York Street neighbors meet to discuss traffic safety

Startled by a rash of recent car accidents on their street, including one involving six teenagers and another involving a Canton police officer, the York Street Neighborhood Association held an open meeting last week at St. James Lutheran Church, where an estimated 50 people turned out to brainstorm possible calming measures and various other ideas aimed at improving safety on the idyllic Canton roadway.

Attendees at the Thursday evening meeting included Canton Police Lieutenant Tom Kelleher Jr., DPW Superintendent Mike Trotta, Selectman and York Street resident Avril Elkort, and at least one parent whose child was involved in the March 2 accident that injured six CHS students.

The meeting was productive yet also very preliminary, reported Sue Gibbs, who was part of the original group of neighbors who formed the association in late 2007.

The concern at that time had revolved around the impact of a new Target department store on Route 139 in Stoughton. And while the additional traffic that they had feared never really materialized, the actions of the neighbors — which included working with local and county officials to implement traffic-calming measures — ended up having a considerable effect on traffic safety in the neighborhood over the past five years.

Gibbs said the accident rate had dropped “significantly” until this year, when there were several accidents over a short period of time in the winter, at least two of which resulted in serious head injuries.

With concern rising within the neighborhood, Gibbs said the association felt it was time to reengage the neighbors and not only seek their input on roadway improvements and signage, but also discuss ways to educate the public about driver safety on York Street.

In terms of safety measures, attendees discussed everything from stop signs to rumble strips to reflective traffic cylinders. They also talked to Trotta about the possibility of adding a few more chevron arrows at some of the “hotspots,” where the road curves sharply.

In the meantime, Trotta said the DPW could trim some of the brush and growth along the sides of the road in order to increase sight lines and sight distances; however, he also made it clear that the department is both short-staffed and underfunded.

And even if the town was able to secure some funding, Trotta said he doesn’t think the neighbors would sign off on some of the more drastic changes that were tossed around at the meeting, such as straightening the road, noting that York Street “has a character that the neighborhood likes.”

“To make a big radical change, I’m not sure the neighborhood is ready to accept that kind of an engineered solution,” said Trotta in a follow-up interview. “So we’re trying to come up with something that everybody could feel comfortable with.”

One idea that both sides did agree to pursue was to meet again with the Norfolk County traffic engineer to see if the county could prepare a new traffic study for the roadway, particularly in light of the Avalon housing development (formerly Roseland) that is being built on the border with Randolph.

The county traffic consultant had put together an extensive package for the neighborhood association back in 2007, and Gibbs said they plan to work with Trotta to request an updated study “within the next couple of weeks.” Once they have the new data, the group would then go before selectmen and plead their case for some “mitigation money” from Avalon — possibly for a traffic light at the intersection of York and Randolph streets.

Also discussed at last week’s meeting were the driving habits on York Street, and Gibbs said the neighbors plan to work with the local schools, including nearby Blue Hills Regional and Massasoit Community College, to remind students about the importance of safe driving, especially while traversing windy, narrow roads such as York Street.

However, as parent Sue Harrington pointed out, education can only go so far as a deterrent, noting that many teens — including her own daughter, who was a passenger in the March 2 accident — have chosen to ride without a seatbelt despite the frequent pleas of their parents to buckle up.

As she told the Citizen after the meeting, “I think the notion that some school assembly about seatbelt safety is going to eliminate accidents on York Street is, quite frankly, ludicrous.”

Harrington added that there will always be car accidents on York and other streets throughout town, yet she does believe that steps could be taken to reduce the number of crashes and perhaps minimize the damage by getting people to drive slower.

The good news, said Gibbs, is that the neighbors have two supportive partners in the Canton Police and the DPW, both of whom have been “very helpful and cooperative.” Yet she also placed the burden on the drivers themselves to make better individual choices when it comes to traffic safety.

“We need to remind people that, whether it is our street or any street, you need to drive the speed limit,” she said. “You need to drive cautiously and be courteous to others.”

“And it’s not just teens either,” added Gibbs. “All of us need to keep it on our radar all of the time.”

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Posted by Jay Turner on May 30 2012. Filed under News. Both comments and pings are currently closed.