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Massachusetts Page |
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These are some of the things Massachusetts NMA members are working on at the local level. Most cities hear calls for "traffic calming". Typical requests are for 20 MPH speed limits and all-way stop signs to slow traffic. Some also want speed bumps, one way streets, and similar obstructions. Faced with these demands, some cities decide that political concerns outweigh safety and the law.
Several NMA members have tried to stop the trend.
Newton had been posting illegal (low) speed limits for many years. For example, part of Washington Street was posted 25 even though the authorized speed limit was 35. Woodward Street, also posted 25 instead of 35, justifiably appeared on a speed trap list. John Carr sent several complaints to the city and state governments. As a result Newton has substantially improved compliance with the law.
NMA members can read more details in the May/June issue of NMA News. Anyone can see the photographs.
A few years ago Worcester started a traffic calming project.
In response to residents' complaints the city installed four-way stop signs to slow traffic and deter commuters from using Commonwealth Avenue. When traffic moved to Boston Avenue the city posted stop signs there too. The stop signs are at intersections with short cross streets, including dead-end streets that probably see a few dozen vehicles per day.
The Manual On Uniform Traffic Devices (MUTCD) is a national standard for traffic signs. The federal government requires all traffic control devices to comply with the MUTCD, although enforcement is generally left to the states. MUTCD sections 2B-5 and 2B-6 specifically exclude inconveniencing drivers and slowing traffic as justification for stop signs. They also call for an engineering study before installing a stop sign. According to the MUTCD the intersections do not need, and should not have, multiway stop signs.
Ed Carpenter, who lives on one of the affected streets, tried to do something. He wrote to several people in the city government asking that the illegal signs be removed. The city merely told him that the decision was "final". Because the Mayor claimed that the city had a legal opinion that the signs were allowed, Ed requested various records related to the signs (the public records act creates a presumption that city records are public).
When he wrote to the MassHighway district office, Ed got better results. District 3 Director Thomas Waruzila wrote a letter to the city informing them that the signs appear to be posted in violation of the law and requesting copies of the traffic study used to justify the signs.
On April 8, Ed received the documents he requested. They include a letter from the city solicitor saying that the new signs are in violation of the MUTCD and therefore illegal (the opposite of what the Mayor claimed). There is also a report from the DPW, suggesting that the MUTCD doesn't apply because the neighborhood is residential.
Worcester has also installed speed bumps. The city's attitude is the same, but this time there are no clear prohibitions and the bumps are likely to remain even after the illegal signs are gone.
Ed Carpenter's email address is carpene@massed.net
Lynn's policy has been to give the residents whatever they ask for. 20 MPH speed limit signs and unwarranted stop signs have been sprouting all over the city.
Joe Gibney decided to do something. Several of his letters were published in the newspaper (April 2, 1998, July 2, 1998, March 2, 1999). When police set up a speed trap to enforce an illegal 20 MPH speed limit on a street authorized for 35 MPH, he was there to hand out information flyers to unlucky victims. He had been caught in the same trap, but when it was time for him to say in court that the speed limit was illegal the police, forewarned, didn't show up.
Joe also called the Highway Department. They confirmed that the signs were illegal, but refused to take further action. Anxious to avoid political controversy, MassHighway does not use its statutory power to enforce speed limit and other traffic control standards. They will help cities with voluntary compliance, but will not force cities to obey the law.
Lynn recently formed a traffic commission to take over traffic regulation in the city. The traffic commission should remove some of the politics from traffic. Now the city council will be able to avoid having to decide between politics and safety: they can blame someone else when residents' requests are denied. The commission will study the recently installed speed limit and stop signs.
Joe Gibney does not have email. You can reach him at (781) 596-1792.