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2013-11-12CITY OF BEVERLY PUBLIC MEETING MINUTES BOARD OR COMMISSION SUBCOMMITTEE: DATE: LOCATION: MEMBERS PRESENT: MEMBERS ABSENT: OTHERS PRESENT: RECORDER: Parking and Traffic Commission November 12, 2013 Conference Room B, Third Floor City Hall Chair Richard Benevento, Vice -Chair Bill Bent, Richard Hutchinson, Bill Fiore, John Somes, Tina Cassidy Sgt. Russ Rollins Ward 5 Councilor Don Martin Eileen Sacco 1. Benevento calls the meeting to order at 8: 30 a.m. 2. Recommendation to City Council: Order #152: Request for Comprehensive Traffic Study of Neighborhood Behind Henry's Market/ Councilors Martin and Guanci Cassidy reports that the Parking and Traffic Commission held a site visit to the area and reviews the list of issues and concerns that were mentioned or observed during it: • A telephone pole obscures the "Do Not Enter 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m." sign at the end of Ellsworth Ave. Visibility should be improved either by relocating /reorienting the sign or augmenting it with a second sign on a separate pole. • The speed of traffic is a general concern, especially from the curve on McKay Street eastward to the traffic signal at the intersection and on Tremont Street. • Traffic volume is a general concern. • The timing of the signals at the intersection should be reviewed for further adjustment - recent timing adjustments noticeably improved the flow of traffic but more improvement may be possible with additional changes. • A tree limb currently obstructs the "No Right Turn" sign at Ellsworth Ave. and Scott Street. • Adherence to stop signs, particularly at the four -way stop intersections, is a problem. Parking & Traffic Commission minutes November 12, 2013 Meeting Page 1 of 8 • There is difficulty exiting Tremont Street onto Cabot Street, particularly left turns in the morning when two lanes of southbound traffic queue up at the signals on Cabot Street. • The Tremont Street location used as a school bus pick -up /drop -off point is far less than ideal; there are no sidewalks on that side of the street and the location is adjacent to overgrown bushes and plantings. • At the intersection of County Way and Princeton Ave. there are concerns about the traffic volume after 5:00 p.m. and the use of Princeton as a "cut through" by residents of nearby Raymond Farms. • The intersection of Yale Blvd. /Bass River Rd /Ellsworth Ave. should be reconfigured if possible so that the stop lines on both Yale and Bass River are closer to Ellsworth Ave. in order to provide better sight distances and visibility. • Three signs on McKay Street (likely erected as part of State's Route 1A project years ago) are faded to the point of illegibility. All three signs are located on McKay Street between the traffic signals and Ellsworth Avenue; one is on the southerly side of the roadway and two are on the northerly side. • Can the City install an additional crosswalk in the vicinity of the intersection of McKay and County Way to accommodate school children and other pedestrians? The closest existing crosswalks are quite a distance apart, and distant from this point. • Motorists turning from Clifton Ave. onto McKay Street - and motorists turning from McKay Street onto Clifton Ave. - often do not make 450 turns into the respective roadway. Instead, motorists often enter at more of an arc which causes many near misses. • Should the City consider installing a "channelization" island at the intersection of County Way and McKay Streets, in order to (a) direct southbound County Way traffic onto McKay Street and (b) provide a better and more visible location for northbound County Way motorists to stop prior to entering McKay Street? • Enforcement of the prohibition on left hand turns from Cabot Street to Dodge Street should be increased. Benevento notes that there are a lot of items to look at. He explains that some may be quick fixes but notes that the Mayor and the Council need to commit to funding other possible solutions. Parking & Traffic Commission minutes November 12, 2013 Meeting Page 2 of 8 Bent states that he is familiar with the neighborhood having lived there in the past. He says there are a series of things that can be done fairly easily such as trimming branches and erecting signage but there are other more long -term solutions to be addressed. Bent states that there are seven entrances to the neighborhood and suggests that the Commission take a step back and perhaps identify one as a gateway to be an entrance to the neighborhood. He notes areas where traffic backs up. He also notes that whatever improvements are considered they should be part of a comprehensive traffic survey which is where we should start. He adds that it will be expensive and recommends that the Commission and the City should look at things that can be done now to alleviate the concerns of the neighbors. Benevento suggests that the study should focus on the intersection of Cabot and Dodge Streets and what can be done there. He notes that there are certain places that he knows around the City where you just don't drive fast. He recommends Sgt. Rollins set up enforcement initiatives regarding the time prohibition on neighborhood through traffic and nab a few people. He predicts that before long word will get around that the police are enforcing traffic violations. Cassidy agrees, noting that one directed patrol a week on varying days could be done as it has in the past. Bent states that he is not a big fan of part time traffic controls such as limitations between the hours of 4:00 -6:00 p.m., noting that they are hard to enforce and people tend to disregard them. Cassidy notes that cut through traffic is hard to identify as well. She concurs that short term solutions could be accomplished without a comprehensive study. Bent estimates that a comprehensive traffic study of this area will cost between $20,000 - $30,000. Mr. Ducharme of Princeton Avenue addresses the Commission and notes that Tremont Street is only a problem during rush hour. He notes that there are no problems during normal traffic and other times. He states that he would like to see the traffic slowed down as that is 90% of the problem. He notes that 30 miles per hour is fast for traffic in a neighborhood because some people are comfortable driving 10 miles over the speed limit. Benevento notes that 30 miles per hour is allowed by statute. He explains that only the Massachusetts Department of Transportation and the Registry of Motor Vehicles can set speed limits and suggests that some physical devices and traffic calming measures should help. Parking & Traffic Commission minutes November 12, 2013 Meeting Page 3 of 8 Bent states that the Commission and City need to have some information to base a decision on how to move forward appropriately. He also states that he would hate to see a total remake of the neighborhood traffic patterns in order to solve two hours of cut through traffic twice per day. Benevento suggests to Councilor Martin that a study needs to be done and in the meantime short term fixes such as trimming branches and enforcing traffic rules may be helpful. He says the City needs to look at the area in a comprehensive way which will require money to accomplish. The Commission discusses short term fixes for the area noting that Clifton and Ellsworth could use a red "Do Not Enter" sign. Martin asks if the Department of Public Services could redo the signs. Benevento explains that the "Do Not Enter" signs should be red and white with a plaque below and suggests that they be installed at the following locations: Princeton and County Beacon and County Clifton and county McKay and Ellsworth Cassidy suggests that the Commission could recommend short term improvements and provide a cost estimate and scope and comprehensive study of the neighborhood. Cassidy notes that provisional "Do Not Enter" signs currently in place are not completely effective, but suggests that they should be included as part of the bigger study. She also notes that alternative traffic calming measures could be helpful. Benevento suggests that the City check with VAI to see if the timing adjustments on the traffic lights at Cabot and Dodge Streets have been made. VAI was the traffic engineer for the new Walgreen's at the corner of Dodge and Conant Streets and was required to review and potentially "retime" those signals. It is agreed that Cassidy will draft a letter of recommendation for the Chair and Vice - Chair's review. Bent asks if Rollins will provide the Commission with five years' worth of crash data for the Dodge /Cabot Street intersection. 2. Discussion /Recommendation to City Council: Order #171: Development of Work and Cost Estimate to Study Traffic Options at the Intersection of Dodge Street and Laurel Street, including the Effect of the North Beverly Train Station on Traffic at this Intersection / Councilor Don Martin Benevento recalls that the Parking and Traffic Commission has talked about this area extensively in the past. He notes that there are issues with the MBTA train signal and it is a little bit beyond the control of the City. Parking & Traffic Commission minutes November 12, 2013 Meeting Page 4of8 Councilor Martin explains that this request came out of the recent public hearing for the Brimbal Avenue rezoning petition. He explains that the train gate is down for 2 1 /z -3 minutes every time a train goes through. He adds that he has talked with State Representative Jerry Parisella about this matter as well and he was going to do some research. Benevento suggests that a letter from the Mayor's Office to MassDOT and the MBTA that identifies the problems regarding safety issues may be in order. He also notes that this should lead to a discussion about the signals at Route 1A. Bent agrees and notes that he looked at this area years ago when he worked for the Massachusetts Department of Public Works. Benevento notes that the northbound train from Newburyport to Ipswich has a similar situation, noting that the conductor has a button to bring the gates down. Cassidy recalls that Mike Collins has looked into this issue in the past but does not believe it resulted in any improvements. Martin states that the intersection of Dodge and Laurel Streets is a problem noting that the whole intersection needs to be expanded. He states that he would like to look at the whole intersection. Cassidy says that the City has been concerned about this intersection for some time and explains that several decades ago the City hired a consultant (Berger Associates) to analyze and develop recommendations for improvements to a number of major intersections. Over time the study was used to guide improvements made to local intersections. She reminds members of six or seven intersections /areas that the Commission has reviewed in the past few years which it recommended needed intensive traffic studies. She suggests the Commission consider proposing, to the new Mayor, the idea of appropriating City funds to hire a consultant to study those problems already identified. Benevento agrees and notes that this is a State highway which will add to the complexity of the work. He suggests the letter should come from the Mayor to initiate the process with the State. Bent suggests getting 5 years of crash data from the police department for the location. There being no further questions or comments regarding this matter, Benevento thanks Councilor Martin for attending the meeting. 3. Discussion: Route 1A Proiect (Status. Discussion with Main Streets Regarding Broadway/Railroad Couplet, Business Community Issues Regarding Construction Project Timeline Parking & Traffic Commission minutes November 12, 2013 Meeting Page 5 of 8 Cassidy explains that at the last meeting the Commission considered a plan suggested by Beverly Main Streets for infrastructure improvements to Broadway that would make it a gateway from the train station to Cabot Street's commercial district. She explains that the proposal for Broadway to be one way will only work if another nearby street is one way as well. Bent reports that he drafted a scope of work for the proposal as promised. He explains that it is a generic overview of the type of study that will be needed and estimates the cost to be between $12,000 and $15,000. Benevento thinks it might cost as much as $25,000 and says the draft scope looks good. Cassidy states that she will share the scope with Gin Wallace on behalf of Beverly Main Streets. She explains that the City will give Main Streets the narrative /scope of work, noting that the work should not be put out to bid until funding for the study is in place. Benevento says the scope should be sent to 4 -5 consulting firms with interested firms instructed to submit a five page proposal and cost estimate. The Commission agrees it should also provide Main Streets with a list of firms it thinks are qualified to do the work. 4. Recommendation to City Council: Order #125: Request for Two -Way Stop Sign at the Intersection of River and Bridge Streets / Ward 1 Councilor Maureen Troubetaris Cassidy states that Councilor Troubetaris was planning to attend the meeting this morning but was unable to be here. Benevento suggests that the Commission make a recommendation that the Parking and Traffic Commission does not recommend a stop sign at this location at this time because the intersection needs more study and improvements. Cassidy says there is a study that shows the need for signalization of this intersection. She suggests that Benevento meet with the Mayor regarding this. Benevento agrees and suggests that it may need to be an all way stop, but notes that more than a stop sign will be needed to address the problems here. Benevento suggests that the matter be tabled until more study is done and more substantial improvements can be recommended. Fiore: motion to table the recommendation to the City Council on Order #125 until such time as more information is available and more substantial improvements can be recommended. Hutchinson seconds the motion, all members are in favor. The motion carries 5 -0. S. Discussion with City Engineer Eric Barber Parking & Traffic Commission minutes November 12, 2013 Meeting Page 6 of 8 Benevento suggests that since Mr. Barber is not present this morning the Commission should table this matter until the next meeting. Fiore: Motion to table the planned discussion with Eric Barber until the next Commission meeting. Hutchinson seconds the motion, all members are in favor. The motion carries 5 -0. 6. Discussion on Councilor Houseman's Request for the Commission to Consider a Recommendation for a Crosswalk at the Intersection of Lakeshore Avenue and Essex Street an Consolidated Speed Limits on Lakeshore Avenue / Councilor Houseman Benevento suggests that in the absence of Councilor Houseman the matter should be tabled to the next meeting. Fiore: Motion to table this matter to the next meeting, seconded by Hutchinson. All members in favor, the motion carries 5 -0. 7. Discussion /recommendation to City Council: Orders #183 and #184: Placement of "Go Slow, Children" signs on (al Marian Avenue and (b) Winthrop Avenue where it meets Leech Street / Ward 1 Councilor Maureen Troubetaris Benevento suggests that given the hour and fact that Councilor Troubetaris is not here, this request should be tabled until the next meeting. Fiore: Motion to table to the next meeting, seconded by Hutchinson. All members in favor, the motion carries 5 -0. 8. Approval of Minutes The minutes of the Parking and Traffic Commission meeting held on September 10, 2013, were presented for approval. Benevento asks if there are any changes. There are none. Hutchinson: motion to approve the minutes of the September 10, 2013 meeting, seconded by Somes. All members in favor, the motion carries 5 -0. The minutes of the Parking and Traffic Commission meeting held on October 1, 2013, were presented for approval. Benevento asks if there are any changes that need to be made. There are none. Hutchinson: motion to approve the minutes of the October 1, 2013 meeting, seconded by Somes. All members in favor, the motion carries 5 -0. Parking & Traffic Commission minutes November 12, 2013 Meeting Page 7 of 8 The minutes of the Parking and Traffic Commission's site visit on October 9, 2013, were presented for approval. Benevento asks if there are any changes. Cassidy recommends that the phrase "as a `cut through' to Raymond Farms" be added to the second bulleted point on page two. This clarification was made by Mr. Ducharme earlier in the meeting. Hutchinson: motion to approve the draft minutes of the October 9, 2013 site visit subject to adding the correction noted by Cassidy (above). Fiore seconds the motion; Cassidy, Hutchinson, Bent, Fiore, Somes in favor, no one in opposition, Benevento abstains. The motion carries 4 -0 -1. 9. Next Meeting The next regular meeting of the Parking and Traffic Commission will be held on Tuesday, December 3, 2013 at 8:30 a.m. Benevento suggests reserving one hour on that agenda for the various discussions with Barber. 10. Adjournment Benevento asks if there is any additional business for the Commission to conduct today. There is none. Fiore: motion to adjourn, seconded by Hutchinson. All members in favor, motion carries 5 -0. The meeting is adjourned at 10:00 a.m. Parking & Traffic Commission minutes November 12, 2013 Meeting Page 8 of 8