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Commission approves 'no right turn for trailer trucks' sign on Green Street after resident reports repeated crashes
Summary
Following testimony from a Green Street resident who described multiple truck incidents, the commission voted to install a sign barring right turns by trailer trucks and to add truck-route directional signage; staff will trim vegetation and move existing no-truck signs for visibility.
The Woburn City Traffic Commission on Feb. 20 voted to install a sign prohibiting right turns by trailer trucks on Green Street after residents described repeated truck collisions with utility poles and property.
Karen Buffalo of 147 Green Street told the commission two heavy-truck incidents occurred in a single week, including one that damaged a telephone pole and interrupted electrical service. "When they come down, the GPS is allowing them to come down Green Street," Buffalo said at the microphone, describing how commercial routing systems bring large tractor-trailers into a narrow residential section where turning is difficult.
Staff and commissioners reviewed existing restrictions. A staff member said state law allows trucks to use Green Street to reach Jackson Lumber, which limits the city's ability to fully ban truck access to reach that business. Staff also reported that the current no-trucking sign is partly obscured by trees and is located past Prospect Street; they proposed moving the sign back to be visible before Prospect and adding a directional truck-route arrow.
A first responder who has attended numerous crashes in the intersection supported adding a clear prohibition: "Maybe if they see that sign that says no right turn for trucks, maybe they'll continue on straight," the responder said, noting repeated incidents involving trucks hitting poles and yards. Commissioners and staff agreed to add a truck-route directional sign and to post a "No right turn for trailer trucks" sign. The precise cross street named in the motion was not specified in the recorded motion; the commission approved the installation.
Commissioners also discussed enforcement limits and a civil fine residents referenced; one resident cited a $500 penalty for violations but said enforcement coverage is intermittent. Staff said trimming trees and relocating the no-truck sign, plus an added truck-route arrow at Prospect, should reduce inadvertent entries. The motion to install the trailer-truck prohibition and to add directional signage passed by voice vote.
