Description
I had my windows open today and during the mid afternoon, I heard garbage trucks speeding down Mt Vernon street, well above the speed limit. I did not catch any identifying marks as they were moving too fast, but they look like the ones that are stored across the street at Broadway Brake.
My first complaint is the trucks were going way too fast for safety and second, why were the trucks cutting through a residential neighborhood when there is not trash collection in the area on Mondays?
3 Comments
Theresa (Registered User)
Where on Mt. Vernon was this and what time of day was it? Was it near the intersection of Mt. Vernon and Broadway? Was it at all close to rush hour (4pm - 6:30pm)?
I can think of one reason why garbage trucks would cut through our East Somerville neighborhood and it is to avoid the gridlock from going around the Sullivan circle and having to turn left off Mystic onto Lombardi and the right onto Broadway. That gridlock takes drivers up to 10 times the normal time to go that route at rush hour than when there is no traffic. Here are three related issues posted on this topic that you can search:
Issue #1636946
Issue #1363473
Issue #1576171
So far the response from Somerville has been less than satisfactory. On Friday afternoon I experienced that gridlock via the 101 bus headed outbound. We sat at the left hand turn on Mystic for ten minutes while several cars blocked the intersection. On Saturday afternoon I experienced the gridlock at about 4pm while driving my own vehicle. I called 311 to get a police detail to perhaps come help given the blockages in the intersection. I was told to call Mass DOT and then I was hung up on before I could ask for the number. I posted about this on the Somerville Facebook page and received an apology and was given this name/number:
Director of Transportation, Brad Rawson, at 617-625-6600 ext 2518.
I have not gotten a chance to call Brad myself but I do plan on calling him. I encourage everyone who is witnessing the ramifications of the gridlock in our East Somerville neighborhoods, especially when drivers make up their own rules and cut through our neighborhoods, to call Brad and tell him your stories too (see Issue # 1576171 for a particularly interesting example of this).
Also - on a related note to Mt. Vernon speeding, I have witnessed this in the past year as well and have reported it to Somerville. Drivers will speed up to make the light at Mt. Vernon and East Broadway. This is bad on any of our streets but especially dangerous on this road given the number of commuters who may be walking to Sullivan. I walk the Lincoln Ave to Mt. Vernon almost daily on my commute and I witness many drivers going way too fast in order to make that light. Somerville's response on that item has been disappointing too. I will post a follow up comment with the latest info i received about their survey of the site.
Theresa (Registered User)
Here is the latest response from Somerville about a request to add some sort (any sort) of traffic calming measure at the intersection of Mt Vernon and Lincoln Ave:
June 20th 2014 - from Somerville's Facebook Messaging
Hi Theresa, Sorry for the delay in response; the Traffic Engineer and I have been missing each other all week. Below is a response he sent me that includes information on a few other issues with the site. As you'll see, there are a few different options for moving forward and he said he'd be happy to give you more information on each. The Traffic Engineer is Terence Smith and he can be reached at tsmith@somervillema.gov or 617-625-6600 ext. 5945. Here is his response:
Hi Theresa,
The Director of Traffic and Parking and the City Traffic Engineer conducted a site review of the area of Lincoln Ave and Mt. Vernon St for 10 – 15 minutes. This was sufficient time to determine that there were no ADA ramps at this location and it was a proposal for a mid block crosswalk.
It should be noted that a new crosswalk can not be installed unless there are ADA ramps on both sides of the crosswalk. This is an ADA requirement.
Among the publications reviewed by Traffic and Parking regarding pedestrian safety and mid block crossings are:
- A Review of Pedestrian Safety Research in the U.S. and Abroad, U.S. Dept. of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration
-Transportation Research Board, Pedestrian Safety
-ADA Guidelines for Pedestrian Facilities-Mid Block Crossings, Maryland State Highway Administration
-Pedestrian Safety at Mid Block Locations, Florida Dept. of Transportation
These and other articles/publications can be easily located on the internet under their own titles or the link mid block crosswalks.
An appellate process could be one of the following:
-Director of Traffic and Parking
-Requesting the DPW Commissioner to construct ADA ramps (this should be in conjunction with or after other criteria has been satisfied)
-Agenda Item for the Traffic Commission (an elected official must sponsor request for such an agenda item
Please call me if you have any questions on the above or if you want to discuss further.
Closed a (Guest)