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Board approves MassDOT stop‑control warrants at two intersections; leaves Carlton & Ivy for now
Summary
Staff presented MassDOT evaluations recommending all‑way stop signs at Saint Paul & Dummer and LaGrange & Princeton; both passed on roll call. An engineering‑judgment recommendation for Carlton & Ivy prompted a heated debate over sight lines, cyclist safety, and traffic backups; the board did not adopt that recommendation at this meeting.
Town staff and a MassDOT consultant presented engineering evaluations for several unsignalized intersections on July 15. Two intersections—Saint Paul & Dummer and LaGrange & Princeton—met MUTCD crash‑experience warrants and the board voted to install all‑way stop control at those locations. The vote was approved on roll call.
A separate evaluation for the Carlton & Ivy intersection did not meet the crash‑experience warrant but the traffic engineer recommended stop control based on engineering judgment because of limited sight distance and proximity to Brookline Vision Zero high priority network corridors. The proposal prompted extended debate among board members, residents and committee representatives.
Resident and town meeting member Marissa Vogt said she regularly bikes westbound on Ivy and finds the sight lines when turning south on Carlton to be difficult; she told the board "that is one of the places where I feel the least safe on that route." Other residents, including a nearby property owner who lives on Carlton, argued that Carlton already sees limited southbound traffic and that adding a stop would create long queues and block driveways during peak hours.
Board members disagreed on whether stop control was the appropriate remedy versus other traffic calming measures. Some members said stop signs are not appropriate for speed control and preferred targeted traffic calming or additional warning signage; others said engineering judgment and two documented cyclist‑involved collisions supported added control. The board decided to approve the MassDOT recommendations for Saint Paul/Dummer and LaGrange/Princeton and to defer a final vote on Carlton & Ivy pending further review.
