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7-15-2022 10:52pm
Select Board Orders Traffic Study of Forbes Road, Canton Street and Everett Street
Darlene Cancell
Editor
At Select Board’s meeting of July 11, 2022, the Engineering Corp (TEC) presented its study of traffic on Forbes Road and its recommendation that mitigation measures be taken to address a significant amount of cut-through traffic. In response to TEC’s finding, Select Board ordered a baseline traffic study of Forbes Road and the adjoining roads, Canton and Everett streets.
TEC's traffic study of Forbes Road discovered that while Forbes Road carries traffic at speeds consistent with expectations for a local collector road, the cut-through traffic is significant.
A local collector road is a road that collects traffic from side streets and funnels them to more substantial neighborhood roads. As explained by TEC’s Elizabeth Oltman, collector roads are designed to carry 1200 vehicles per day. Forbes Road is a collector road that carries about 790 vehicles a day.
Most traffic on Forbes Road travels below the posted 30 m.p.h. speed limit, an indication that its speed humps are effective.
Ms. Oltman noted that TEC also found however, that between 7:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. on a Tuesday and a Wednesday last October, cut-through traffic comprised 68 percent of the total southbound traffic and 62 percent of the total northbound traffic. After 5:00 p.m., traffic in both directions significantly dropped off.
To mitigate the amount of cut-through traffic through the Forbes Road neighborhood, TEC proposes to restrict traffic entering Forbes Road to right turns at the Everett Street entrance. It would also recommend restricting traffic exiting Forbes Road to left turns onto Canton Street. TEC hopes such changes will encourage traffic to stay on the highway instead of using Forbes Road as a cut-through.
Additionally, according to Westwood Police Lieutenant Joseph Vinci, police have been present in the neighborhood and have not found many violations to enforce. The inference is that police presence has deterred bad driving. Lt. Vinci noted that police would be able to continue their presence there.
Centerline striping could be introduced, which reduces the perceived width of the road. Centerline striping has been shown to effectively reduce speeds by 1 to 7 m.p.h.
Additionally, Ms. Oltman agreed with Select Board Clerk Michael Walsh that adding the physical obstacle of a stop sign in a crosswalk may help slow down traffic.
Select Board Chair Robert Gotti stated his reluctance to accept any mitigation proposal without studying its impact to residents on neighboring streets. He asked that Town Administrator Christopher Coleman take a “holistic” view on the issue.
Mr. Coleman noted that conducting a baseline traffic count for Canton and Everett streets has been discussed. Mr. Coleman suggested that such a study take place after Labor Day when summering residents return to town, students start school, and normal traffic patterns return.
Select Board agreed, ordering a baseline traffic study of Forbes Road, and the adjoining Canton and Everett streets, to take place in September of this year.
