Tags: CBS-Boston’s Ryan Kath provides this update following the March 1 crash that killed two and injured others.
West Newton Sweet Tomatoes to open this summer (but still no news about the investigation)
by Greg Reibman | May 7, 2016 | Newton | 18 comments
Protective barriers help this spot but are a superficial fix that don’t address the core issue. Chestnut street should not be an arterial and Washington street should not be a thruway. They should be livable streets that prioritize people and foot traffic over cars.
Agreed with Nathan. I’m willing to concede that bollards in this specific case, opposite a steep hill are a good idea, but our village centers deserve designs that calm traffic and put people first. We shouldn’t be satisfied long term leaving the roadways as they are. West Newton Square and Washington Street are both due for overhauls, and at least Washington Street has been the subject of studies to make it a more complete street. I hope that happens.
I have to wonder why the existing bollards were built where they are. It looks like they extended the curb years ago and placed them there without any obvious function.
Nathan,
What do you have in mind as an alternative design for traffic flow in that particular area?
What does it mean to make Washington St ‘more complete”? And don’t the traffic lights at either end coming in to West Newton serve as a calming?
And it seems to me that Chestnut St, Walnut St and Centre St are in fact the best routes for traversing Newton North and South, and somehow reducing the flow on Chestnut St will make traffic on the other two streets even worse.
Here’s an excellent description of a livable Washington street: http://newtonforum.org/biking-in-newton/
Nathan,
As a recreational cyclist, I avoid Washington St when at all possible, particularly between NW Hospital and West Newton. On those rare occasions when I do ride it, I ride on the sidewalk. Frankly, the lanes are so narrow (which is what makes it so dangerous in the first place), I don’t know where you would put a bike lane on that stretch.
Washington St between West Newton and Newton Corner is wider, so there may be more potential there.
As Dan said, Chestnut St is one of the main arterial north-south routes, along with Centre and Walnut Streets. If you somehow made that route less attractive, you’d simply push the traffic elsewhere.
@Nathan, OK I read that article, but I have to say I don’t have the sense biking has never been safer.
I do agree that Washington St seems like a road that could tolerate bike lanes. But is that what you mean by becoming a complete street?
I found it interesting that the writer encouraged better auto driver enforcement, but makes no mention of better policing of bike driver behavior. I pretty consistently see bicyclists flouting the rules of the road, including those that look like experienced riders, who should know better. And note that if we are to increase enforcement that will more more cost, for extra officers.
Dan, traffic signals, stop signs, etc. are not calming. Sometimes they can be exactly the opposite, just an interruption for travel on a wide roadway that invites speed and lane changes. I agree, it’s hard to imagine how you’d reduce the flow on Chestnut Street any further, but Washington Street is a good candidate for a road diet (yes, a big part of making good parts of Washington a complete street). Between West Newton and Newtonville, the two lanes are under capacity and could function safer and perhaps at least as efficiently with a single lane and turn lanes (no turn lanes needed westbound) Think of recent changes to Nonantum Road. Ideas to make Washington Street more complete might include safer pedestrian crossings for bus stops and separated bicycle facilities (such as a two-way cycle track along the Pike) given that there’s plenty of room. Further to the west, on-street parking near NWH is not helping matters. You can find some ideas here:
http://www.newtonbikeped.org/home/completestreets/washington-street-corridor
Blaming or generalizing cyclist behavior while being oblivious to the way motorists behave… well, I don’t want to get into that one here.
Ok, “oblivious” to motorist violations wasn’t fair, but blaming cyclists (or peds) isn’t either, especially given the way the infrastructure is typically so unfriendly to them.
@Adam, in no way was I generalizing cyclist behavior; I acknowledged that increased enforcement fr both drivers and cyclists would be welcome. But I am pointing out that it is a two way street so to speak: that many cyclists are way more reckless than makes sense, particularly as against cars. And the larger point I made, which is I don’t see cycling as safer than ever.
Dan, I agree that cycling is not safer than ever, but Newton has made some progress, for example on Beacon Street. But your larger point is true: biking is simply not an option for most people because our streets are not safe enough. We need to make our streets safer.
Dan, the two way analogy would hold much better when cyclists have infrastructure that’s just as good as motorists! I don’t agree with your statement about “many cyclists” flaunting the rules and don’t think the problem comes close to motorist behavior, but we may just have to disagree on that.
Getting back to the topic of the thread….I’m thrilled to see that Sweet Tomatoes is going to return to it’s home in West Newton. In the meantime, they are having their food truck parked on Washington Street by the store during lunchtime on Wednesday’s and Friday’s. They miss their customers and I’m sure, many of the people in the area have missed them.
Also on the main subject it is troubling that there has been no real movement that we can see on the investigation.
I’m sure this event is tragic for the driver as well but these things ought to have consequences, or a pretty solid explanation as to why not. Two people innocently picking up pizza are no longer with us.
It is wonderful to hear about Sweet Tomatoes returning. Cheering for the return of an old favorite is a first step; helping keep it and similar businesses thriving and vibrant is a continuing responsibility of our government and our community. An improved streetscape is a piece of that mission.
Preceding any revamp of West Newton Square or needed improvements on Washington Street, I would like to see some quick fixes around the Chestnut, Washington, Watertown, and Waltham intersection. Parking could easily be added on the last blocks of Chestnut and Waltham. This change would help businesses and narrow the roadway, reducing vehicle speeds approaching the intersection. The mouth of Chestnut is very wide, which makes the pedestrian crossing less appealing. Signal timing could also be adjusted to reduce pedestrian wait times, which has also been shown to improve ped compliance with the signals.
Businesses stay in business when people can easily get to them. Sweet Tomatoes is in a particularly bad spot, but we can improve the situation for all of the West Newton businesses with some extra attention to elements of the streetscape.
Has any thought gone into a memorial tribute in the area? I would give to, say, an improvement to the little park space at the Washington/Watertown intersection. It could be prettier by day and better lit by night.
The three City Councilors from Ward 3 are united in our desire to improve the design and safety of several problem areas in West Newton square where crashes have occurred. Which is why we have docketed an item in the Public Safety & Transportation Committee to have a discussion with the police, public works and transportation departments. Adam and Nathan are correct that crash-resistant bollards or barriers alone will not make the square a safer, friendlier place for pedestrians, bicyclists, patrons and employees of businesses in and around West Newton.
I am hopeful that the investigation into the crash will be concluded soon, and that we can get some answers about the causes, which are essential to understand in order to come up with effective solutions. I have long been an advocate for a “road diet” on Washington Street from West Newton to Newton Corner, which is four lanes plus its entire length. A road diet would be two travel lanes with a third dedicated turn lane, plus bike lanes on both sides. Getting people to slow down will, perhaps counter-intuitively, also help the traffic move more quickly and safely through the square. Unfortunately, the current configuration was designed with “throughput” as the main consideration and pedestrian and bicycle safety as an afterthought if at all.
In the meantime, please come visit Sweet Tomatoes’s food truck in West Newton and be sure to come on back for the reopening this summer. Both businesses and residents in the area have sorely missed Sweet Tomatoes and we wish everyone only the best.
Very surprised that we have had dead silence from the DA’s office on the investigation. Certainly the Citizens of Newton are entitled to an update. I still expect charges to be brought against the driver.
I’m with Doug and (the real) Dan F. — it’s surprising that the investigation has taken so long. No one wants a slapdash investigation after such a serious, terrible incident. But I think it’s been 10 weeks since the accident. No one could accuse them of rushing the investigation at this point, or even four weeks ago for that matter. Even some kind of update on timing from the DA’s office would be welcome. Otherwise it’s hard not to be concerned about why there’s been no word.