Tonight, the Waban Area Council held a public forum on roadway design for the new Zervas. With an increase in the student population and a larger school district, congested streets seem likely to get worse once the school reopens.
The project traffic consultant presented three design options, each attempting to increase roadway capacity on Beethoven in various ways to accommodate (and arguably encourage) more vehicle traffic. Srdj Nedeljkovic gave some context for these proposals with traffic projections and his analysis. Stacey Beuttell of WalkBoston spoke about Safe Routes to School and the value of active transportation. (I will try to get references to their presentations to post here)
Among the changes suggested by the consultant:
- widening the roadway so that blue zone drop-off would not block traffic (while inexplicably retaining the time-restricted half closure of Beethoven Ave)
- adding a third lane for “free” right turns (making for a larger and less pedestrian-friendly crossing at Beacon)
- moving crosswalks back for improved accessibility (but causing line of sight issues)
Sean Roche (the name sounds familiar, I think he used to hang out here?) made the comment of the night when he implored residents to consider safety of the students first, and suggested that anything else was a compromise for parent convenience or cut-through traffic. Sean asked an interesting hypothetical question: what would the design look like if the city put safety first in its school site designs?
Bill Paille, Clynt Schuckel, Roy Lamotte – names sound familiar? Once again the pattern of 3 with commonality of position demands – what is it that the city of over-abundant affluence, morphed institutionalized entitlement politics, create a ‘hurry-up’ to do the wrong thing? For instance Cypress/Centre redesign-redesign. Or the waste in twice replacing the signal controls of Beacon/Centre within a year. For the insider, budget manipulation, trying to follow the peanut under the shells, coupled with a wonderful smile, voila ground level inefficiencies. But then again this is Newton – trust that government is looking out for your best interest, always believe everything you read on the internet, and if nothing else works – try the truth.
Bill Paille, Clynt Schuckel, Roy Lamotte – names sound familiar? Once again the pattern of 3 with commonality of position demands – what is it that the city of over-abundant affluence, morphed institutionalized entitlement politics, create a ‘hurry-up’ to do the wrong thing? For instance Cypress/Centre redesign-redesign. Or the waste in twice replacing the signal controls of Beacon/Centre within a year. For the insider, budget manipulation, trying to follow the peanut under the shells, coupled with a wonderful smile, voila ground level inefficiencies. But then again this is Newton – trust that government is looking out for your best interest, always believe everything you read on the internet, and if nothing else works – try the truth.
How do kids get to Zervas now (or prior to the construction)? How many walk? How many take the bus? How many bike to school? We have a perfect opportunity to figure out how kids currently get to school. If those who live under a half a mile walk, then make the school and the community more friendly to pedestrians. If the kids live OVER a mile away from the school, those kids should have access to FREE school buses and there should be a safe place for the buses to wait and unload. Lets figure out an alternative way to getting kids to school. There is no need to have 200 cars drop off a kid or two in front of the school every day.
And during the winter season, is there a place a block or two away, for parents to drop off older (third grade and above) kids to walk the block or two?
How do kids get to Zervas now (or prior to the construction)? How many walk? How many take the bus? How many bike to school? We have a perfect opportunity to figure out how kids currently get to school. If those who live under a half a mile walk, then make the school and the community more friendly to pedestrians. If the kids live OVER a mile away from the school, those kids should have access to FREE school buses and there should be a safe place for the buses to wait and unload. Lets figure out an alternative way to getting kids to school. There is no need to have 200 cars drop off a kid or two in front of the school every day.
And during the winter season, is there a place a block or two away, for parents to drop off older (third grade and above) kids to walk the block or two?
It all sounds like one Uuuugh mistake! Put 550 kids in a single facility and what do you expect. As the NVA says ,”Density is the Problem”. This is just one great political bad joke. Or a nightmare the we are awake for!
It all sounds like one Uuuugh mistake! Put 550 kids in a single facility and what do you expect. As the NVA says ,”Density is the Problem”. This is just one great political bad joke. Or a nightmare the we are awake for!
Is it “Chickens Little” or “Chicken Littles”?
Is it “Chickens Little” or “Chicken Littles”?
In cooperation with the Highlands Area Council, the Waban Area Council convened last night’s meeting. It was refreshing to see that the people who attended last night brought open minds. The traffic consultants presented 3 alternative designs for a Blue Zone. (I believe all 3 design were cut ins of various lengths. One had a bump-out with a forward dedicated right turn lane with no right turns allowed on red). However, the designers said they were listening. We must remember that they were told to design a Blue Zone. They were not told to design a plan with a non-traditional focus. Traditionally, a Blue Zone would be designed to facilitate traffic through the School Zone faster, allow parents to drop-off kids and get away fast. The focus has been on CARS. And fast. Perhaps now it is time to focus elsewhere around our schools in residential neighborhoods, promoting walking, cycling, and greater use of buses stopping at cluster pick-up points for the kids, with less emphasis on meeting the needs of the drivers of the maximum expected possible cars with a much larger enlarged school population. The City (Alex Valcarce, Deputy Director of Buildings and City Councilor John Rice) indicated that the City will carry the notion to think more widely back to the City’s working “clusters” who must approve all street design ideas based on safety considerations. The School Committee may be ready to talk policy…hopefully in time to address Zervas, before Beethoven Ave. is enlarged for $120,ooo that, if policy were developed to focus on reducing vehicle density, instead of on accommodating it, would be misspent. (It would cost $20,000/telephone pole to move 6 poles to cut in a Blue Zone and more to expand the asphalt of the street.) The meeting was called to get community input. Now, within the parameters of ADA compliance and other legislation as well as common sense that govern safety, we may see some more public meetings held to determine priorities at school sites. Sean Roche, offered the clearest vision when he said that, in ordering our priorities for schools, we should design for student SAFETY alone. Parent convenience, community cut-throughs, enticements to drive to and from the schools faster are not the desired design priority. Making the area safe for pedestrians and bicyclists going to school should be the priority focus. Srdjan Nedeljkovic, President of the Newton Highlands Area Council, offered a reasoned alternative vision that would involve closing Beethoven to all traffic from Puritan to Beacon for 1/2 hour each morning and afternoon. While his plan is “radical”, it is simple and answers many of the school children’s safety needs. Nonetheless, the traffic shift to the neighboring streets involved should be considered carefully for unintended consequences (e.g., more traffic on smaller streets where kids are walking). What is most refreshing is that people are talking about what is coming. They are thinking about how to fix fundamental problems with new paradigms, not band-aids. This program, by the way, is an example of the usefulness of Area Councils! Kudos to Councilor Andreae Downs for leading our way last night.
In cooperation with the Highlands Area Council, the Waban Area Council convened last night’s meeting. It was refreshing to see that the people who attended last night brought open minds. The traffic consultants presented 3 alternative designs for a Blue Zone. (I believe all 3 design were cut ins of various lengths. One had a bump-out with a forward dedicated right turn lane with no right turns allowed on red). However, the designers said they were listening. We must remember that they were told to design a Blue Zone. They were not told to design a plan with a non-traditional focus. Traditionally, a Blue Zone would be designed to facilitate traffic through the School Zone faster, allow parents to drop-off kids and get away fast. The focus has been on CARS. And fast. Perhaps now it is time to focus elsewhere around our schools in residential neighborhoods, promoting walking, cycling, and greater use of buses stopping at cluster pick-up points for the kids, with less emphasis on meeting the needs of the drivers of the maximum expected possible cars with a much larger enlarged school population. The City (Alex Valcarce, Deputy Director of Buildings and City Councilor John Rice) indicated that the City will carry the notion to think more widely back to the City’s working “clusters” who must approve all street design ideas based on safety considerations. The School Committee may be ready to talk policy…hopefully in time to address Zervas, before Beethoven Ave. is enlarged for $120,ooo that, if policy were developed to focus on reducing vehicle density, instead of on accommodating it, would be misspent. (It would cost $20,000/telephone pole to move 6 poles to cut in a Blue Zone and more to expand the asphalt of the street.) The meeting was called to get community input. Now, within the parameters of ADA compliance and other legislation as well as common sense that govern safety, we may see some more public meetings held to determine priorities at school sites. Sean Roche, offered the clearest vision when he said that, in ordering our priorities for schools, we should design for student SAFETY alone. Parent convenience, community cut-throughs, enticements to drive to and from the schools faster are not the desired design priority. Making the area safe for pedestrians and bicyclists going to school should be the priority focus. Srdjan Nedeljkovic, President of the Newton Highlands Area Council, offered a reasoned alternative vision that would involve closing Beethoven to all traffic from Puritan to Beacon for 1/2 hour each morning and afternoon. While his plan is “radical”, it is simple and answers many of the school children’s safety needs. Nonetheless, the traffic shift to the neighboring streets involved should be considered carefully for unintended consequences (e.g., more traffic on smaller streets where kids are walking). What is most refreshing is that people are talking about what is coming. They are thinking about how to fix fundamental problems with new paradigms, not band-aids. This program, by the way, is an example of the usefulness of Area Councils! Kudos to Councilor Andreae Downs for leading our way last night.
Sallee, great recap and excellent thoughts.
Sallee, great recap and excellent thoughts.
Thanks so much for your kind words, Nathan. But I still won’t ride a bicycle! 😉
Thanks so much for your kind words, Nathan. But I still won’t ride a bicycle! 😉
Excellent post. I’ll go with safety first.
Excellent post. I’ll go with safety first.
I’m a parent at Mason Rice. The standard blue zones are a disaster. They encourage traffic and frankly terrible behaviour. Rude and disrespectful at best, hazardous at worst, to the extent that we have asked for police patrol on various ocassions. I understand this is similiar at most schools in Newton. Designing around and for a traditional blue zone in a dense neighbourhood as we know it is just not basic common sense. I am glad the area council and the neighbourhood has the opportunity to promote more intelligent design.
I’m a parent at Mason Rice. The standard blue zones are a disaster. They encourage traffic and frankly terrible behaviour. Rude and disrespectful at best, hazardous at worst, to the extent that we have asked for police patrol on various ocassions. I understand this is similiar at most schools in Newton. Designing around and for a traditional blue zone in a dense neighbourhood as we know it is just not basic common sense. I am glad the area council and the neighbourhood has the opportunity to promote more intelligent design.
I wasn’t at the meeting so I didn’t hear all the details but …. my question about Srdjan Nedeljkovic’s proposed plan is “Doesn’t that just move the blue zone problem a block away?”
I love that there appears to be a bit of push-back against an entirely car-centric design. I do think though as a reality the parents-dropping-kids-off-at-school has to be factored into any design. Closing the street by the school may be a big improvement for a number of reasons but it doesn’t address the drop-off issues.
Again, my apologies if all that was covered in the meeting.
I wasn’t at the meeting so I didn’t hear all the details but …. my question about Srdjan Nedeljkovic’s proposed plan is “Doesn’t that just move the blue zone problem a block away?”
I love that there appears to be a bit of push-back against an entirely car-centric design. I do think though as a reality the parents-dropping-kids-off-at-school has to be factored into any design. Closing the street by the school may be a big improvement for a number of reasons but it doesn’t address the drop-off issues.
Again, my apologies if all that was covered in the meeting.
Jerry…it does actually address a lot of problems. First, it doesn’t send the blue zone to another street. It protects the walking and cycling kids at the entrance to the school. For the driving public…they will no longer be guaranteed a passage through from Woodward to Beacon on a neighborhood street that hosts an elementary school. They will likely shift to Lincoln, Allen, Upland, or Chestnut to cut through to Beacon. Priority served: kids are better protected as they go to school. For parents who drive…there may be better alternatives offered to them: the school buses that bring the kids from outside the walking area may stop inside the walking area at some additional group stops (e.g., Cold Spring Park, Winslow at Woodward) and allow parents to drive or walk their kids there. Some would drive up Beethoven and park near Richardson Field and walk their kids a block up to the school, then leave via Puritan, a street that might then carry an added burden, though likely much smaller than Beethoven. “No parking” signs on Allen near Beacon, also at Evelyn near Beacon, and a crosswalk at the Aqueduct on Allen with a bump out to slow speeders would be a positive place to spend the money saved (at least $120,000) by moving six telephone poles and adding asphalt to widen Beethoven for a cut in Blue Zone in front of the school. This is pre-planning for the added 175 kids that will eventually attend Zervas and the prevention of continued grid-lock and unbelievably unsafe driver behavior at the Beethoven Avenue side of the school. It is changing the paradigm that widening the street with a cut in will resist grid-lock, when the reality is that widening the road just brings more traffic and worse driver behavior and increases the odds that a kid will be injured or worse. If our priority is safety for the kids (and whose isn’t) we must change the way we approach our schools in residential neighborhoods as they are built to hold many more students than they have held in the past when the sites were adequate. The sites being rebuilt and expanded today are NOT ideal for the number of attendees, but safety must still be the HIGHEST priority. Given that, we have to start changing the way we think about cars and speeding and getting through our neighborhoods faster.
Jerry…it does actually address a lot of problems. First, it doesn’t send the blue zone to another street. It protects the walking and cycling kids at the entrance to the school. For the driving public…they will no longer be guaranteed a passage through from Woodward to Beacon on a neighborhood street that hosts an elementary school. They will likely shift to Lincoln, Allen, Upland, or Chestnut to cut through to Beacon. Priority served: kids are better protected as they go to school. For parents who drive…there may be better alternatives offered to them: the school buses that bring the kids from outside the walking area may stop inside the walking area at some additional group stops (e.g., Cold Spring Park, Winslow at Woodward) and allow parents to drive or walk their kids there. Some would drive up Beethoven and park near Richardson Field and walk their kids a block up to the school, then leave via Puritan, a street that might then carry an added burden, though likely much smaller than Beethoven. “No parking” signs on Allen near Beacon, also at Evelyn near Beacon, and a crosswalk at the Aqueduct on Allen with a bump out to slow speeders would be a positive place to spend the money saved (at least $120,000) by moving six telephone poles and adding asphalt to widen Beethoven for a cut in Blue Zone in front of the school. This is pre-planning for the added 175 kids that will eventually attend Zervas and the prevention of continued grid-lock and unbelievably unsafe driver behavior at the Beethoven Avenue side of the school. It is changing the paradigm that widening the street with a cut in will resist grid-lock, when the reality is that widening the road just brings more traffic and worse driver behavior and increases the odds that a kid will be injured or worse. If our priority is safety for the kids (and whose isn’t) we must change the way we approach our schools in residential neighborhoods as they are built to hold many more students than they have held in the past when the sites were adequate. The sites being rebuilt and expanded today are NOT ideal for the number of attendees, but safety must still be the HIGHEST priority. Given that, we have to start changing the way we think about cars and speeding and getting through our neighborhoods faster.
There was no discussion of what happens if Beethoven was closed to through traffic at arrival and dismissal. The likely effect is some parents would likely drop-off a little further away (light blue zones) and there are several very good locations in each direction for this that are close and safe (made even safer by having no vehicles near the school), 2- 4 minutes walk tops. These drop-offs would be more efficient as parents wouldn’t be waiting for their kids to walk in the door. Some would park and walk and some would maybe walk from home and some would put their kids on the bus (which to an earlier comment by Newton MOM is free for elementary students over a mile and maybe we could work on excess bus capacity being filled with kids who live on route who are between 1/2 mile and 1 mile especially in the winter). Once parents start letting their children walk 2 minutes it won’t be long until they are walking all the way from their front door. A great opportunity to build independence skills so many children need. Teaching children to navigate the world on two feet (and two wheels) is a critical skill.
There was no discussion of what happens if Beethoven was closed to through traffic at arrival and dismissal. The likely effect is some parents would likely drop-off a little further away (light blue zones) and there are several very good locations in each direction for this that are close and safe (made even safer by having no vehicles near the school), 2- 4 minutes walk tops. These drop-offs would be more efficient as parents wouldn’t be waiting for their kids to walk in the door. Some would park and walk and some would maybe walk from home and some would put their kids on the bus (which to an earlier comment by Newton MOM is free for elementary students over a mile and maybe we could work on excess bus capacity being filled with kids who live on route who are between 1/2 mile and 1 mile especially in the winter). Once parents start letting their children walk 2 minutes it won’t be long until they are walking all the way from their front door. A great opportunity to build independence skills so many children need. Teaching children to navigate the world on two feet (and two wheels) is a critical skill.
Are kids who live within a mile from the school allowed to ride the bus for a fee? Does anyone know, in general, how many kids are driven to school vs riding the bus both outside the mile distance with buses being free and within the 1 mile and 1/2 mile? Are more kids dropped off than ride the bus? Since the kids in the new wider area are over a mile away, wouldn’t it make sense for those kids to ride the bus? I know many parents are on their way to work and fine it easier to drop their kids off, but wouldn’t it be just as easy to drop them at the bus stop? Or a block or two from the school?
I think first and second graders, unless they have older friends or siblings with them, would probably be dropped off even if they were just a half mile away, but they don’t need to be watched until they enter the school. I agree that the fewer drop offs at the school the better so widening the street to accommodate a blue lane just seems like encouraging the wrong behavior. I agree that walking and riding bikes is the best way for most kids to get to school. Bump outs cause problems for biking, requiring going into traffic, and for cars after a snowfall, can’t see them.
Are kids who live within a mile from the school allowed to ride the bus for a fee? Does anyone know, in general, how many kids are driven to school vs riding the bus both outside the mile distance with buses being free and within the 1 mile and 1/2 mile? Are more kids dropped off than ride the bus? Since the kids in the new wider area are over a mile away, wouldn’t it make sense for those kids to ride the bus? I know many parents are on their way to work and fine it easier to drop their kids off, but wouldn’t it be just as easy to drop them at the bus stop? Or a block or two from the school?
I think first and second graders, unless they have older friends or siblings with them, would probably be dropped off even if they were just a half mile away, but they don’t need to be watched until they enter the school. I agree that the fewer drop offs at the school the better so widening the street to accommodate a blue lane just seems like encouraging the wrong behavior. I agree that walking and riding bikes is the best way for most kids to get to school. Bump outs cause problems for biking, requiring going into traffic, and for cars after a snowfall, can’t see them.
There has been much unjustified fear of bumpouts and traffic calming. At Pelham and Centre, where many pedestrians had been hit, bumpouts have been hugely successful in calming traffic and improving sight lines. Many complained on the blogs that these things were hazards and drivers would run into them. None of that turned out to be true. Bumpouts leave a full lane of traffic. Cars must follow the road and not hit the curb. Safe bicycle riding does not mean hugging the curbline. Bicycles follow the same rules as normal, maintaining a straight path, sharing lanes with traffic as needed.
There has been much unjustified fear of bumpouts and traffic calming. At Pelham and Centre, where many pedestrians had been hit, bumpouts have been hugely successful in calming traffic and improving sight lines. Many complained on the blogs that these things were hazards and drivers would run into them. None of that turned out to be true. Bumpouts leave a full lane of traffic. Cars must follow the road and not hit the curb. Safe bicycle riding does not mean hugging the curbline. Bicycles follow the same rules as normal, maintaining a straight path, sharing lanes with traffic as needed.
I think Sallee hit the nail on the head when she wrote
What requirements were given when the city hired the firm? Student safety and modal shift should always be at the top of the list. Neighborhood traffic congestion is certainly a hot topic, but building our way out of it with more capacity isn’t the only option.
The city is in the middle of a project called Newton-in-motion to build a transportation strategy built around complete streets and modal shift. At the same time, “old school” consultants are being hired to create car-centric designs for our village centers and new school buildings, projects we’ll all have to live with for a lifetime. It’s not too late to get this right.
I think Sallee hit the nail on the head when she wrote
What requirements were given when the city hired the firm? Student safety and modal shift should always be at the top of the list. Neighborhood traffic congestion is certainly a hot topic, but building our way out of it with more capacity isn’t the only option.
The city is in the middle of a project called Newton-in-motion to build a transportation strategy built around complete streets and modal shift. At the same time, “old school” consultants are being hired to create car-centric designs for our village centers and new school buildings, projects we’ll all have to live with for a lifetime. It’s not too late to get this right.