- ID
- #101004986185
- Status
- OPEN
- Opened
- Description
- cc'd to DCR I just found out from a neighbor that the city has plans to convert the rotaries along Jamaica Way/Arborway in Jamaica Plain into signaled intersections. As a resident in a closed loop neighborhood off of Centre Street between Murray Circle and Allandale Road I’m concerned that there were no signs posted in the area along the roadside to notify local residents of proposed changes so we could participate in the planning and feedback process. Not all of us use neighborhood social media to find out about planning years in advance. At least 2/3 of my routine driving needs are funneled through these circles and traffic flow has already been worsened by the re-striping that took place a couple of years ago despite generally reduced traffic owing to the pandemic. I also have health problems that make all of the deference to new bike lanes useless to me as someone who’s not physically able to cycle much if at all most of the time and who usually has children I’m ferrying around. I would like to know who at the city level is responsible for this planning process. Signaled intersections are known to have a higher traffic accident rate than roundabouts as well as slower flow of traffic. I cannot understand how, with as much data as is available regarding the additional accidents, smog production, and slowed traffic of signaled intersections that the city would chose to move in this direction. There’s even an episode of the Freakonomics podcast dedicated entirely to this topic—it’s not esoteric. It also seems a bit inequitable that the Boston Cyclists Union, a contingent of unusually healthy/able-bodied folks with the energy to engage in a lot of self-serving advocacy, seems to have been allowed to sway road design in a city with strained/inadequate public transit and sky high need for auto movement as the population increases. I’m sure there already plenty of sunk costs in this redesign process, but I should hope there are levers available to the public to prevent continuing to throw good money (our taxes) after bad. I would like to log a formal complaint wherever appropriate, so please advise who else to email or write to. |
- Location
-
Intersection Of Centre St And Westchester Rd, Jamaica Plain, Ma
42.30289345, -71.12539446
Activity
-
Submitted
Opened