Concord committee flags confusing signage, safety gaps at Junction Park and rail-trail crossing

The Concord Transportation Advisory Committee spent much of its Oct. 10 meeting documenting confusing signs and potential safety hazards at Junction Park and along the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail, urging a careful, data-driven approach before recommending changes.

The committee chair presented a photo tour that showed multiple, overlapping messages — painted markings, "walk your bike" signs, pedestrian-zone markings and a stop sign whose jurisdiction was unclear. The chair said the number of signs was creating ambiguity for both cyclists and pedestrians: "There are so many signs," the chair said, "and signs really have purposes of directing people and purposes of warning of hazards or encouraging safe behavior."

Committee members flagged several specific issues: an unmarked fork near the rail crossing that led some cyclists across a road instead of the trail; inconsistent green pavement stamps and markings that imply different preferred routes; and a controlled, gate-equipped crossing at the MBTA tracks that lacks clear wayfinding pointing the trail left or right. Members said inconsistent signage could discourage appropriate behavior, create conflict among users and obscure safe routing.

Staff and members recommended a two-step approach: first, an on-the-ground inventory and photographic documentation of every sign, marking and pathway junction; second, targeted data collection to quantify how people actually use the trail. "Before you start looking at data, it's good to know what you're trying to do first," one member said; others proposed fall counts, spring counts and a summer season baseline so the town can compare usage over time.

The committee also reviewed a GIS "story map" updated by Jill Moon Herren, a GIS analyst, which corrects trail alignment on the town website and the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail site. Members noted the map helped identify ambiguous transitions where pedestrian paths branch from the trail, but they urged field verification to reconcile mapping with on-the-ground conditions.

Several members recommended coordinated work among four bodies — the Transportation Advisory Committee, the West Concord Advisory Committee, the West Concord Junction Cultural District and Public Works — with a proposal for the Select Board to consider a village-scale wayfinding program rather than ad hoc sign changes. Staff noted federal and MBTA regulations may limit changes in some locations and said a scoped recommendation could exclude MBTA-regulated zones while addressing village signage.

The committee discussed short- and long-term safety measures, including improved wayfinding, targeted signage changes only after scoping what signs can legally be altered, and outreach to adjacent stakeholders (child-care centers, Concord Park, local merchants) to understand user needs. Members also discussed pursuing MassDOT or prior trail-count data, and suggested inviting local volunteers or staff to run a time-limited user survey.

The meeting ended with the committee agreeing to pursue an inventory and to coordinate with the economic vitality and public works committees on a village-wide wayfinding strategy, with staff tasked to identify existing data sources and potential survey volunteers. The committee did not adopt any immediate signage changes during the meeting.