Flex posts have been recently installed citywide and most of them were run over within days. Desperate for solutions, one council member suggests a citywide 20 mph speed limit. — Photo by Denise Keniston

By Denise Keniston

Travel across Somerville’s Willow Ave., or many other busy streets in Somerville, and you’ll likely encounter what looks like giant cigarettes flattened to the ground. These “flex posts” are so-called soft-hit posts; plastic barriers meant to separate motorists from cyclists and pedestrians and prevent drivers from speeding.

Hundreds of flex posts have been installed citywide – across all wards- in response to the Ball Square Broadway Bridge GLX traffic, the Washington Street Bridge GLX traffic, as well as, the recent death of Allison Donovan who was run down on Powder House Boulevard and Hardan Road on Feb. 8. The flex posts, costing $40 each, are considered an affordable, yet temporary, solution to Somerville’s traffic problems.  The flex post solution also buys time for the Transportation & Infrastructure Division while they labor over a much-anticipated comprehensive traffic calming and safety plan.

The flex posts, costing $40 each, are considered an affordable, yet temporary, solution to Somerville’s traffic problems. The flex post solution also buys time for the Transportation and Infrastructure Division while they labor over a much-anticipated comprehensive traffic calming and safety plan.

Somerville City Councilor Matthew McLaughlin resides over Ward 1, which includes the Washington Street bridge, newly closed for GLX (Green Line Extension) construction. During the closure, all traffic will be detoured around the bridge’s underpass, including motorists, cyclists, pedestrians, and MBTA bus routes 86, 91, and CT2. At the City Council Meeting on April 11, McLaughlin said most, if not all, the flex posts on Ward 1 streets had been knocked down.  “I think at this point all of the flex posts in my ward have been run down. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. You replace them, but they’re not replaced yet,” he says, “We’re dealing with the GLX traffic, and we’ve been told before we can’t get the speed bumps. But, what I have been told for years now that we can get, but I’ve yet to receive, is the NeighborWays Program, which is paint on the ground – painted bump-outs, painted speed bumps, optical illusion to prevent people from speeding.”

Virtual speed bumps appear real at first and can bring traffic to a crawl, but some evidence suggests drivers catch on and their effectiveness decreases.

At the City Council Meeting on April 11, McLaughlin said most, if not all, of the flex posts on Ward 1 streets had been knocked down. “I think at this point all of the flex posts in my ward have been run down. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. You replace them, but they’re not replaced yet,” he said. “We’re dealing with the GLX traffic, and we’ve been told before we can’t get the speed bumps. But what I have been told for years now that we can get, but I’ve yet to receive, is the NeighborWays Program, which is paint on the ground – painted bump-outs, painted speed bumps, optical illusion to prevent people from speeding.”

The paint solution, better-known as virtual speed bumps, present an illusory bump to oncoming vehicles, causing drivers to anticipate a jolt that never actually happens. The virtual variety is less expensive than the real thing ($500 each, versus $2,000), does not impede water flow and poses no threat to ambulances or other speeding emergency vehicles. However, the effectiveness of a virtual bump can diminish over time, once drivers discover that what they are encountering is not what it seems. However, virtual speed bumps are catching on in larger cities; their use in Somerville is limited.

Ward 5 Councilor Mark Niedergang says the flex posts are an experiment by the city that didn’t work out as planned. “I’ve gotten a lot of caustic and acerbic comments from people about the flex posts that have been knocked down and stayed down and not been replaced,” he said. “This was an experiment, and it looks, perhaps, like it hasn’t worked, but I give credit to the administration for trying.”

Ward 6 Councilor Lance Davis would rather see the flattened flex posts replaced. That is, the old ones retrieved and new ones put in their place. “They work to an extent. The idea of these is you put them out there, and they get run over, and you think ‘was that a good spot? Then you put them out there again. I’m not sure that they’re not still working even though they’ve been run over, because you still gotta figure your way around them, so they’re slowing traffic down,” said Davis.

If you are looking for the best detours around the Broadway Bridge closure, there is an excellent video produced by Somerville City TV on their YouTube Channel (SomervilleCityTV). You can find it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Phk4zIAGRMQ. Or you can visit the City of Somerville website for several detour options.