Traffic Committee, new chief eye speeding solutions

This story originally appeared in the June 30 edition of the Citizen.

Additional speed humps will be installed along Messinger and Bailey streets in an attempt to further reduce motor vehicle speeds on those two busy roadways.

Select Board member Mike Loughran said at Monday night’s Traffic Committee meeting that five speed humps have been ordered, and three will be installed by the DPW in July — two on Bailey Street and one on Messinger Street.

Although the town has already placed three in the area this year, members of the Traffic Committee and Select Board are in agreement that more should be installed. Traffic Committee Vice Chair Matt Isaacs said Town Engineer Jay Mello will be working with the DPW to strategically place the speed humps sequentially in order to maximize efficiency and effectiveness.

Although similar to speed bumps, speed humps are considered a less aggressive traffic-calming measure and are designed to reduce roadway speeds to between 10 and 20 miles per hour. They are usually three or four inches high and are typically installed in a series in order to retain their speed reduction effect.

The area around Messinger Street — a residential road that runs parallel to Washington Street between Dunbar and Walnut streets — has been the subject of much discussion on the part of the committee due to the number of children who live in the area, its proximity to the Messinger Street Playground, and frequent complaints from residents about motorists’ lack of speed control. A similar problem has been observed on Bailey Street, which starts at Messinger Street near Silk Mill Pond and has two distinct sections—a heavily wooded stretch through conservation land and an industrial stretch from the Mechanic Street intersection to the Canton Town Club.

Also on the issue of speeding, new Canton Police Chief Helena Rafferty attended her first Traffic Committee meeting on Monday and pledged to implement more radar checks and to increase enforcement on Sherman and Pleasant streets. She added that a new motorcycle officer will be appointed following a recent retirement, and four new officers are expected to graduate from the police academy in July. Loughran added that the installation of the new traffic light at Pleasant and Angela streets sometime this year should also help to alleviate speeding in the area.

The committee also plans to ask Mello and the DPW to look at a stop sign at Highland Street and Pond View Road. Jordan Jones of Highland Street said there are many young families with children in the area and motorists are not well aware of the stop sign, which is located on a telephone pole. She is concerned about blind corners as well as the number of delivery drivers who travel in the area but may not be familiar with the sign.

In other news from the June 27 Traffic Committee meeting:

* The committee is interested in using the town’s Reverse 911 system to remind motorists of children’s safety among busy streets such as Bolivar Street (town pool) and area school playgrounds now that school is out.

* Isaacs said the committee will discuss the value of curb extensions, or “bumps-outs,” along Washington Street, particularly in the downtown area, at its next meeting on July 18.

* With the absence of a town planner, Isaccs said the committee would like to put together a list of pending ‘Complete Streets’ projects authored by former Town Planner Laura Smead. The Complete Streets program, funded by the state Department of Transportation, provides eligible municipalities with technical assistance and construction funding for roadway improvements. Isaacs said if any of the pending projects do not receive any state funding, then he would like some of them to be sent to the next town meeting to be considered for local funding.

* The committee plans to look at a request for a crosswalk and/or sidewalk connection from Steeplechase Lane to Chapman Street.

* The committee currently has two at-large positions open. Interested residents should send a letter to the Select Board at Town Hall.

* The committee changed its meeting schedule from quarterly to monthly and meetings will be held on Monday evenings. The next two meetings are scheduled for July 18 and August 22.

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