Greenfield council approves temporary barricade, neighborhood notice as part of Holmes Avenue traffic study

The Greenfield Common Council on Oct. 7 approved installing a temporary barricade on Holmes Avenue between 20th7 and 20th8 Street to test the effects of closing the segment and to study whether additional traffic calming — including speed bumps on adjacent streets — is needed.

The motion, introduced as part of a Board of Public Works recommendation to keep Holmes Avenue open, was amended during council discussion to authorize a temporary closure (barricade) and require that the city notify the roughly 136 residents who previously received notice about the project before the barricade is installed.

Council members and residents debated whether closing Holmes Avenue would reduce cut-through speeding or simply shift traffic and speeding to nearby streets. Supporters argued that a temporary closure would reduce traffic and allow the city to observe driver behavior before making a permanent change. Opponents, including some residents who spoke at a neighborhood meeting, said closure would complicate access for some homeowners and that the speed problem also requires physical calming measures.

Alderson Kasner and other council members said the short-term barricade would let the city test outcomes and then consider speed bumps on adjacent streets — 30th1, 30thth, and 30th4 — if data showed increased speeding there. Jeff (city staff) confirmed the city has temporary barricades available and that the road-reconstruction contract would be signed in February with construction beginning in April; council members said adding speed bumps is most cost-effective if done as an add-on during the scheduled pavement project.

The amended motion calls for the DPW to install a temporary barricade at a mutually agreed time, to communicate the timing to the neighborhood in advance, and to return findings to the council. On a roll call the motion passed 4–1: Alderson Juswicki voted aye; Alderson Bailey voted no; Alderson Kasner, Alderson Sarian and Alderson Akers voted aye.

Why it matters: Holmes Avenue is the focus of long-running neighborhood concern about speeding and cut-through traffic. A temporary barricade is a low-cost way to test whether a closure will reduce traffic through the subdivision and whether additional traffic-calming measures will be needed on other neighborhood streets.

Next steps: DPW will install the temporary barricade after city staff notify the identified residents. The council asked staff to monitor traffic changes and to consider targeted speed bumps as part of the upcoming pavement project if the study indicates they are needed.

Outlook: If the test indicates positive safety results, the council may consider permanent changes or targeted traffic-calming installations in coordination with the spring reconstruction project.