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Residents, commissioners press for more trail parking and permanent changes on Danforth Street
Summary
Conservation leaders and city councilors asked the Traffic Commission and DPW to add ADA parking and reconfigure on‑street parking near the Carol Getchell Nature Trail; DPW will study Danforth Street parking and coordinate with the fire chief on turning requirements.
Local officials and conservation volunteers pressed the Traffic Commission on Tuesday to create more accessible parking near the Carol Getchell Nature Trail and to consider reconfiguring parking along Danforth Street to support trail and park use.
Steve Wiseman, vice chair of the Conservation Commission, said the south trailhead abuts Hillside and Danforth streets and that the city is investing more than $1 million in improvements this year, including a roughly 1,000‑foot ADA‑accessible boardwalk. "We think there is room for more than two handicapped spaces," Wiseman said, urging pull‑in parking and additional spaces to serve people with mobility needs and users of adjacent Danforth Park.
City Councilor Brandon Ward (District 2) and conservation leaders recommended pull‑in, ADA‑compliant spaces at the Hillside cul‑de‑sac and additional marked spaces on Danforth near Sudbury Landing to reduce informal dirt parking and calm traffic. Ward called the trail a "real gem" and said ADA parking "would be a real benefit."
DPW staff said they will review the conservation petitions, assess turning radii and fire apparatus requirements with the fire chief and examine Danforth Street as a corridor from Concord to Cottage Street for potential permanent parking changes. "We have to look at Danforth Street as a whole between Concord and Cottage," DPW staff said.
Speakers cited traffic counts and speeds as part of the safety case: counts at one location rose from about 1,000 vehicles per day in 2020 to roughly 2,250 per day on the most recent counts; at a sampled point on Danforth, more than 60% of drivers exceeded the 25 mph speed limit and the 80th percentile speed was about 29 mph. DPW said it will prepare a plan and return with recommendations, and the commission encouraged outreach to affected abutters and neighborhoods before any permanent striping changes.
Timing is a factor: conservation leaders said trail work and the ADA boardwalk are expected to be complete in fall 2025, and they asked for parking accommodations in advance of the increased trail use.
