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2008-10-21 TPC MinutesTRANSPORTATION AND PARKING COMMISSION City of Northampton City Hall, 210 Main Street Northampton, MA 01060 -3199 (413) 587 -1249 Fax: (413) 587-1275 MINUTES October 21, 2008 Chairman David Narkewicz opened the meeting at 4:05 pm. in City Council Chambers, Puchalski Municipal Building, 212 Main Street, Northampton. Members present David Narkewicz, Ned Huntley left at 5:00pm, William Letendre, Wayne Feiden left at 5:05 pm, Leslie Stein, James Lowenthal arrived at 5:10 pm, Russell Sienkiewicz, Keith Wilson, David Reckow arrived at 4:45 pm, Maureen Carney Members absent Paul Sustick 1. Public Comment — Peter McLean, 298 Riverside Drive, submitted an application to be addressed. He stated that he grew up in Toronto, and saw many effective uses of traffic calming. He looks forward to this in Northampton. The application concerns Riverside Drive, and the volume of traffic and speeding continues to happen, even with the bridge closed. 2. Minutes of August 19, 2008 and September 15,2008- Wayne Feiden motioned to approve minutes; Chief Russell Sienkiewicz abstained from September 15, 2008. Ned Huntley motioned to amend August 19, 2008 minutes to state "Laura Hanson" in items #4 and #7, to specify her last name. William Letendre seconded. The vote passed 6 Yes, 1 Abstention ( Sienkiewicz), 0 No. 3. Intersection Safety Reviews/Recommendations Cooke Avenue & Hatfield Street Elm Street & North Elm Street at Northampton High School State Street & Finn Street Cooke & Hatfield - Pioneer Valley Planning Commission technical review, report in next few weeks. DPW advance painting signs —Stop ahead on both North and South Streets. PVPC in writing to the Transportation & Parking Commission. Elm & North Elm — Russell Sienkiewicz stated this is a DPW joint project- a schoolteacher was struck by DPW truck, not seriously injured. Chief Sienkiewicz submitted a report and photos of the Northampton High School problem area and possible solutions.Traffic rush, striping, drop off. Options on Rte. 9- new LED solar - operated sign, $10,000 for two, pedestrian- activated. Could get 1 or 2 sets for $6,000 less. Congestion, new tardy policy, sensible, drop off kids, negative repercussion. Difficult to regulate human nature. Laura Hanson is working on draft, pedestrian signs, speed limit 35mph, could be lowered. How to provide safety near Smith College? Traffic data — additional stop signs or 3 -way stop. Smith College has their own officers out there. State Street & Finn- Traffic signal in 2003 study. Accident history, experimental, updated to June 2008. More than 5 accidents per year since 2003. Can use multi -way stop interim as meet guidelines for signal. From King onto Finn, stop is a relief valve. Pedestrian & cyclist and walking are concerns. Ned Huntley stated that some considerations are one -way, certain sections, Summer St. one -way, and are before the Department. David Narkiewicz stated Public Safety looking at this. Further details in conversation regarding options and possible solutions. These will be continued to the next meeting. 4. Annual Review of Transportation Policies and Plan Wayne Feiden sent an email with 12 areas the Transportation & Parking Commission should discuss. Leslie Stein wanted confirm that this is in line with the Sustainability Plan, with consideration to public transit. Feiden went over the following items: Pg.3 — Core Policies #9 Encourage people — induce traffic, queque, suspicious of widening & adding lanes. - avoiding excessively wide intersections -state money- design guidelines - ensure environmental impact Page 4 - #9 Roadway language- not always dedicated #10 -share relevant data w /police #13 —safe bike conditions #14 —avoid reducing traffic — traffic calming- identify all unsafe intersections #19- ensure on new & reclaimed (reconstructed) streets Ned Huntley — traffic calming is neighborhood induced, need to get word out to neighborhoods - more data in the Fall, Spring will do in January - February. Process set up is reactive, can be proactive Ned Huntley — spend $450,000 in paving — backlog of $15million+ , must give priority streets, where to prioritize? David Reckhow — which are likely streets, paving? Ned Huntley — need full reclamation — DPW more dollars into salvage, Chapter 90 funds for maintenance, not new roads. Plow trucks are 25 -30 years old. Ned Huntley had to leave, designated Laura Hanson for his vote. Wayne Feiden to continue: #21— Urge curbs- privately built #23 -State Law — not ask more from private than public #26- Appendix A — 3 year old list #27 — Language — Chapter 90 for sidewalks or road improvements only #28- reclaimed — include sidewalks #29 Safety — sidewalks of abutters — educate public- enforcing, snow removal #30 & #31- related, as much as we can educate #33 -Bike racks - #34 Policy — at what point all- weather storage - schools,safety, parking #49- Enforcement -MADD- collision causes #53 Traffic Calming Manual. Next meeting -clean up the controversial- extended discussions — add addendums- change language to reflect traffic calming. Continue to next meeting. 5. UPDATE: Traffic Calming The manual is now adopted. One application today — take up at next meeting- need discussion to identify main public safety. Laura Hanson went to Boston to Moving Together 2008 — report in few weeks. Speed humps on Jackson Street, fire, ambulance and police should be consulted on decisions on where to allow or not — school zone and public safety. In Public Safety Committee, developing policy. Keith Wilson stated he is against a blanket policy, should be reviewed as case by case. Maureen Carney stated that there should be flexibility. James Lowenthal stated that a point system could have negatives to recognize. Start at Public Safety Committee. 6. Continued: Policy for On- Street Handicapped Parking — William Letendre stated there are no ADA rules limiting. There are 13 handicapped parking spaces in downtown. Requests for West Street and King Street. The Committee on Disabilities could also look at this. A resident with a handicapped - placard can park in any space. Letendre stated he can bring forward requests to the Transportation & Parking Commission if he sees their merit. 7. Continued — Parking Cash -Out Continued. 8. Committee Reports None 9. Department Reports DPW- Click It, Ticket. Drunk Driving prevention, $6,000 from Govenor's Safety Bureau, cars with updated black box recorder: used this on last 3 of 5 fatalities, can tell speed, pressure, information of car performance. SPIFFEY - $1,000 to deter drunk driving, education, compliance at package stores, sweeps. Recognize Jeff Brown of RideBuzz — free rideshare for city employees only. Some details need to be set to trust known community, register, email, load into group email. 10. New Business David Narkiewicz brought up the Calendar 2009 of meetings for Transportation & Parking. Change September 15, 2009 to Monday, September 8, 2009 due to primary voting. 11. Adiourn William Letendre moved to adjourn at 5:54 pm; Maureen Carney seconded. The vote passed unanimously (7 -0). Transportation and Parking Commission Please find attached our Traffic Calming Request Form, submitted by The Bay State Village Association. The complete package includes: 1) Cover letter 2) Traffic Calming Request Form 3) Attachment to Traffic Calming Request Form, answer to question 2 4) Attachment to Traffic Calming Request Form, answer to question 3 5) Four signature pages Thank you for your consideration, Peter McLean Bay State Village Association C/o 298 Riverside Drive Bay State Village, MA 01062 -2722 586 -7961 pmclean @lefh.net Transportation and Parking Commission C/o 210 Main Street, room 18 Northampton, MA 01060 -31992 Commission members, We are very happy to see the effort you are making to address the need to calm traffic in Northampton. The attached Traffic Calming Request. Form is presented with renewed optimism. The strategies outlined in the Traffic Calming Manual present great possibilities to make the streets safer in our neighborhood. As you may be aware the Village Association has a long history of launching initiatives to address traffic dangers in Bay State. Village. When the Clement Street Bridge was previously closed in the 1980's the association worked with the Saving Lives Program to reduce speed on Riverside Drive. This positive collaboration between the city and the neighborhood had a lasting impact. In 1993 we successfully petitioned the Department of Public Works to paint a double line down the center of Riverside Drive. In the winter of 2004 there was a sharp increase in crashes at the intersection of Riverside and Federal Street. Our Association entered a dialogue with the city regarding the dangers at the Federal Street intersection. That July then D.P.W. Director, George Andrikitis and then Traffic Committee member, David Narkewicz met with Association members at the Federal Street intersection. Several actions were taken that year which had some impact, including the repair of a broken pipe that contributed to icing problems. Nonetheless the Federal Street intersection is among those of particular concern. Traffic safety is a constant topic voiced at Village Association meetings. Every three or four years our energies are directed towards specific actions. We have had go slow sign painting parties, created phone trees to call the police to request there presence to catch speeders and to request that the sign that displays the speed limit and your current speed be placed on Riverside. With all our efforts people continue to speed on Riverside and intersections are dangerous, more dangerous than they could be. Riverside Drive presents the perfect opportunity to apply the strategies described by your traffic calming initiative. We also appreciate the opportunity to be proactive. This past year while the Clement Street Bridge has been closed there has been a significant reduction in traffic volume on Riverside Drive. The bridge closing has not only reduced traffic volume but has kept away the commuting traffic. Commuters seem more likely to speed and are speeding through the neighborhood when there is the highest volume of pedestrians including students walking to school and waiting for school busses. Shortly the bridge will again be open. Combine that with housing developments on the old State Hospital grounds and at other spots on the other side of the bridge, we are about to see higher traffic volumes on Riverside Drive than we have ever experienced. The time to act is now. We look forward to your response to our request. Sincerely, Peter McLean President, Bay State Village Association City of Northampton, MA Traffic Calming Request Form What is traffic calming? The goal of traffic calming is to make streets safer and more comfortable for pedestrians, bicyclists, drivers and transit users by implementing roadways with features that induce drivers to slow down and pay more attention to their surroundings. Three major categories of traffic calming include: (1) narrowing the real or apparent width of the street, (2) deflecting or introducing curvature to the vehicle path, and (3) altering the vertical profile of the vehicle path. Traffic Calming does not include the installation of regulatory traffic control devices such as signals, stop signs, and roundabouts or lowering a speed limit because they are not self - enforcing. A copy of the Northampton Traffic Calming Manual is available by visiting htlp://www.northMptonma.goyLtpe/trafficcalmin . Call the Department of Public Works (DPW) if you have any questions at (413) 587 -1570. Traffic Calming Request Form Directions: Please fill out this form and mail it to the address listed below. By using this form you will help us assess the type of issues or concerns you are having with a street in your neighborhood. Each request will be considered separately. We will place your request on the agenda for the Transportation & Parking Commission (TPC) within 60 days of its receipt. The TPC will make a determination how to best address the request and forward it to either the DPW, Police, or other appropriate City Department(s). If recommended by the TPC, a City Engineering Assessment will follow, and be given as a presentation within 90 days at a scheduled TPC meeting (weather permitting). 1. Name IS' M%ec<jn Qp Uic-L .&GI 1 SoC- (A::nont Date Z�. 69-(,- & JOYb Address ° ' !g = V c_ Email City Ward 1 ,7 — Phone(hay) Gy°�- 7met e ,:( cl (night) %a - 7eP(e � 2.. Please list the street(s)/ location/ intersection that concerns you most: see k cft& a 3. What time of day do the concerns you have seem most noticeable? S2 z.c AAA 4. Please check each item below that applies to the referenced street(s): Pedestrian/ Bicyclist Safety '�( Speeding Vehicles _Sign placement 'K High traffic volume / trucks _Parking Issues Difficult to cross street 3( Sight Distance Issues (for drivers) Poor Road Condition _Other (describe): 5. Please encourage others in your neighborhood to sign the back of this request form and participate in the Northampton Pace Car Program. Additional neighborhood support will help gain a higher project ranking during the scoring process. See page ten in the Traffic Calming Manual for an explanation of the prioritization criteria for projects (our website is listed above). 6. You may also attach a drawing on another sheet of paper if you think it will be helpful. Please return this completed form to: Transportation and Parking Commission Traffic Calming Request Form 210 Main Street, Room 18 Northampton, MA 01060 -31992 12 City of Northampton, MA Traffic Calming Request Form Bay State Village Association 2. Please list the street (s) /location/intersection that concerns you the most: Riverside Drive is our main concern, including three intersections on Riverside. As for Riverside itself, it presents a long straight stretch of road that many commuters use to bypass other parts of Northampton, and it seems others use to test their acceleration capabilities. There are many children vulnerable on Riverside. There are numerous school bus stops that feed the elementary and middle schools. With Northampton High School at the end of Riverside there are many High School students walking and riding on Riverside. Also the Nonotuck Day School caters to our youngest citizens who go for walks during their day and some of whom walk and ride to school with their parents. Mains Field provides a local park for families to take advantage of but many do not because walking or riding Riverside between Ladd and Landy is too dangerous. With thoughts of sustainability, there is also a noticeable increase in bike traffic on Riverside. Traffic speeds and dangerous intersections give a Riverside biker more the feel of being on a highway instead of a neighborhood street. The intersections: 1 Riverside Drive, Milton and Elm Streets The motorist who is traveling east on Riverside and making a right onto Elm has poor visibility looking back onto Elm, where traffic is often also speeding. There is confusion regarding traffic coming down the hill on Elm from the High School; are they turning in front of me or are they turning onto Milton. And if a car is also coming off of Milton and onto Elm it becomes a hit the gas and hope for the best scenario. At the beginning and end of the High School day things are much worse. 2 Riverside Drive and Federal Street Cars traveling Riverside have likely reached their top speeds at this point. A speeding car traveling east on Riverside has a poor view of the intersection. Cars crossing or entering Riverside from Federal have a limited view of what is coming from the west on Riverside. On this portion of Riverside there is sidewalk on only one side of the street. At this intersection the side walk changes from the north side to the south side of Riverside. Pedestrians need to cross Federal and Riverside. This is a dangerous intersection. 3 Riverside Drive at Ladd Street where it bends, turning 90 degrees. At this corner the speed is posted at 20 miles an hour. There is good reason as cars do loose control at this corner. There are no sidewalks at this point. With The Village General Store at the corner there is increased pedestrian traffic, including many children. City of Northampton, MA Traffic Calming Request Form Bay State Village Association 3. What time of day do the concerns you have seem most noticeable? The traffic volume appears to be highest during the morning and evening commutes, shortly after 7:00 am to 9:OOam and again 3:30 pm to.5:00 pm. The traffic at the High School is much worse at the beginning and end of the school day. Outside of these times, when the street is not cluttered with other traffic drivers have a chance to hit top speeds. Name, Address & Sienature Pace Car Program "X" = yes 1. Lor,$ Mc Cvs kr 33 L, begi Si 1` InrP m P l Oi r (..c �01� o . ❑' 2. 3. A e-iw( �Ce2C, 2� � GC�Ftf'Ms �� � ������� ��'1 -• I��n�I LL V 0 7. 8. �, �V ►'1 V1 �C� L o d elr f1i o ri :; 7 7 �� ' veflq �� El n a u--- ❑ 9. ej L � k1 c A (w- —�CLL 11. �' M Wk 12. M— . 6 7 �i f'.(� Si ❑ 13. �� (� � �< ,� 0[0& 7— ❑ N,rZ 14. 1 ( f ('�a jhf S T - c� emu, rA 0),06 ❑ 15. C,6tlLtS �rNG- Srrt✓✓ Q rZ , %C012C-M MA 01 0b �- 16. —C�JC 22.9 kl J`V IL(Z MO f 0 66> � 17. Lp o �'1_e.��c� ❑ 18. ^ Ci U Si / r W 19. i¢-II FKI 13 S Name, Address & Signature Pace Car Promm "X" = yes 1. b VIC Ace 1M ,© 2. I L <_ 3. j U � �, � � Y iS to 4. w ���f - d� - H 5. 6. ev� 7. Ov cry? s S F/0 t c ❑ 8. �� �� ❑ 9. A -All 10. ,e rl; 0 epic% LC .� 11. ❑ 12. ❑ 13. ❑ 14. ❑ 15. ❑ 16. ❑ 17. ❑ 18. ❑ 19. ❑ 20. ❑ 13 Name, Address & Signature Pace Car Proeram "X" = yes 2. A Lk ti 4u 0 (c' i N..S t k 3 ( V O S 010 b a. Vl. 3. 9C Cam. o v t A�� }❑ 4. El 5 ZI if At6� io(e- a(O 62- Sr 6. 299 QI V'ers[ ° cue._ fir. D1 06 Z � �1 �� ❑ 7. I r l Fl C- { l � f o Kt tf vL, 6L ) a K" g J ❑ 2 V- R ,L.� 5 v i O L ou-o ' � r 5. 8 �yy(.�I /Gi,G/�/� /QLC�'7'Z� (�LtyZiG/7c)T !�. 1 U�,� ❑ 9. ca a�� b �� e.v�...� �� C�-w�� �1y 6�- ❑ 10. G. "A -`Z I< SM �1� - `�o y�� �\ o U a �,1� , I �`�` ❑ 11. , STi��vc.���= revs 3a9 i4����edc — art .. �= cc���v�c- - ,vvtA- .������� ❑ 12. ❑ 13. ❑ 14. ❑ 15. ❑ 16. ❑ 17. ❑ 18. ❑ 19. ❑ 20. ❑ 13 Name, Address & Signature 1. - 2. 3._ 4._ 5._ 6._ 7._ 8._ 9. t o 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. p 3 Pace Car Program "X" = yes ❑ ❑ ❑ 13 Lieutenant Scott A. Savino Training Coordinator Northampton Police Department 29 Center Street Northampton, MA 01060 -3090 Office: 413- 587 -1144 Fax: 413 - 587 -1137 ssavino @northamptonma.gov M To: Chief Sienkiewicz From: Lt. Sav' - Date: 09/25/2008 Re: High School Traffic Issue Sir, Attached are photographs of a measure developed that will hopefully improve the traffic problems /concerns at the High School. As you can see, it revolves around "'traffic-calming measures ". In addition to this, a school -wide home telephone announcement was sent out by the High School last evening, informing parents of the designated drop off area (as described and depicted in the attached document from Highway Safety Supervisor SSgt. A. Trushaw). The High School administration is very pleased with this, and this Dept. will continue to monitor its implementation. G September 23, 2008 Northampton High School — Traffic Problem : Vehicles parking along Lower Elm Street causing hazardous situation at the beginning of school day and when school dismisses. Met with Spoke Asst. Principal Bryan Lombardi about this situation. Solution: Mark pavement at site of existing "NO PARKING ZONE" to emphasize the area, add signs that allow Drop -off / Pick -up in designated area (Eastbound Lower Elm St., approx. 100 ft. from Milton Street to approx. 50 feet west of Main Entrance) — while this area is posted "NO PARKING" — Short term between 0700 — 0800 hrs and 1330 —1430 hrs would be allowed to accommodate those who need to drop -off or pick -up students. This project also would act as a `traffic calming" measure in the area directly adjacent to the Main Entrance of NHS. Spoke top DPW Streets Supervisor Ed Button, advised him of our desire to have the above project approved. Mark Shields (DPW Signs / Markings) w advised and project stet up. Project completed — September 24, 2008 SSgt. Andrew C. Trushaw — Traffic Supervisor Officer Michael Allard - Highway Safety Officer