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Committee approves no-parking at Central Ave and Countryway corner after resident petition
Summary
After hearing from resident petitioner Margo Wallach, the Transportation & Safety Committee voted to mark and enforce a no-parking zone at the Central Avenue/Countryway corner to address large trucks and service vehicles blocking sightlines; DPW will locate signage per existing 20-foot intersection rules.
A majority of the Town of Needham Transportation & Safety Committee voted July 8 to mark a no-parking zone at the Central Avenue and Countryway corner after residents said large trucks and landscaping vehicles have repeatedly blocked drivers’ sightlines.
Margo Wallach, who said she and 14 neighbors signed a petition, told the committee that construction and landscaping trucks “park along here pretty close to the corner...and they put their cones around the truck so that it becomes a very narrow passageway.” She said the parked vehicles make it hard for motorists and pedestrians to see oncoming traffic and feared a collision if nothing changes.
Tyler Gabrielski, the town’s director of streets filling in as chair, told the committee the town enforces a 20-foot clearance from intersections and that marking a no-parking zone at the corner would rely on that existing regulation. Traffic engineering technical adviser Bob Wilson said staff would mark the location and notify police for enforcement while the committee monitors effectiveness.
Committee members discussed alternatives that had been tried, including painted gore triangles and additional stop signs. Some residents had urged a physical island or curb modification; staff said those geometric changes are possible only as part of future resurfacing or curb work and are not imminent.
The motion—asking DPW to place no-parking signage at the corner where appropriate—was moved from the floor and seconded. A roll-call vote passed with the ayes prevailing; the chair said staff will mark proposed signage and follow up with the petitioner about whether the change resolves the blockage problem.
The committee did not adopt wider parking limits beyond the intersection clearance; staff said any restriction farther along a frontage would require homeowner notification. The committee said it will evaluate the site after signage is installed and consider longer-term geometric changes as part of scheduled capital work.
The committee’s action was limited to signage and enforcement; no physical curb work was authorized at this meeting.
