andy Kuether replied by email, that if Minutes are put up on
the website as PDFs, he would convert them every 6 months to laser fiche for
the Archives;
• Mr. Feiden said laser fiche works within the city's firewall and is password
protected;
• Chair Carney wondered whether that complied with the Open Meeting Law;
inquired as to how to get MIS access;
• Mr. Lowenthal announced Bike /Ped Committee discussed a redesign of the
layout of cycle tracks on South Street; said the next meeting is on January IO at
7:00 p.m. at the Northampton Community Music Center; said that with the help
from a State grant from DCR, new kiosks with maps will be set up along the
Northampton Rail Trail.
MOTION, Mr. Feiden, to Adjourn; Seconded, Mr. Adams; Motion carried.
Respectfully submitted,
Gregory P. Ammons
Johnson & Hill Staffing
7