Minutes
Public Ways Safety Committee
Bolton, Massachusetts
June 25, 2008
Members present: Barbara Bing, Leslie Breeze, Mary Ciummo, Rob Hagopian, Deborah Kellett, Dan Senie (Chair)
Guest: Stacy Murch, Farm Road resident
Minutes from the June 11th meeting were approved and accepted.
RESIDENT INQUIRY, STACY MURCH, FARM ROAD:
· Stacy Murch recently moved to Bolton’s Farm Road and came to express concerns about excessive speed on the road. Farm is currently not posted and has a default limit of 40 mph, conditions permitting. Mr. Murch believes that 40 mph is excessive under any conditions.
· The Chair explained Mass General Laws regarding default limits, and described the procedure for seeking a reduction in speed limit from the Commonwealth.
· Installation of Stop sign(s) at the end (or at each end) of the road were discussed as a possible alternative to a lowered limit (also as a solution if a request for lowered speed did not go forward as a result of preliminary speed study and/or was turned down by the Commonwealth).
· Mr. Murch requested that the PWSC send forward a recommendation for a Slow Children cautionary sign as an interim traffic calming measure. Committee agreed to forward this recommendation to DPW, and will notify Mr. Murch when this goes forward.
· A memo requesting increased enforcement on Farm Road as personnel allows was sent to Chief Alfano, Bolton Police Department.
· The possibility of treating improvements on this short road as a package was raised after Mr. Murch left. Various possibilities such as squaring the intersections, a speed study, changing Yield to Stop signs were discussed. It was agreed that Committee members should take a look at the road and further action was deferred (i.e. beyond memo to Chief Alfano and request for Slow Children) until members had re-checked the road and discussed additional actions.
CAUTIONARY SIGNS:
· Adding and/or correcting existing cautionary signs was discussed again. Certain wide mouth intersections are not clear as to right of way with current postings, and other signs (e.g. reduced speed ahead, 30 mph on certain curves, etc.) could be added at certain hot spots in town. Some signs could be appropriately stacked on existing poles, especially if updated (MUTCD) signage was put in place.
· No action was taken in general on this issue, but the 45 mph stretch just west of Town Center was addressed. Mass Highway demanded removal of the 30 MPH cautionary sign installed a few years ago. There is a sign, , already in existence; adding a cautionary 30 MPH to this existing sign might meet Mass Highway’s complaint about the sign they ordered removed. Barbara Bing will ask DPW about this possibility.
SCHOOL FLASHER MEMO: Draft memo to BOS et. al. re/replacing the School Flashers approved as revised and sent to BOS. Included was the informational estimate from one supplier.
PASSING ZONE SIGNAGE MEMO: Draft of memo to BOS et. al. regarding the updating and correction of existing Passing Zone signs was approved and sent to BOS et. al.
BRUSH CLEARING: New growth is again obscuring signs.
· DPW has begun doing some trimming and clearing, but much remains to be done. Mary Ciummo will send a reminder memo to DPW (with cc to Police and Jodi Ross) complimenting on work already done but asking that remaining work be given some priority on DPW’s ‘to do’ list.
· Memo will also ask that Police help DPW by noting obscured signs as they patrol and informing DPW of it. It has been noted by PWSC in past that DPW does not always realize that a particular sign is obscured since their vantage point is usually from a high truck.
FOG LINES AND PAINTING: It was noted that despite approval and promises to paint some additional center and fog lines last year, this was not done. Decided to review our previous recommendations and send an appropriate follow up if needed. Deb Kellett will send the old list of recommendations out for review.
SIGN DOWN AT SUGAR X CORN ROADS: A traffic sign at the intersection of Corn and Sugar Roads is down and needs to be fixed. Mary Ciummo will send a note to DPW.
ACTION ITEMS:
1. Request a “Slow Children” cautionary sign for Farm Road; not assigned.
2. Committee members to review Farm Road for other improvements/changes.
3. Barbara Bing will memo DPW about combining a cautionary 30 MPH sign with the existing (intersection) sign on 117 just west of Town Center.
4. Mary Ciummo will draft a memo to DPW about brush clearing (with copies to BOS and Town Administrator), as well as inform them of downed sign at Sugar x Corn.
5. Deb Kellett will look up and forward last recommendations about fog and line painting to Committee members for review.
The meeting was adjourned at 8:39 p.m.
The next meeting is scheduled for 7:00 on Wednesday, July 9, 2008.
Minutes submitted by Deborah Kellett
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