South Hadley adopts traffic calming policy
Published: 01-19-2025 8:00 AM |
SOUTH HADLEY — Residents worried about drivers speeding through their neighborhoods now have a new way to request traffic calming measures from the town.
A Traffic Calming Policy drafted by the Traffic and Roadway Safety Committee outlines an official process for requesting, evaluating and approving road infrastructure that can slow down cars, such as speed humps, chokers or curb extensions. The document also states a three-pronged approach to address speeding: educate drivers on the impact of aggressive behaviors behind the wheel, strategically enforce traffic laws on streets of concern and engineer roads to slow down drivers.
“The town doesn’t really have a policy on traffic calming and how we address it,” Town Administrator Lisa Wong said during the Select Board’s Jan. 7 meeting. “We’ve been really dealing with it on a case-by-case basis, so one of the things that we are recommending is a policy that links to a lot of the individual cases we see.”
In recent months, Police Chief Jennifer Gundersen has spoken out about the increased number of instances of aggressive driving and speeding within town. While speeding has been an issue her entire career, Gundersen said she’s received more complaints from residents regarding dangerous driving on nearly every street in town.
Some of the key drivers leading to increased speeding include more vehicles on the road, more powerful cars and drivers’ feelings of anonymity, the chief said.
Not all traffic calming measures require additions to the road. New signs or portable speed boards can be set up, which are affective at slowing drivers down to average speeds without additional costs, DPW Director John Broderick said.
However, some streets, like Lyman Street, have benefited from changes to the road, like adding bike lanes to narrow the street.
“I used to receive a lot of complaints about Lyman Street. Now I receive complaints that it’s too narrow,” Gundersen said. “And my response is that it’s by design.”
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Any resident, business or municipal board that wishes to add traffic calming infrastructure to a particular street must gather signatures of either 10 households or 50% of homes and businesses on the road.
The Traffic and Roadway Safety Committee, which includes members of town administration, the DPW and the Police Department, will review applications, order any traffic assessments or studies and decide on a traffic calming plan to quell aggressive driving.
Broderick told the Select Board that traffic calming needs assessments will help the committee see the bigger picture.
Last year, the DPW ordered a study by Beta Group Inc. on the intersection of Morgan and Park streets to determine whether the two-way stop could become a four-way stop. The Chicopee engineering consultants concluded in November that the intersection did not meet the federal requirements for more stop signs, and instead recommended different signage.
“I live near that intersection and I hear from my neighbors (about speeding) all the time, so I was really delighted to send that report off to my neighbors,” Select Board member Carol Constant said. “They’re not happy, but it’s so good to have that information.”
The application process will also include public comment and forums to gather resident input on any traffic calming measures.
Ultimately, the DPW will suggest traffic calming measures based on information from the studies and evaluation from the town engineer. The policy allows either narrowing the appearance or physical roadway, deflecting an otherwise straight path or adding devices in the road, like crosswalks or speed tables.
Due to limited funding, the Traffic and Roadway Safety Committee will prioritize requests for traffic calming devices based on need, the policy document said. Any streets around education institutions or along walk-to-school or bike-to-school routes will receive the highest priority, followed by streets used to walk or bike to public spaces, like a park or municipal building.
If a street does not have a way to separate pedestrians from road vehicles, like a sidewalk, then the committee will consider that street prior to others.
Money for traffic calming measures will be included in capital budget and approved at Town Meeting. Residents are encouraged to seek out alternative sources of funding for projects.
Emilee Klein can be reached at eklein@gazettenet.com.