Description
CAN YOU PLEASE restrict left turns from Mass Ave. to Upland St. and left turns from Upland St. onto Mass Ave. The traffic in Porter Square is a nightmare and buses are ridiculously delayed because of it. EVERY light cycle, drivers turning left from Upland onto Mass Ave. block the intersection. Cars turning left from Mass Ave. are blocked from turning during the green arrow (this turn should just be eliminated entirely) and traffic is prohibited from progressing through the intersection at Porter. This snarls traffic and traps those of us who take public transportation.
Given Cambridge's reluctance to add a bus lane anywhere near Mass Ave (despite the 77 being one of the highest ridership buses in the entire MBTA system), I know better than to ask for a bus lane through this area. But this is a small change that could make a huge impact.
also asked...
A. No Answer Given
A. Traffic blocking intersection
A. Vehicles are running the red light
A. No Answer Given
6 Comments
Traffic - BMcK (Streets) (Verified Official)
BBB (Registered User)
Freelance9 (Registered User)
Jim (Registered User)
Ruth (Registered User)
Just like the folks speeding up Upland Rd and honking at anyone who slows down to turn into their street, you think you through trip is more important than those of us in the neighborhood trying to bring home groceries....
Closed Traffic - DB (Signals) (Registered User)
Thanks for your report. The City will not be restricting left-turns from Mass Ave onto Upland Rd for several reasons including: the need to keep this area accessible for residents of this neighborhood, the difficulty of enforcing a turn restriction here, and the importance of maintaining this connection to Upland Rd to avoid routing more traffic to lower volume streets and/or exacerbating existing congestion on higher volume streets (such as Walden St).
However, the City is working on a redesign of the major intersections in Porter Sq (Mass Ave @ Upland Rd, Mass Ave @ Somerville Ave, and Somerville Ave @ White St) that should help these intersections operate more safely and efficiently for all modes of travel. For additional information on this project, please see the link below.
https://www.cambridgema.gov/~/media/Files/Traffic/PublicMeeting_Files/PorterSquare_CommunityMeetingPres_20180508.pdf?la=en