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Editor's note: In last week's column, I asked questions concerning a Longmeadow story about residents opposing a yellow line being painted on their street. The following resident wanted to clarify the coverage the story has received.
Contrary to the media coverage, 83 percent of Greenacre residents did not request that the yellow line that was painted on our street in the middle of the night without any notification be removed due to its potential effect on property values. The local media has turned this into a mockery by completely distorting the issue, eliminating key points, putting words in our mouths.
The real story is about how the Longmeadow town manager and Traffic Safety Committee handled a petition from a handful of residents regarding traffic concerns that had been presented to the Select Board on June 1, 2009. With the best of intentions, 13 out of 60 Greenacre households had signed a petition asking the town investigate solutions for what they perceived to be an increase in speed and volume. The only measure expressly requested, however, was signage (the nonposted speed limit is 30 mph).
Just 72 hours later, only one Greenacre resident attended a meeting with the Traffic Safety Committee and town manager, where it was decided, without involving other residents, to paint the lines as a traffic calming measure to "cue drivers to slow down," even though a two-day unmarked police surveillance had failed to confirm a speeding problem. (The purpose was not to divide lanes of traffic, that would be totally unnecessary on this quiet 0.4 mile long neighborhood street.)
A letter dated June 4 outlining this plan was sent from the town manager to two people, only one of whom actually lives on Greenacre. Neither the other residents whose names and addresses were on the petition nor any other households were informed of the "traffic calming plan." On Sept. 15, when the lines were painted in the dark of the night, it came as a complete surprise! To make things worse, cars were parked on the street and so were trash barrels: the broken lines are proof!
The town manager's office stated that residents were not informed about the decision due to liability issues. This conclusion, however, is in direct conflict with the recommendations of the Institute of Transportation Engineers which states, "It is a necessity to involve residents in the planning and implementation of traffic calming measures. Before they are installed permanently 50, 60 or even 70 percent of residents must concur."
Nationally recognized transportation engineers have clearly confirmed that a centerline marking hasn't been demonstrated to be an effective means of slowing down traffic. The Federal Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices requires yellow center lines on roads with two way traffic carrying over 6,000 cars per day. Therefore, contrary to the presumed intent of the traffic committee, the presence of the yellow center line does suggest that Greenacre is now a major thoroughfare. (Surveillance had found only 500 cars per day on Greenacre!)
Fifty of sixty (83 percent) of households on Greenacre, several of whom signed the original petition presented June 1, have signed the petition seeking removal of the lines, because the town manager and the Traffic Safety Committee failed to follow nationally accepted traffic calming practices. The Longmeadow Select Board made a well informed decision to have the lines removed. Unfortunately, the local news media is more interested in "creating a story" by completely distorting the issue than presenting the facts.
Sandra Knoll
Longmeadow
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