Virtually everyone agrees that something, anything,
must be done downtown to move traffic along faster, and make it more
user friendly and safer for pedestrians. And in general, make it far
more pleasing to the eye.
That was the consensus expressed at the recent
public hearing held by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation
(MA DOT) before the Board of Selectmen (B0S). On the table, was $8
million in federal and state money to kick off this project, as
presented by the BETA Group.
As the dust settles after town officials and
residents weighed in to argue the merits of the initial design,
disagreement with parts of the plan still reverberate around town. In
essence, the design calls for replacing the roundabout (or rotary) in
front of the Memorial Building with synchronized traffic lights to speed
up traffic flow.
Selectman Ginger Esty disagrees. While supporting
the beautification and safety aspects, she still struck hard at what she
described as fatal flaws. She stressed that the ground-level railroad
tracks bisecting Concord Street in the heart of downtown, are a major
impediment .
She said. "When the gates (railroad) are down, all
bets are off", explaining that the gates stop traffic when trains, both
freight and passenger, frequently pass. In fact, she added, when that
happens, there is complete gridlock starting from the railroad station
at the south end of Concord Street all the way up to the Memorial
Building. And there is no corresponding movement in sight on Beacon
Hill to fund depressing either the tracks or the roadway.
At the same time, Esty challenged the merit of
removing the roundabout in favor of traffic lights. She said no town in
Massachusetts has torn up a rotary in favor of synchronized lights, nor
has any plan to do so been registered with the state.
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| Will traffic and pedestrian lights as the ones at the intersection of Route 126 and 135 replace the rotary in front of Memorial Hall? |
Ken Miller, a transportation expert, echoed Esty's analysis, saying that in front of the Memorial Building, "the rotary works pretty well, and better than lights in that location". Both referred to a similar conclusion reached at a large meeting held in Framingham back in 2010. Esty further pointed out that the minutes of that meeting were never released which, she claims, was the responsibility of the Department of Public Works. She insisted those minutes should be included in the on-going review of the entire project.
Current chair of the Planning Board (PB), Tom
Mahoney, did not endorse using lights instead of the roundabout.
Neither did Andrea Carr-Evans, past chair.
Immediate past chair, Carol Spack, emphasized that
Framingham still needs a "vigorous analytical process" of the entire
matter. There may be other options, she indicated, that could cost less
than what is being planned.
Four BoS members heartily endorsed the BETA Group
presentation: Chair Charlie Sisitsky and members Laurie Lee, Dennis
Giombetti, and Jason Smith. They urged continuing action in the
planning mode as vital to the future of Framingham. And so did
Christine Long, current vice chair of the Planning Board.
Town Meeting Member and Southsider, Jim Rizoli,
commented on the meeting this way: "You can do all the road fixing,
streetscape additions, nice lighting, etc., but the biggest problem that
ties up the whole town is the traffic. And the trains are where this
problem starts". Eliminating truck traffic would also be a big
improvement, he added.
The issue of crime in the greater downtown area was not specifically addressed during the meeting.