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Residents press for safety fixes at Peacom/Hudson intersection as trail use increases
Summary
Residents and staff raised safety concerns about the Peacom/Peckham/Hudson Road signalized intersection, suggesting data collection, no-right-turn-on-red signage and engineering review by MassDOT to protect pedestrians and cyclists using the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail.
Residents and town staff told the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail advisory committee they are concerned about pedestrian and cyclist safety at the trail crossings where they intersect with Peacom, Peckham and Hudson roads.
Marsha said the traffic signals are MassDOT’s responsibility and that the town is coordinating with the MassDOT resident engineer, Adam Nabalzi, to refine timing and messaging. “MassDOT was the agency responsible for making these changes,” Marsha said, noting initial confusion about jurisdiction on the MassDOT website and that staff are working to direct public comments to the correct channel.
Local residents urged conservative safety choices. Len Simon, a Meadowbrook Circle resident, said keeping the ‘no right turn on red’ restriction would be safest: “I would characterize it as, the issue of convenience versus safety… I would need to be on the side of safety at that particularly dangerous intersection,” he said. Janie Tretler, the select board liaison, said she favored keeping the no-right-turn restriction because the trail places pedestrians and cyclists very close to turning traffic.
Committee members and residents proposed practical next steps including targeted observation or short-term camera studies to document where trail users access private driveways (to help design fencing or signage), additional verifiable signage placed so drivers see it before arriving at the intersection, and engineering evaluation of conditional right turns (for example, ‘no right turn when pedestrians present’ signage used in nearby communities). Marsha said traffic engineers must evaluate whether conditional signing or a flashing indicator tied to the pedestrian push-button would be allowed.
The meeting recorded no formal vote on signal changes; Marsha said staff will continue coordination with MassDOT and post guidance for public comment.
Next procedural steps noted in the meeting: staff will forward resident input to the MassDOT resident engineer for possible signal-timing adjustments; committee members suggested follow-up data gathering to inform any fencing or signage proposals.
