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Traffic commission asks disability commission to recommend signage for home on Green Street
Summary
The Woburn Traffic Commission voted to ask the commission on disability and the superintendent to recommend appropriate signage for 109 Green Street after a resident with three young children with autism requested specialized signage; the action leaves final wording to the disability commission.
The Woburn Traffic Commission voted to ask the city’s commission on disability and Superintendent Duran to recommend appropriate signage for 109 Green Street after a resident said her three young children with autism were at risk from speeding vehicles.
The request came from Iris Jackson, who said her children frequently elope from her yard and that the family needs more than a standard 4–6-foot fence to keep them safe. Jackson said she had approached other boards previously and that she wants a sign that alerts drivers to the presence of children with disabilities near her home.
Commissioners said the Traffic Commission did not have an existing sign protocol that specifically names autism and that installing a new, autism‑specific sign would set a precedent. Commissioners said the usual step is to consult the commission on disability to recommend wording that both reflects state guidance and is enforceable.
“I'm asking if the disability commission would decide on the appropriate signage per the request here,” a commissioner said during the discussion. The commission then moved to send communication to the commission on disability and to Superintendent Duran, with a direction that, if the disability commission approves a sign, public works will install it at 109 Green Street. The motion was seconded and passed by voice vote.
Commissioners and staff also discussed using more general signage such as “Disabled child — slow” or a conventional “Slow — children at play” sign to expedite installation; Jackson said she would accept a broadly worded disabled-child sign if the disability commission preferred that option. Commissioners emphasized they would not unilaterally create a new category of sign without the disability commission’s input.
The commission’s action assigns the decision on exact wording and an install recommendation to the commission on disability; public works will carry out installation if the disability commission and superintendent support it.
The Traffic Commission recorded that it would follow up with Jackson after hearing back from the commission on disability and the superintendent.
Jackson and the commissioners also discussed informal assistance: the commission agreed to reach back out to her with contact information and the disability commission’s response.
Ending: The commission’s vote does not itself create a new, autism-specific sign or new city policy. Instead, it routes the question to the commission on disability and the superintendent; the Traffic Commission directed public works to install the sign(s) if those bodies recommend them.
