Arthur Moore started this petition to City of Somerville MA
Restore Broadway in Winter Hill by removing red bus lanes and restoring parking back to it’s original state. Repainting of street to black to avoid confusion. Also move car lanes back to the sidewalks afterwards marking new bike lanes.
The current condition is causing many car accidents, road congestion resulting in increased more car idling which is increasing the air pollution. Also creating hazardous conditions by making it unsafe for cars coming out of side streets.
More blocking of intersections. Loss of business as parking was taken away from in front of walk in businesses. Resident parking loss forcing citizens to drive around on side streets looking for parking.
Lots of confusion of where to go due to confusion of street markings making a hazardous situation. Plus increase of aggressive and illegal driving to get around the area now.
Also we have more accidents which are more destructive now. Traffic backups are now much larger than before. It needs to be changed now before Winter to restore safety and sanity to Broadway. We care, the citizens of Somerville who employ you.
ArThur Moore
43 Fenwick Street
Somerville, MA 02145
woodartgenie1@msn.com
Arthur’s Broadway Observation
1. Crossing McGrath Highway towards Winter Hill sudden conversion into one lane too soon. Causing backup and close calls for an accident.
2. Broadway approaching Temple Street towards Winter Hill cars are cutting each other off as well as buses trying to get to the right to make a turn onto Temple. Also cars staying to the left get to the light and then trying to take a right turn.
3. Temple Street backs up as street is blocked from people staying in the left lane going up Broadway to School Street. Blocking off buses and cars. Some vehicles are using bus lanes at tis point if they can get to it. Also lots of cars going to Marshal Street now.
4. Very few bikes, on an average of 3 per hour. They use the car lane or the sidewalk going up Broadway. Only one in all the time I was there used the bike lane.
5. Parking going up Broadway from Temple Street. People are pulling over to go into the nail salon and leaving without going in. I did not see a single person entering the salon when it was open in the times I was there.
6. In front of Salvation army the parking that is away from the sidewalk when there are cars parked there in busy times cars are pulling in behind them thinking it is a lane of traffic. Once the light changes they have to get back into the traffic.
7. From Magoun Square to McGrath at times it is backed up all the length of the road.
8. Cars going from Broadway to Fenwick Street going to Heath to get to Temple Street at a faster rate of speed instead of going down to Temple Street.
Arthur’s Thoughts and Opinions
This is what I observed by spending time on Broadway and Temple Streets at 2 hour intervals at different times of the day. There were a number of near misses from aggressive driving when it was busy.
Many people came up to me complaining about the Street being laid out this way. Complaints about loss of parking from people up to Main Street. Now having to go to side streets to find parking. Sunday morning had a lot of backup at Temple Street and Broadway to School Street.
I understand there are postings o Somerville Pride. I do not do social media so I cannot comment on what is there. I have yet to find one person who wants this. Many of us do want to start painting this ourselves.
We do have volunteers and paint contributions. We had hoped to start painting Broadway from Temple to Main Street on October 6th at 10am. We are having second thoughts about this due to some positive feedback from a couple of our council members.
This problem needs to be fixed now. At the very least it should be painted black now before Winter to get things back in order. Having so many more idling vehicles is not helping the air quality here either.
Then based on how this did not work the city can work on another plan. I am not an expert but just using common sense the road is not quite wide enough to come up with a good plan.
Two lanes, parking to the sidewalk and bike towards the street is about the only feasible thing to do. I am not anti bike. I have biked for many years here. Common sense and being careful by drives and bikers works. Sadly I know this is not the real world.
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