A 20 mile per hour speed limit in the Powderhouse Circle area was proposed and approved at the latest Traffic Commission meeting. — Photo by Bobbie Toner

By Fernando Cervantes Jr.

On Thursday of last week, the City of Somerville’s Traffic Commission held its monthly meeting. In it, several topics were discussed: ranging from handicapped parking to parking spaces.

The meeting itself was a short one, only 15 minutes, with members of the Commission and members of the public in assistance as well.

The first important proposal in the meeting was the request for a handicapped parking spot on 15 Parker St. This location is near Lincoln Park in Somerville’s Ward 2.

Nancy Bacci, Deputy Director of Health and Human Services for the City of Somerville, spoke further about the details of the proposed handicapped parking spot. “I’ve reviewed the application and visited the location and at this time recommend the approval of the HP parking spot at that location, as it does not have a driveway and the medical documentation is in place,” Bacci said.

Following this, the measure was put up for a vote, and the proposed parking spot was passed unanimously.

The third item on the agenda was a request for a 20 mile per hour speed safety zone to be located in the area of Powder House Blvd. between North St. and Packard Ave., streets that are adjacent to Tufts University.

Transportation Planner for the City of Somerville Adam Polinski made some comments on the proposed speed safety zone and provided clarity for members of the commission and the public. “This is simply an extension of our ongoing incremental requests for 20 mile per hour safety zones throughout the city largely targeted in the Hillside neighborhood over in Ward 7,” Polinski said.

According to meeting agenda data, a majority of streets in the proposed speed safety zone surround Tufts University and run along the city line between Somerville and Medford.

The speed safety zone measure was put up for a vote and was also passed unanimously.

Next up, there was a request to convert two parking spaces near 132 College Ave. from a two-hour parking zone to a loading zone. No debate took place for this issue, with only a few comments from commissioners in regards to the changes.

Commissioner At-Large Lena Webb remarked on the constant loading seen in the area. Webb is a resident of the area where the loading zone would be implemented. “There is constantly pick-up and drop-off and a lot of people waiting on the sidewalk, so I would be in support of giving them a loading zone,” Webb said.

The area where these changes would occur is near Powderhouse Square, directly in front of Powderhouse Park. This measure was also passed unanimously by the Commission with no opposition to the request.

The next meeting of the Traffic Commission is planned for Thursday, November 14, at 5:00 p.m. More information can be found at the Traffic Commission’s website: https://www.somervillema.gov/departments/traffic-commission.