By Matt Liberman
Hometown Weekly Intern
In a town where 27 percent of the population is below 18 years old, safety on the roads is paramount.
On June 13 the Needham Traffic Management Advisory Committee (TMAC) discussed a new town-wide traffic study that will begin the week after July 4. Originally focused just on school zones, the study now encompasses school zones, all crosswalks, and will be looking at town traffic management as a whole.
“Needham is overdue for a town-wide overview and upgrade,” Needham Highway Superintendent Rhain Hoyland said.
The study will last six months, evaluate areas of concern within the town’s traffic infrastructure, and provide suggestions to make Needham a safer place. This study, with a heavy priority on school zones and crosswalks, comes five months after two Needham High School girls were struck and killed in a crosswalk on Webster Street.
Speed and aggressive driving continued to be a topic of discussion in last Wednesday’s meeting. Multiple residents in attendance at the meeting, each with a case to present to the committee, explained how they have seen no decline in aggression on the roads.
One husband, who lives on Dedham Street, explained how he actually borrowed a radar gun and clocked drivers along the road. He continuously found drivers going 46-49 miles per hour in a 40-zone because it is difficult for police to enforce speeding below 10 miles per hour. He clocked some drivers exceeding 50 and a few even topping out at over 60 miles per hour.
The committee discussed these points at length, evaluating possible actions. But continuously, something that was brought up is how it is difficult for police to enforce driving laws within the town because they cannot be everywhere at once, and how it is difficult to pull over drivers who are not speeding by more than 10 miles per hour, police lieutenant John Kraemer said.
Although each case is supposed to last 15 minutes at maximum, two different cases, each from a married couple with young children, lasted over 35 minutes discussing safety on the roads and the danger of kids walking in town and even in residential areas.
One member suggested that the answer is not always in more restrictions and law enforcement, but rather in citizens taking action.
“We can’t do it all with signage,” the member said. “Somehow, we need a Mothers Against Drunk Driving [organization].”
Other action within the meeting included a motion to conduct a traffic study on Marked Tree Road looking at whether or not heavy-operated vehicles should be restricted from the road. The installation of a “no parking” sign on the corner of Maple Street and Oak Street will be sent to the board of selectmen, as people within the town have been parking on the corner, essentially turning it into a blind turn. Lastly, a crosswalk will be rotated on Nehoiden Street to make it safer to cross.
The next Needham TMAC meeting is scheduled for August 8 at 7 p.m.
