The intersection of Albion and Lowell Streets has been earmarked by some as one of many areas in the city that are in need of traffic calming measures. — Photo by Bobbie Toner

By Denise Keniston

Somerville’s “dangerous” streets – and what to do about them – have dominated many city council meetings in 2019, as members get pressure daily from their constituents for real-time solutions to the city’s “out of control” traffic problems exacerbated by GLX bridge closures.

Help could come when the city publishes its 2019 Traffic/Streets Projects List, a rundown of the locations and timing of construction and traffic calming projects slated for the 2019 season – some new, some ongoing – created through the lens of the Safe Streets Investment Program, Vision Zero.

The council was promised the list weeks ago by the Transportation and Infrastructure Department – but has yet to receive it. Meantime, city crews got the jump on several “opportunistic” street projects early this Spring, hustling to get as much done as possible in a short construction season, starting with two glaring problems, Temple and Park Streets.

“Temple Street now has new bike facilities and traffic calming measures to slow down the 11,000 cars that use Temple Street every day,” says Brad Rawson, Director of Transportation and Infrastructure. “Park Street by Union Square, Spring Hill and Beacon Street, on the back side of Porter Square, is a massively important connection route for people on bikes, and we were able to install new bike facilities on Park Street just two weeks ago. These are a couple of wins for us early in the construction cycle.”

Temple and Park Streets are just two of the many “hot spots” needing attention. Ward 5 Councilor Mark Niedergang points out there have been 27 accidents on the stretch on Lowell Street between Highland Avenue and Albion Street in five years making it one of the most dangerous stretches in the city.

“This is the most dangerous area in my ward and it’s my number one traffic calming priority,” says Ward 5 councilor Mark Niedergang at a recent council meeting. “I’ve heard over the past couple of weeks from three fathers who live right near there who are terribly concerned for their children.”

In the case of Lowell Street, money is not the problem. Back in 2011, Maxwell’s Green developers seeded a fund with $220,000 for future traffic mitigation expenditures specifically, earmarked for use on Lowell Street). This fund has been “sitting” unused for eight years. Maxwell’s Green is a luxury apartment complex on Lowell Street. Niedergang is calling for the city to free up those funds.

“The money is sitting there, and I’ve been told for years we’re waiting for the Green Line Station to come in on the bridge,” says Neidergang. “And frankly, I don’t want to see someone get killed while we wait for the Green Line Station to come in and then figure out how to fix this area on Lowell Street.”

The city ultimately controls the funds and points out that Lowell Street has been the focus of many traffic calming measures over the years without dipping into the $220,000 Maxwell’s Green Fund.

“We’ve made crosswalk upgrades and a system of reflective signage to help slow vehicles and improve safety for pedestrians,” says Meghann Ackerman, Public Information Officer. “More recently, chicanes – sidewalk bump-outs that help slow vehicles – were installed along the full length of Lowell Street between Maxwell’s Green and Magoun Square, traffic calming measures using road paint were used on the southern portion of Lowell Street, and chicanes were also installed along Cedar Street. Safety zones with 20 mph speed limits were also introduced at targeted locations and signage was installed throughout the area. These projects were funded using other sources, preserving the funding from Maxwell’s Green for future projects in the area.

Ackerman also said the city currently has no plans to free up those funds, despite Neidergang’s request. “There have been various ideas proposed for additional traffic calming projects near Maxwell’s Green using these dedicated funds, including an intervention at Albion and Lowell Streets, and the Transportation and Infrastructure and Engineering teams will work with the community to determine the best application of this funding.”

Bridge closures will likely aggravate traffic congestion over the hot summer months and further increase the pressure on both city councilors and City Hall while they hold out for the completion of the long-awaited Green Line Extension.

“Enough is enough. Let’s try to prioritize human health in all aspects of the transportation system,” says Brad Rawson. “Rather than taking this 1960’s automobile-centric, suburban-based approach to allowing automobiles to dominate our urban fabric, we’re going to try to do things differently.”