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Needham committee approves funding for LED crosswalk sign and RRFB work; discusses Honeywell striping pilot
Summary
The Transportation Safety Committee approved funds to purchase an LED‑enhanced advanced warning sign for a Great Plain Avenue crosswalk and authorized previously queued RRFB work; members also discussed, but did not yet approve, a $15,000 pilot to apply wider striping on Honeywell Street for traffic calming and a before‑and‑after speed study.
The Transportation Safety Committee on July 9 approved two funding items carried over into the new fiscal year and discussed additional pilot spending for pavement striping on Honeywell Street.
What passed: the committee approved a package of carryover work and petition responses, including the RRFB/advanced crosswalk installations previously ordered and a separate LED‑enhanced advanced warning sign at Great Plain Avenue near Mount Vernon/Harris. Committee discussion cited a unit price of about $1,500 for the LED sign; the chair moved to approve approximately $9,000 for the queued RRFB installation(s) plus the LED advanced warning sign purchase and the motion passed by voice vote.
Why it matters: the approved devices are intended to improve driver awareness at crosswalks on routed corridors where sight lines or curvature reduce visibility. Committee members also discussed the limits of such devices — notably that flashing beacons are advisory in Massachusetts unless a pedestrian is already in the crosswalk — and the need to pair engineering measures with communications and enforcement.
Honeywell striping pilot (discussion): staff presented an estimate of roughly $15,000 to apply 6‑inch center and edge lines on Honeywell Street from Highland Avenue to the Wellesley border as a pilot traffic‑calming measure. Engineering recommended before‑and‑after speed measurements to evaluate effectiveness. The striping pilot was discussed but not approved at the meeting; the committee asked for a follow‑up assessment and data to consider at the next meeting.
Next steps: engineering will place the approved RRFB/LED sign work into the FY schedule and report back on implementation timing. Staff will collect baseline speed and volume data for Honeywell and present a formal budget request for the striping pilot at a future meeting.
