Select Board Orders Developer to Implement and Fund a Traffic Signalization Change in Islington Center

Following an hour-long discussion of new traffic study data from consultants, Westwood Select Board unanimously decided at its meeting of Monday, March 11, 2024, to direct the developer of Islington Center to fund a traffic signalization change, which gives southbound Washington Street traffic a new left turn signal for turns onto East Street, in hopes of addressing frustratingly long waits at the light and increasing safety.

But the left turn will come at the expense of traffic flow in the opposite direction. The left turn signal for northbound Washington Street traffic seeking to turn left onto School Street will be simultaneously eliminated, due to safety reasons.

In directing developer Petruzziello Properties, LLC, to implement the traffic signalization change at the intersection of Washington/East/School streets, Select Board members were swayed by a number of factors. They cited personal experience and residents’ longstanding complaints about waiting at the intersection for prolonged periods before being able to make the turn. Sometimes, the chance to make the turn only comes on a yellow or red light, raising safety concerns, noted Select Board Chair Marianne LeBlanc Cummings. Additionally, according to Select Board Member Joe Previtera, the change had been promised. Residents voted to approve the redevelopment of Islington Center at Westwood’s May 2018 Town Meeting, after Select Board promised them that a designated left-turn would be implemented at that intersection, he said.

That sentiment was echoed by resident Fran Fusco, whose written comment was read by Ms. Cummings into the record of the meeting. “This signal was guaranteed as part of the Islington Center Project. The residents voted on this as part of the project. It should be done, not studied," wrote Ms. Fusco.

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The Town’s consultants were less enthusiastic about making the signalization change. Early in the meeting, Ken Cram of Bayside Engineering noted that making the change would not be expected to result in any significant improvement to traffic flow. Mr. Cram acknowledged that most turns from Washington Street to East Street are being made on the yellow light, rather than green. However, he also found that in three years of crash reports from the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, there was only one crash involving a vehicle making a left turn from Washington Street onto East Street. He surmised that most drivers who make that particular left turn are familiar with it, and know how to perform it safely.

Mr. Previtera countered, stating that the Washington/East/School streets intersection has been the site of three fatalities over the years. He also voiced being in favor of a system where drivers don’t have to wait “three or four” light cycles to make the left turn from Washington Street onto East Street.

Dennis Flynn of BETA noted that although traffic observations included a maximum observed wait time of over three minutes to make a left turn from Washington Street to East Street, the proposed change would introduce a safety risk due to a “lag that goes against industry practice and a standard that is not recommended.” He explained, “Typically when you’re a left-turn vehicle, you see the yellow [light]. That’s sort of an indication that the opposing traffic is going to stop and provide you an opportunity to make a left, what we kind of see right now. And that wouldn’t be the case. They [the oncoming traffic] would continue to get the green.” 

Mr. Flynn noted that that such signalization change in other places has posed safety issues and that it is not recommended and is discouraged. Therefore, for safety reasons, Mr. Flynn recommended removing the dedicated left turn for northbound Washington Street traffic at the same time, while introducing a dedicated left-turn signal for southbound Washington Street traffic. Mr. Flynn also advised against signalization that makes northbound and southbound traffic take turns at their respective left-turns. Such a traffic signalization cycle would cause overly long traffic delays, he said.

Select Board Clerk Robert Gotti cautioned that implementing the change discussed to alleviate problems of making the left turn from Washington street onto East street could unintentionally cause new problems or make things worse.

One new issue, for example, is the potential for more difficulties for northbound traffic on Washington Street. Resident Jeff Lawrence commented that he uses the traffic signal for turning left from Washington Street onto School Street “all the time.” He stated that the proposed change to remove the left-turn signal from northbound Washington Street traffic would make the intersection even more dangerous during rush hour.

However, Mr. Previtera noted that the volume of Washington Street traffic seeking to turn left onto East Street is more than double the traffic seeking to turn onto School Street.

After the unanimous vote to proceed with the change in traffic signalization, Ms. Cummings indicated plans for a discussion with the developer in an upcoming April Select Board meeting.

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