By Samantha Drumm
Hometown Weekly Correspondent
If you live and drive in Medfield, you may have found it near impossible to ignore the new installation in Medfield Center.
The downtown is now dotted with traffic barriers, (similar to the makers pictured above) causing citizens to flock to the town’s Facebook group and defame the installation, sharing the consensus that the addition is more trouble than it’s worth.
One of such concerns was that the flex posts blocked handicapped parking spaces. This issue was acknowledged by the Town of Medfield in a press release, sharing that these barriers were placed in error and have since been removed.
Beyond this mistake, it's uncertain if the flexposts will be here to stay.
The press release shares that these flex posts, as well as painted curb extensions, are set to act as “traffic-calming measures designed to improve pedestrian safety in the downtown.”
While the town acknowledges critical concerns raised by townsfolk, the town is working to address these issues and “adjust installations where appropriate to achieve the intended safety improvements while minimizing avoidable disruptions to traffic flow in the downtown.”
Some local Facebook users expressed additional concerns about how the town managed to pay for this undertaking.
The Town of Medfield applied for and was granted a Pedestrian Improvement Grant from the Massachusetts Department of Transportation; the Select Board reviewed and approved the plans in September of 2024. The $146,000 grant is geared towards pedestrian and crosswalk safety, both of which have been identified as concerns in ongoing town planning.
The project actually began last fall with the installation of several new crosswalks throughout town; the updates did not cause a stir until the installation of the new flexposts.
The second phase of the project—flex posts and painted curb extensions—aims to act as traffic-calming measures, slowing vehicles and turning speeds while increasing visibility for crossing pedestrians.
Though these updates seek to serve civilians, stretching back to the town's 2021 Master Plan when residents raised concerns about pedestrian safety downtown, it's no secret that many locals think the new safety measures are a nuisance.
On the town's local stream for any and every qualm, Concerned Citizens of Medfield, locals share a slew of challenges the allegedly bothersome ballasts pose.
One citizen has launched an online petition labeled “Medfield Center Pylons Need to Go,” which has received over 300 signatures in three days.
Active Facebook users have pretty much any imaginable insult to throw at these pylons—they're ugly and obtrusive. Although implemented for safety, what if a truck swings out and whacks someone? "A game of pick-up sticks gone wrong"; they make it difficult to pull over if there should be an oncoming ambulance; they potentially block disabled parking spaces; they make it impossible to park (much less parallel park); they make it impossible to turn with increased traffic; they're “unsightly"; and they're even "uglier than a mud fence.”
Many also noted frustration that, within a week of their arrival, many of the posts were vandalized with MAGA stickers, which the town swiftly removed.
While many seem up in arms, it's important at this point to educate ourselves—the pylons are currently part of a traffic-calming pilot project and are not certain to be here to stay.
In the press release, the town states, “Any of these locations deemed successful can be made permanent, and any that are not can be removed. The flexpost delineators are not permanent installations.”
The less recently updated crosswalks, ADA ramps, and the flashing beacons on Main Street and North Street, which haven’t received nearly as much grief as the now-famous traffic pylons, are permanent installations.
For locals looking to lodge a complaint with the town rather than crying into the online abyss, contact the Select Board with complaints at 508-359-8505.
