Consultants recommend targeted traffic-calming study at Prospect/Westwood/Berlin intersection

VHB transportation consultant Jen Conley told the Barre City Council on Jan. 14 that the Prospect Street/Westwood Parkway/Berlin Street intersection shows features that can make it unsafe and that targeted, low-cost pilots can be tried before any permanent changes.

Conley, director of transportation for VHB, said the site “falls in a type of area that is very common for people to ask about, traffic calming,” and that key issues at the location include large curb radii that encourage faster turning and a sight-distance constraint on Berlin caused by vegetation. She told the council the firm had not yet collected up-to-date speed data at the location and recommended that the city gather data before finalizing major measures.

Why it matters: Residents have pressed the council to reduce speeds at the intersection, citing crashes and near-misses. City officials and VHB emphasized testing lower-cost, reversible measures first — for example striping or temporary pilots — before more expensive curb or grade changes.

Conley described two broad categories of calming: “vertical solutions” such as raised crossings and speed humps and “horizontal solutions” such as lane narrowing, on-street parking and curb adjustments. She cautioned that factors such as maintenance, winter plowing, emergency response and neighborhood noise should shape choices.

During public comment, resident Sandra Perry described multiple crashes and questioned the reliability of crash counts provided by agencies; she urged “a stop sign in every direction” unless data showed otherwise. Bernadette Rose and other neighbors also discussed repeated speeding incidents and limited ticketing reported near the intersection.

Council members and staff asked VHB about alternatives. Councilor Guston said the speed display sign on Prospect is positioned too far from the transition area; Conley agreed that placing attention-getting devices or striping earlier on the approach could help. Conley recommended piloting striping or temporary physical devices in summer months and designing outreach and advanced signage before changes.

Next steps: Conley told the council she would provide a scoped set of recommendations to city staff within about two weeks; the manager said the council could receive that report at the Jan. 28 meeting. City staff and council members also discussed the Transportation & Public Works committee coordinating citywide traffic-calming priorities and suggested that Public Works could implement low-cost pilots based on the toolbox VHB presented.

Ending: The presentation framed the intersection problem as part of a broader, citywide speeding concern and set expectations that the city will pursue data collection, pilot treatments and further public outreach before approving permanent construction.