Danvers staff outline proposed traffic-rule changes; board set for October public hearing

Town staff returned to the Select Board with a redlined draft of proposed changes to the community’s Traffic Rules and Orders and asked the board for initial feedback before a planned formal hearing in October.

Aaron Henry, LUCS director, summarized the packet and said the Transportation Advisory Commission (DTAC) had been handling day-to-day signage and advisory issues; the items in the packet require Select Board action. Henry emphasized that the meeting was an introduction and that the board could pause or ask for more work before a formal vote. He tentatively scheduled a formal hearing and adoption process for the second meeting in October and said the town would advertise the hearing per state requirements.

Major policy proposals summarized by staff: - All-day employee paid-parking permit: convert about 48 identified “all day” spaces across downtown municipal lots into numbered/permit spaces available to businesses for employees. The program would be first-come, first-served and require businesses to document that permit holders work at the business. The town would sell permits to businesses (or employees via their employer) and install signage to mark permit spaces. Staff framed the fee as nominal and a management tool to free customer parking. - Town Hall lot regulation: clearer signage and geographic limits for the lot between Cherry and Elm Streets, which staff said has become an informal storage area for trailers, boats and contractor equipment. Staff recommended limiting parking beyond a telephone pole near adjacent single‑family homes so homeowners do not bear the brunt of oversized vehicles parked near residences. - Car‑carrier prohibition language for Route 114: staff borrowed language from a Peabody ordinance to give police a enforcement tool and proposed civil fines for carriers who park on the state highway. The draft included both a civil motor-vehicle citation for the operator and a bylaw citation to the business owner if the business allows repeated violations; staff said enforcement would be handled by police and would rely on existing record‑management systems to track repeat offenders. - Clean-up and consolidation of Water Street parking rules and other clarifications, plus suggested updates to the fine schedule and towing/vehicle-retrieval procedures.

Henry said the town planned to provide a digital jurisdiction map in the packet and add an appendix table identifying which streets are town-controlled versus state-controlled (MassDOT/State right-of-way) to help residents understand when the town can act directly and when it must coordinate with the state.

Board members and staff discussed operational and enforcement details. Questions included how the employee permits would be issued (town staff said permits would be sold to businesses and tied to a business), how first/second violations would be tracked for car carriers, whether fines would be levied against drivers or dealerships, and whether towing and vehicle-retrieval procedures should be explicitly described in the rules. Lieutenant Sullivan (police) said operators would receive civil motor-vehicle citations and that businesses could receive a separate bylaw citation if they repeatedly allowed carriers to park on the highway.

Staff asked for public feedback and said they expected to advertise for a formal hearing, tentatively in October. No formal board vote was taken at the session; several board members requested the packet include a clear map showing the lots and the specific spaces proposed for the all‑day permit pilot, and requested the rules clarify who receives fines and how repeat offenses are calculated.