There’s been some discussion on another thread about the Auburndale signal project. Here’s an update from City Councilor Amy Sangiolo’s excellent email newsletter...
Many folks have expressed interest/concern about the Auburndale Traffic Signalization Project. The original presentation and plan can be found here. The Department of Public Works has a status update as of December 6th, 2016 which can be found here. But here is the most recent correspondence I have received on this project on January 6th from Traffic Engineer, Steve Simoglou:
“Please see herein a couple of brief updates with regards to Auburndale Square; the signal at Freeman/Lexington will be coming off of the flash sequence today (January 6th). The signal will be temporarily set to a pre-timed phase, until final coordination is in place. We are aggressively working with the contractor to have final timing and coordination wrapped up in the coming week; I will provide specific dates for completion as they become available. Please note we have also been working with the engineering consultant to add a LPI (Leading Pedestrian Interval) to the crossings at Commonwealth/Lexington. The LPI will allow a pedestrian to get a 5 second ‘head start’ on the crossing, before concurrent traffic receives the green.
Temporary message boards have been put in place on all approaches to Comm/Lexington to notify motorists of a new traffic pattern, and to yield to pedestrians. Permanent signage throughout the square will also be in-place in the coming weeks. The square will continue to be closely monitored by the city and engineering consultant, and necessary adjustments will be made. “
The City is moving towards concurrent signalization – where the pedestrian walk signal is concurrent with auto-traffic signals. This is a significant change for some as many signals in Newton used to be exclusive or an all-out stop. At the West Newton Square Enhancements Project presentation last week, several Councilors expressed concern over the move towards concurrent signalization. The Transportation Director, Nicole Freedman, has committed to providing supporting information on how concurrent signalization is safer for pedestrians. As soon as that becomes available, I will post.
Please also note that Walk Boston is being used as a model approach for Newton. Information on Walk Boston can be found here.
I applaud the move to concurrent traffic signals as part of a more balanced traffic infrastructure. The current widespread exclusive all-stop button-push pedestrian system used in Newton makes pedestrians second-class citizens, increasing ped wait times to the point that many people don’t wait or disregard the signal entirely.
Cambridge uses concurrent, “no button required” signals almost everywhere, and it has been a huge success, and compliance with signals by pedestrians and drivers is up. Where buttons are installed, they provide vision impaired users with audible crossing information and aren’t required to get a crossing light. This is the best option for the vision impaired community, because many prefer the traffic noise cues that concurrent signals provide. They also don’t have to find the button in order to cross.
Concurrent signals actually increase traffic efficiency for all modes of travel (including cars). Not surprising they are the most common traffic phasing system in the US.
Concurrent signals aren’t ideal everywhere (e.g., intersections with many turns, like some “T” intersections). They function most effectively with “No turn on red” and good intersection lighting at night. They are also no substitute for good intersection design. I am confident that Nicole Freedman and her team will put all the pieces together to make concurrent signals work well in Newton.
Well, the intersections in question in Auburndale Square (Lexington & Comm Ave and Comm Ave & Melrose) DO have many, many turns. Lexington & Comm Ave is a heavy commuter route, with cars turning in all directions. It’s also a heavy pedestrian-use intersection, with at least 5 school bus stops in the area (elementary through high school), Express Bus stops, and a Commuter Rail station. Plus a number of small businesses frequented by large numbers of walking students and elderly persons. Since the change, there have been a large number of near misses, with pedestrians in the crosswalks – with WALK signals – almost being hit by turning cars. So I hope Nicole Freedman and her team “put all the pieces together” before a tragedy happens.
Tricia, changes in intersection phasing absolutely does need extra attention until behavior changes. I hope Newton Police does intensive spot enforcement to draw visibility to the new signal pattern and the requirement to yield.
To be clear, the drivers you are describing are breaking the law. Who doesn’t yield to pedestrians on turns, even if they are jaywalking? To me the underlying problem is that we have tolerated failure to yield to pedestrians for far too long (not yielding on turn on red, not stopping at unsignalized crossings, etc).
As more intersections are converted, we will benefit from consistency for everyone. That’s also true regionally as Boston converts to concurrent phasing from the inconsistent mess they have now. Unfortunately, you get consistency one intersection at a time, and those first ones will need more attention from Newton PD and Traffic.
Mike, to be extra clear, these pedestrians are not jaywalking. They have a WALK light. (Jaywalking has never been an issue at this intersection, because it would be fatal.) At the moment, the pedestrians get a WALK signal at the same time that the driver gets a green, so when they both go at the same moment, the pedestrian loses every time. I understand that they are supposed to yield to the pedestrians, and that it is illegal not to do so, but that doesn’t help the kid who’s hit in the crosswalk with a WALK signal. Please understand that for many, many residents of Auburndale/West Newton, we are used to letting our kids walk to and through the Square from elementary age on, to and from bus stops, to and from the stores after school and on weekends, to and from the baseball field, so this is a HUGE deal. We have drilled it into their heads that they press the button, wait for the WALK signal, then they go. Now we’re supposed to tell them “Wait for the WALK signal, but remember, there still might be cars turning in front of you or behind you – they are supposed to stop for you but they might not, so be careful.” Not going to happen. Already parents are driving kids who used to walk to their bus stops, and not letting kids go to the stores after school.
“I hope Newton Police does intensive spot enforcement”
Raise your hand if you see Newton Police getting out of their cruisers to direct traffic or at busy or dangerous intersections. Or writing tickets to drivers yammering on their phones while blowing through signs and stoplights and practically running down pedestrians. I sure don’t. Only time they direct traffic is when there is an accident, fire or a paid detail. Handing out tickets happens at night at a few favorite spots.
Regarding new traffic flows in West Newton and Auburndale I hope it goes better than the traffic improvements in Newton Center in 2014. I got stuck in the traffic jam every day until they removed the Cypress/Centre St. bump out.
Tricia,
I understand what you’re saying, and I believe we need enforcement to change behavior, especially regarding kids and schools. All I can tell you is that concurrent signaling works at intersections as or more busy than Auburndale Square (Central Square Cambridge, or near Fenway Park).
One of the biggest problems with the “press button/exclusive walk” intersections in Newton is pervasive “Right on red, possibly after stop”. That means you can’t just tell your kids, “push the button and wait for the walk”, because turning vehicles can often proceed across the crosswalk regardless of the walk signal. In real-world studies, peds often don’t wait for the walk signal (about 50% compliance), which leaves them at great risk as well.
The long term answer is improve intersections, change driver behavior, and accommodate pedestrians as first class citizens. That’s the larger approach of Safe Routes to Schools and Walk Boston, which both support the use of concurrent signals as part of the big picture.
I think concurrent crossings are a great idea at many intersections, but there are some where we are better off sticking with the separate walk signal.
For one example, both the Newton Highlands T stop and a bus stop are at the intersection where Lincoln St. meets Walnut St. When a bus or train arrives, there are large numbers of people crossing at once, to the point where cars obeying the law and waiting will completely miss that light cycle. The intersection described by Tricia sounds like another where separate walk signals would be better, or else banning right turns except when there’s a green arrow signal.
When the city adds the 5 second leading pedestrian interval to the concurrent signals at those intersections, the walker will have lead time to be in the crosswalk and more visible to the drivers instead of stepping off and turning at the same time.
Changing behavior takes time. Treating roads and pedestrians as one entity in signal design means understanding that drivers and walkers share the road. Drivers are currently turning right on red at many intersections in Newton resulting in cars crossing into the path of walkers.
We need to understand ourselves and teach our kids to be cautious at crosswalks whether the Walk signal is on or not. Drivers need to realize that measures taken to make them more aware of pedestrians and slow them down don’t lengthen the time to their destination but can move them along more quickly.
This link explains concurrent signals, other types of signalization and how they are effective.
http://www.pedbikesafe.org/PEDSAFE/countermeasures_detail.cfm?CM_NUM=47
mgwa,
“T” shaped intersections are possible candidates for non-concurrent crossings. And you are correct, turn arrows and intermittent light-up “no turn on red” signs can make sure drivers and pedestrians both get time to move through the intersection.
It is also true, though, that trains and buses don’t arrive so frequently in Newton, and concurrent signals are more efficient for traffic AND pedestrians all the rest of the time.
I don’t know how much everyone posting on this topic travels around the country but given my experiences, I’d say pedestrians in the Boston area and even more so, Newton, have it pretty good compared to many other areas. For the most part, our drivers slow down/stop for people in crosswalks and understand to yield when the walk signal is illuminated. Agree there is always room for improvement and we shouldn’t settle.
Sorry to go a little off topic but my opinion is the best thing we can be doing for public safety for pedestrians, bikers and drivers is to ramp up enforcement of texting/hands free phone use. Seems to be getting worse these days and I’m sure factors into many accidents and near misses. Shocks me the number of people driving around these days with their faces focused on their phones. Raise the penalties, start an in your face information campaign, ramp up enforcement strategies, and start handing out $500 tickets and insurance surcharges and maybe it will have an effect.
A topic for a different day…
Again, I understand that in the previous scenario, a vehicle could make a right on red across a crosswalk, but at least they would be coming from a complete stop. There’s more time to see what’s happening in all directions. Here, cars coming down the hill heading north toward Comm Ave see a green light and assume they have a clear right turn onto Comm – they may not see pedestrians stepping into the crosswalk, even if they are looking for them (and most are not.) Look, I am not opposed to concurrent crossings WITH A LEADING PEDESTRIAN INTERVAL in general, and I’m hopeful that a significant LPI at this intersection will be enough to make it safe. (And by the way, I’ve been a member of the Newton Safe Routes Task Force since it’s inception, and wasn’t aware that a position had been taken on concurrent crossing.) But the fact is that the City of Newton implemented concurrent crossing in Auburndale Square more than two months ago, WITHOUT an LPI and with no notice to the community. It’s only after significant complaints from the community, and with the help of Councilors like Amy Sangiolo, that the LPI is now “in the works”. But it’s still not in place, and there has been no extra enforcement. So pedestrians and school kids are left dodging cars in the crosswalks going to and from the bus and walking to Tom’s Pizza and Dunks. And don’t even get me started on the fact that there are two separate – and overlapping – sets of double yellow lines on both Comm Ave and Lexington – the old and the new. That’s a head on collision waiting to happen. The implementation of this project has been a poster child for how NOT to make a significant traffic pattern change.
Got out my calculator and determined that I walked across the Melrose Street/Commonwealth Avenue conservatively 13,000 times from 1966 – 1977.
My Ma always, always said to never cross the street without making sure the cars dad stopped because a lot of times, they didn’t even notice there was the single light post. Now there are the lights suspended and more, and it seems to be worse. I don’t think Marc’s point is off-topic and is a big factor in a lot of this. I too have seen a LARGE increase in people with their heads down doing important things like adding pepperoni to their order.
@Mark: How many FIT Bit steps is that?
@Greg, I shudder to think. That’s what happens when your Mother throws you out of the house at the age of ten to get a job so you end up delivering papers. Every single day, crossing the mean streets of West Newton and Auburndale.
Times change. In my childhood, in the mean streets of Manhattan, we lived diagonally across an avenue from my elementary school. My mother’s instructions were “find an adult to cross with.” Somehow I doubt people are using that one any more.
As I’ve stated many times, I think many people drew the wrong conclusions from the reversal and continuation of the Newton Centre project. The traffic jams occurred during construction and before new signals and timing improvements were implemented, so the first reconfiguration never had a chance. Concurrent crossing was key to the traffic improvement at Beacon and Centre, and was the last piece to get implemented, but not without many of the same problems we’re seeing in Auburndale (such as no LPI, a mistake which should not have been repeated) Once the city got everything together and made the necessary adjustments, I felt concurrent crossing at that intersection did give pedestrians first-class treatment, but only until the Mayor’s COD petitioned to put the “beg buttons” back and signalize the slip lane, so we still don’t really have a model to follow in Newton.
Tricia, it is very frustrating, but IIRC this project was implemented largely without a traffic engineer on city staff and by an outside firm that didn’t seem to understand either bicycle or pedestrian safety issues. There was some public process, but it was very limited (one public meeting?) The folks who got to deal with the aftermath are new to the job and very much concerned with pedestrian safety. LPI is one piece of the puzzle. Other things, like placement of the stop line, curb cuts and the curb radii are also important to make concurrent crossings safe.
I would like to work together to change the behavior of drivers in Newton. I live at the end of California Street, near the intersection of Crafts. It was a very busy street when I moved there, so I am not complaining about the traffic. I am complaining about the people who are texting while waiting at the stop sign, not paying attention to someone who wants to get into his driveway. Or looking down at their phone, starting at Fair Oaks,and not looking up until they almost hit the person who stopped at the stop sign. I won’t even bother about the people after 6 pm that look at the stop sign on California and Crafts as a suggestion.
Here is the latest Auburndale Square update from the City, courtesy of Councilor Sangiolo – looks like they finally got the message re: Leading Pedestrian Intervals. Let’s hope that they can get this done quickly:
As an update, we have confirmed with the engineering consultant that a Leading Pedestrian Interval can be accommodated at Commonwealth/Melrose, Lexington/Wolcott, Lexington/Freeman intersections. This is in addition to the Commonwealth/Lexington intersection. Additionally, the city will be removing (grinding) the old centerline markings on Lexington and Commonwealth on January 18th. . The electrical consultant was on site this week continuing to finalize the timing in the square. At this time I’m unfortunately unable to provide a date for final timing, but can say we are aggressively pushing the contractor to wrap up their work. Also, permanent ‘yield to pedestrians in crosswalk’ signage has been ordered, and should be installed soon.
The city and its consultant will continue to monitor activity in the square as the signal activity wraps up.
Regards,
Stephen Simoglou, P.E.
Traffic Engineer
City of Newton
Office: 617-796-1495
[email protected]
Just resurrecting this thread to mention that someone was hit in one of the crosswalks in Auburndale Sq. this week. And that of all the promised improvements from early January (LPIs, signage, final signal timing), the only one that has actually happened was the removal of the old yellow lines. But now, after the accident, we’re told that the LPIs and signal timing are “imminent”, as is additional enforcement. Signage remains on the “in the coming weeks” list since early December. Please folks, keep all this in mind as you get excited about the coming West Newton and Newtonville “improvements.”
Very disturbing. I’ve been upset about the Auburndale project from the beginning. The process was lacking, the goals were wrong, and the city hired a firm with a disappointing track record, so the result isn’t all that surprising. IMO, the West Newton project is being done the right way. I hope the results are much different.
Tricia-do you know how many pedestrian accidents have occurred in the past in Auburndale?
What do you mean by “in the past”? Ever? I have no idea. Assuming you’re asking specifically about Auburndale Square, I just looked at the police log for 2016 and there were 74 incidents listed as MVA/PED, and one was in Auburndale Sq. Don’t know if they might be coded as something else, though.
My point is that if there were minimal or no accidents in the past – could it be that they illogical way they have now made Lexington Street/ Comm Ave/ Auburndale Ave in Auburndale Square a reason for this recent pedestrian accident?? Personally I feel that this recent accident is just the beginning – I don’t think they created a better traffic flow but in fact have made it worse.
Oh, it’s definitely worse. The problem is that we can’t know for sure at this point how much is bad design and how much is really poor planning and implementation.