Arthur Street Residents Want Traffic Commission To Address Crashes & Speeding in Framingham Neighborhood

By Jack Landsiedel

***

[broadstreet zone=”53130″]

FRAMINGHAM – Arthur Street residents came before the Framingham Traffic Commission meeting in May seeking relief to speeding and safety issues in their neighborhood.

Pending the availability of new data, the Commission said it would add the item to a future meeting’s agenda.

Residents of Arthur Street met in April to discuss the many safety issues plaguing the area, and once again came before the Traffic Commission in May.

The Commission has yet to set a June meeting date.

“Parking, speeding, the intersection with Bishop and Arthur, access to [Butterworth] Park, and more” are on the table, said District 7 City Councilor Leora Mallach, who lives on Wilson Street.

The Commission then heard testimony from neighborhood residents at the May meeting.

Unsafe driving and speeding are of utmost concern to Arthur Street residents. 

[broadstreet zone=”59946″]

“Arthur Street seems to be a cutoff […] to bypass Concord Street” and its morning, school time, and evening traffic backups, said James Casella, who lives at 142 Arthur Street.

Bobby Ronan cited concerns about traffic in and out of the Bishop Gardens Condominiums, as cars on Arthur Street speed by. 

“We can’t see coming out of the driveways” as large trucks and vans parked along the street create obstructed views,” said the 158 Arthur Street resident.

While commercial vehicles over one ton are prohibited from street parking between midnight and 8 a.m., Commission member Steven Croci stated that loopholes allowing some to remain are currently being revised by the City of Framingham.

Framingham Traffic Engineer Simon Alexandrovich said the intersection of Arthur and Bishop has no safe pedestrian crossing or ADA-approved ramps. 

[broadstreet zone=”59983″]

“That particular intersection and the complete redesign of Bishop Street [has been] on our radar for at least the last four or five years,” said the DPW employee, but multiple budget requests for a redesign have been deferred.

The designs were deferred by the previous Mayor Yvonne Spicer.

“There are a ton of children in the neighborhood,” said Nicholas Mazzarini, who lives at 146 Arthur Street. “Any children going from [Butterworth Park] to the bus stops don’t even have a light to get them across.  It’s very dangerous.”  Mazzarini suggests “it would be beneficial to […] have a flashing yellow walk sign.”

Kate Roberts-Donovan recalled “how many times I’ve been in a crosswalk with my daughter” as cars “drive straight through.” 

Without any ramps on the curb, crossing with a stroller is even more dangerous, said the 178 Arthur Street resident.

[broadstreet zone=”59984″]

While walking her children to the bus stop, Alicia Mazzarini of 146 Arthur has to wait for cars to come to a full stop at the light, only then to cross without a sidewalk. 

“The number of people who just blow straight through that light is terrible,” she told the Commission.  “Not having any safe way to get the kids to and from the park or the bus […] is most concerning.”

MassDOT crash data shows 37 accidents on Arthur Street between 2018 and 2021, including 16 at Arthur & Bishop, 10 at Arthur & Concord, and seven at Arthur & Grant. 

However, traffic data showed the average driver travels below the speed limit. 

In 2019, the DPW conducted a study recording an average speed of 26 mph eastbound and 27 mph westbound under a posted 35 mph speed limit. 

In 2021, Framingham police got the same numbers back in a follow-up study even though the limit was reduced to 30 mph. 

[broadstreet zone=”59982″]

The full report can be found under Item #2 of the May 16, 2022 Traffic Commission Agenda: http://207.172.210.8:5002/CablecastPublicSite/show/2570?channel=1.

Traffic Commissioner Brinsley Fuller said “[Mass]DOT uses stop signs to prevent accidents,” but “unfortunately they need higher accident numbers in order to justify stop signs.”

The Commission said the Arthur Street conversation will be brought up again at a future meeting. 

Commissioner Lincoln Lynch said the Commission will consider a stop sign as well as seek updated speed statistics. 

***

Jack Landsiedel is a Framingham resident and graduate of Stapleton Elementary School, Christa McAuliffe Charter School, and Framingham High School (Class of 2020). He is a rising senior at the University of Maryland, College Park where he is majoring in Government & Politics with a minor in International Development & Conflict Management. He is looking forward to studying abroad at Queen Mary University of London this fall and exploring nearby countries. In the future, he hopes to pursue a career in Washington D.C. involving policy, leadership, and sustainability. This summer, he is a SOURCE intern covering government & politics.