Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Transportation topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Select Board backs stop-sign changes and green-lights Harris Avenue speed-cushion pilot to slow traffic near Pollard School
Summary
Needham’s Select Board approved nine new stop signs on neighborhood streets Oct. 14 and heard a plan for a removable speed-cushion pilot on Harris Avenue designed to slow vehicles near Pollard School crosswalks.
The Needham Select Board on Oct. 14 voted to approve a traffic-regulation notice that places nine new stop signs at neighborhood intersections, and heard a presentation on a removable speed-cushion pilot for Harris Avenue intended to reduce speeds at crosswalks by Pollard School.
Public-works staff described the modular speed cushions as temporary, removable devices that produce vertical deflection similar to a raised crosswalk. The devices are bolted to pavement, assembled from interlocking sections and can be removed for winter snow removal. The design spaces cushions so that emergency-vehicle wheelbases can pass through the gap without hitting the cushion; passenger vehicles with smaller wheelbases will encounter the deflection and slow down.
“As Justin mentioned, the actual devices are sized for the road that you want to employ them on,” said a DPW presenter. The pilot will be installed in the spring and removed for winter; staff said before-and-after speed measurements will be collected to evaluate effectiveness. The Transportation Safety Committee funded the pilot from its dedicated budget.
Following the pilot presentation, the board voted to approve Notice of Traffic Regulation SS251014, which places stop signs at the following intersections: Colton Park at Harris Avenue; Wilshire Park at Harris Avenue; Stevens Road at Harris Avenue; Prince Street at Harris Avenue; Pinewood Road at Harris Avenue; Green Street at Great Plain Avenue; Maple Street at Great Plain Avenue; Nehoian Street at Meadowbrook Road; and Honeywell Street at Hillside Avenue. The motion passed unanimously.
Select Board members emphasized coordination with fire and police and said staff had consulted emergency responders; DPW staff confirmed they had provided materials to public-safety departments and that the devices are designed to accommodate emergency apparatus.
Staff will report pilot measurements to the board and consider whether the cushions should be used elsewhere in town. The approved stop-sign regulation will be signed and implemented by DPW.
