Traffic board affirms one-way status on Niagara Street after residents debate safety and convenience

The Traffic and Parking Board voted to keep Niagara Street a one-way street after extensive public comment from residents and businesses about safety and convenience. The board chair noted the board's approval at this meeting will still move to the ordinance committee and then city council for final action.

Many residents who addressed the board said the change had both improved convenience for some and created safety problems for others. Matt, a Foster Street resident who said he initiated the petition that brought the issue back to the board, said, "someone's gonna get hurt if this doesn't change." Other speakers described near-misses, hit-and-runs, children playing in yards near the street and motorists who accelerate after realizing they are on the wrong path.

Stephanie McCarthy, director of traffic and parking, told the meeting that the directional change originally went through the traffic board, ordinance committee and full council before it was implemented, but that she could not explain why abutting residents said they were not notified. McCarthy said notes from tonight's citizen input would be carried to the ordinance committee if the matter returns to that agenda and that the approved change from this meeting will be forwarded to the ordinance committee and city council for the next steps.

Supporters of keeping the one-way traffic pattern argued for convenience and reduced travel time from the main avenue to their homes or businesses. Residents who favored reverting the street to two-way said that signs were not visible enough, that drivers regularly entered the street expecting two-way traffic, and that the current configuration produced dangerous, counterintuitive vehicle movements near a bus stop and at intersections with high pedestrian activity.

Board members moved and seconded a motion to keep Niagara Street as a one-way; the motion was accepted at the meeting. The board and staff said the decision at tonight's meeting is not the final legal change: any ordinance to alter the street direction must still be considered by the ordinance committee and full city council. McCarthy said residents will receive notice that the traffic board approved the recommendation at tonight's meeting and encouraged anyone who wishes to testify at the ordinance committee to contact her office for the committee's date and time. She also suggested that future mailed notices explicitly offer interpreter services for households whose first language is Spanish or Portuguese.

The meeting record shows strong disagreement among neighborhood residents: several urged the board to prioritize pedestrian and child safety over convenience for drivers and businesses, while others described the route change as significantly more convenient for longtime residents. The board did not record a roll-call vote or name the mover and seconder in the meeting transcript provided; the meeting minutes will be forwarded to ordinance and council for formalization.