Boston City Councilor Michael Flaherty was once a staunch opponent of the idea that narrowing a road can improve safety and traffic flow. But he’s changed his mind, Universal Hub reports.
Incumbent Councilor Michael Flaherty said he once would have stood shoulder to shoulder with West Roxbury residents opposed to narrowing Centre Street and that, in fact, he vigorously fought both state and city transportation agencies that wanted to do something similar on L Street and Day Boulevard in South Boston in response to the 2018 death of a young child, killed when a car involved in a crash jumped a curb.
Flaherty said he was particularly concerned about the potential loss of parking spaces in a neighborhood where, he allowed, “folks would rather give up their car than their parking spot.”
But, he told a forum at the fall meeting of the Bellevue Hill Improvement Association, the “road diet” has actually worked out well and meant “major, significant safety improvements” along L Street and Day Boulevard, and he now sees the benefits of such proposals.
Newton, of course, has been having the same discussion about putting Washington Street on a road diet. Is there a lesson to be learned from Boston and Flaherty?
A video illustrating how a road diet might work on Washington Street is no longer available but here’s a different video from Jeff Speck explaining the concept.
Jeff Speck: Four Road Diets from Cupola Media on Vimeo.
Narrowing (with 4 lanes down to two) has certainly improved and made much safer Nonantum Road along the Charles River.
Now encourage Newton drivers to switch whenever feasible to subcompact cars, better suited to narrower roads. We have two such vehicles in our family.
I think this link is the famous Jeff Speck vidéo concept of Washington St. https://youtu.be/2zAMdQqkPhk
984 views is hardly famous, first time I’ve seen it.
Why haven’t more people seen this?
I’m in favor of the turn lane.
It’s unlikely to make a usable park ( I noticed in the drawing of the park a noticeable reduction of green grass space). Where the green space is ( and newly planted trees, thank you councilor Norton).
The noise levels are around 100 dB right near the pike, I measured peaks of 114 dB. Exposure to 100 dB can cause long term hearing loss. To have a park there you have to mitigate the noise first.
Sorry but for those of us who live in West Newton and already battle the traffic getting into and out of West Newton Square every day, taking away a lane of traffic in each direction will guarantee that the gridlock that already exists every morning and afternoon will only get worse. That Four Diets Road video shows buildings on both sides. Obviously Washington Street has buildings on only one side, as well as neighborhood streets, and that turning lane will get so back up that nobody will go anywhere, except maybe the 1 or 2 bicyclists who might ever be seen riding there in the few months of the year here where the weather is good enough to bike. Washington Street is wide enough to narrow the current car lanes, add some bike lanes, and we’ll be good to go if we can just get the street paved, because the way it is now you’re taking your life into your hands if you try to ride a bicycle on it. Whatever we do, please let’s not turn Washington Street into Needham St, which is what this road diet proposal would do.
Man that video shows the entire street ( with a small exception) all built up. Hard to imagine that much growth not causing a huge traffic influx. That’s a LOT of development.
Really wonder if the infrastructure can handle it.
What stops us from exploring the idea that we push that road diet all back west along Washington Street to the Wellesley line?
Nonantum Road, just around the corner from Washington Street, is a perfect lesson in what a road diet can do. Safer, prettier, better traffic flow. What’s not to like? I find it hard to believe that anyone wants to keep Washington Street the way it is.
Nonantum Road is apples and oranges. And backs way way up at 7 am. I know because I take that way to the gym, and if I don’t get in the road before 6:45 it can take 1/2 hour to get from Galen Street to the first light going east.
I think the turn lane on Washington makes sense, since I live in a left turn off Washington Street, I think the huge amount of development that is visioned has people concerned about traffic. Probably what I would do is avoid Washington and take Austin Street from West Newton to Newtonville ( that’s my secret short cut)