Hello everyone, my name is Naima Saeed.

She, her pronouns, Ward 5 City Councillor, and your traffic and parking chair.

I would like to call to order today's traffic and parking committee meeting of the Summerville City Council.

First, they will read the legal notice that allows us to have this meeting on Zoom.

Persoon to chapter two of the Act of 2023, this meeting of the city council committee will be conducted via remote participation.

We will post an audio video recording transcript or other comprehensive record of these proceedings as soon as possible after the meeting on the City of Somerville website and local cable access government channels.

Clerk, could you please call the role to establish a quorum?

This is roll call, Councilor Wheeler.

Here Councilor Mbau.

Here.

Two counselors present.

We have quorum.

Okay, great.

So can we scroll down?

Thank you.

And I just want to clarify these items were discussed at the last meeting.

And the committee decided to keep them in committee.

So we can hear from other departments from ISD and SPD.

So Clerk, could you please read all the uh the three items?

Agenda item one in order by Councillor Ewan Campen and Councillor Scott at the Director of Mobility update this council on the intersection improvements at Webster Avenue and Prospect Street.

Agenda item two, a public communication from 64 residents, submiting comments about parking on Oak, Houghton, Bolton, and Prospect Streets.

And agenda item three, an order by Councilor Wheeler that this council review construction related parking in the area of Oak Street and Bolton Street.

Thank you, Clerk.

So just uh very briefly, at the last meeting, we heard from both engineering and uh the parking department.

And um from that conversation, uh we realized that enforcement um is yeah, like uh the director Pulsaway from Engineering shared that uh when it comes to enforcement, we need ISD.

So we think today we want to ask uh all the questions that are related to enforcement to ISD.

And then the other component was uh regarding towing and just like making sure uh this area is a priority for uh the police department.

Um so let's start with that.

I want to make sure we don't use today's meeting to uh repeat what was said.

Um so if we have questions that were not asked last time that are related to engineering and uh traffic, we also don't have the directors here um today.

So please um yeah, let's make sure we keep the questions related to ISD and uh SPD.

And um with that, um can we uh hear from Rosso?

Can we also just note Councilor Mbau has joined the meeting for the record?

Okay, Councilor Mbau.

Welcome.

Yes, good evening.

Um Elliot Russo from ISD.

I am here along with uh Floyd Richardson also um from ISD.

Um we've had um we we've had several you know communications with um the um the contractors working in in about um uh street, oak street, boulder street, in prospect streets.

And uh we are aware of the situation, but obviously it's you know it's it's hard for us to um to really um uh enforce what's going on down there.

I mean, we we've told contractors, you know, please be respectful, respectful of the neighborhood.

Um, it's a congested area.

And um, I think the one this past winter was kind of hard because of you know, this all the snow that we had and the snow removal, and it was difficult for uh contractors to really um you know park their vehicles without you know impeding um uh you know the neighborhood.

Um they're aware of its situation, and they said that they're gonna work with the neighborhood to make sure that um, you know, they're not upsetting um residents in the neighborhood.

And it was difficult for our contractors to really um you know park their vehicles without you know impeding um uh you know the neighborhood um they're aware of its situation and they said that they're gonna work with the neighborhood to make sure that um you know that they're not upsetting um residents in the neighborhood um basically they have you know they they get parking uh permission from uh traffic and parking they you know and they they they park their vehicles um in and about the um the area so hopefully um with the better weather um they'll be you know you know that they'll they know that there's a situation and um they're gonna work on resolving it with the neighborhood for the record can you just say your name and title thank you so much so inspectional services uh big building inspector thank you so much um are there any questions from the committee i see uh constant wheeler then counselor thank you uh through the chair and uh thank you for being here um mr uh laRous i'll call you by your title inspector larusso uh just to sort of um i'll try to recap without going down the the full list of everything we talked about last time about um about the issues residents of these streets have been running into i i appreciate your reaching out and talking to these um these contractors and and and developers and you know part of the context here is i think uh i feel certainly and i've heard from these residents i'm i'm not i'm not hearing you know a sense that these developers uh or contractors are the enemy by any means uh what what i feel like i've you know heard from them and read and what they've submitted including this this communication um is uh trying to struggle with how when there are repeating patterns of problems uh you know feeling frustrated that those patterns aren't sort of being uh picked up on and proactively addressed that's a word that the residents have used a lot is is looking for proactive solutions it's always easy I think for a counselor to sort of say like ah we should be doing we should be doing more and hard to say exactly what that is so I really appreciate uh your expertise the expertise we've had from people from traffic and parking as well um I I'm curious about what you think are some of the sort of opportunities here either to get some of these contractors and developers um you know in better communication with people on these blocks uh and to to try to look at some of our procedures to make sure that uh a contractor or a developer who's really trying to sort of minimize their footprint and impact on the neighborhood is being appreciated and rewarded and you know getting you know getting the permits they need uh promptly but someone who who might be again and again and again abusing the you know the permissions uh sort of taking advantage that that that's something that we're we're noticing and you're using what we can to give them a bit of a harder time about it over time.

Right.

And uh if I may through the chair so obviously we have we have um we have multiple projects on three separate streets um three to four ongoing um construction sites and uh you have multiple trades coming in the area this this is not just this is not just this area it's the whole city and it's difficult at times to find parking spots but you have to also understand that when you have multiple trades there's multiple vehicles and you have street cleaning and then you had throw street cleaning um in into the mix and makes it harder for you know for for everybody and you know and people people people's patients sometimes not where they should be and um but I think that the contractors are aware that there is a problem and uh before it escalates um they're they're hoping that they can come to some type of you know resolution with the neighborhood to to lessen the impact um and the burden of you know to the neighborhood obviously they're quite you know their thing is well you know when we work in the neighborhood we go to traffic and parking they issue us a decal so we could park now residents come home they don't find a place to park and they're they they get upset I understand I feel I'm some of a resident myself I mean I have I have parking in my yard so I don't have a problem with parking on the street.

But you know unfortunately um Oak Street Bolton Street I mean then you have deliveries.

Right then you have the deliveries that come as well.

So I think the biggest problem was that there was a couple of projects on Prospect Street, and the contractors just, you know, spilled over onto Oak and Holton Street.

And um that that's where um that's where it escalated out of control.

I'm hoping um that the contractors are aware that there is a situation and they're gonna have to um they're gonna have to cater to the neighborhood.

But also keep in mind that if you know traffic and parking keeps issuing permits to these contractors, you're gonna have you're gonna have more vehicles for the next six months, eight months, ten months, whatever it takes, how long it takes for this, you know, for for for three family to go up.

But there's multiple projects on one street.

That is the burden that these contractors are having, and the burden that the residents are having as well.

You know, it's uh it's unfortunate that we, you know, we live, we live in a city where there's construction everywhere.

Uh there's roads being dug up, there's sidewalks being dug up, and it's just um it's just it doesn't make for a pleasant um, you know, a pleasant uh discussion for everybody involved.

So hopefully um there's some type of resolution to this.

I don't know if Floyd wants to add Floyd Richardson, local building inspector.

The problem with Oak Street is they just they're finishing up the building at 54 Prospect Street.

They're at the end of the job, and most of the contractors are parking on Oak Street while they're doing that job.

That one should be done within a month or two.

The one down on 118 Prospect Street, which is Holton Street, that job is getting ready to wrap up soon, also.

The one at 118, that one's that one's a mess, and that's gonna be like that for a while.

Okay, uh just um on what was shared.

Uh, thank you both.

Um you said you're hoping the contractors understand this issue and um we're trying to do things differently.

Um so my question is, you know, uh I I don't want just hopes, like, is ISD meeting with these contractors to when you meet I know you meet with contractors, developers on a regular basis.

So during your monthly meetings or whatever, are you discussing these issues, these specific issues that were brought up by the neighbors.

Um if uh the clerk could please have the letter uh on the screen that was uh uh sent to this committee.

So it's the attachment 26-0634.

So I can't see the whole number here.

Um yeah, so that's my first question.

Do you have meetings with these having meetings with those developers?

If yes, what is be is this being discussed?

Well, we don't meet with these um these contractors and developers um on a on a monthly basis.

We meet with them when they call, for example, a foundation um um inspection or a um screw inspection or you know, a um inspection electrical inspection.

So it's not just us that meets with these contractors, plumbing inspectors that meets with them, um, electoral inspectors that meet with them.

But when you know, we've met with them, we we've you know, we've we've stressed the fact that hey, you know, residents are complaining.

Try to um try to be more considerate um of your neighbors when you're coming to you know to work and make sure you're not blocking driveways or parking on the sidewalk or parking, you know, at the corner where your truck cannot make a turn coming down the street.

So and they're aware of that.

Um so hopefully um they will, you know, they will cater to the neighborhood and make sure that they're not upsetting the neighborhood.

Obviously, uh people are you know there's always gonna be one person who's gonna be upset because of the disruption that's all this construction is causing on a specific street.

But hopefully, hopefully um they'll be more considerate to the to the to the matter.

Um yeah, thank you.

Uh as I said, I'm trying here to make very specific requests.

So what I'm hearing is that there are no monthly meetings or you know, not monthly, but like regular meetings with these developers, they understand our contractors, but developers may understand is that at least in my ward when we have when you know we have developers, you know, who are uh applying for permits and all that.

Um it was shared with me that ISD will meet with the developer and discuss you know the permits, but also uh any concerns that are ISD is getting through 311 tickets, uh calls and all that.

So if these meet, if especially developers, if you have developers on this street and we this ISD has not had meetings, my request is to meet with them or send them communications specifically about this matter, because it's one thing this is coming from a neighbor, maybe some of them are interacting with these, you know, contracts developers.

It's another thing when this comes from ISD from the city that's issuing permits, uh, being very clear, uh, you know, reminding them, you know, of what they committed to.

We heard from director postal we at the last meeting that there is a traffic for all those projects, there's uh a traffic uh construction uh a traffic construction uh plan.

Um and if they are not respecting it, I think they should be consequences.

Um is this something that can happen reaching out, requesting a meeting, or sending um communication of like here's what we're hearing from neighbors.

Uh and here's what you need to keep doing.

Like it's just uh yeah, like to me, it's uh you just can't just like hope that they will just be start being uh you know thoughtful and good neighbors.

Um this ISD has to initiate this.

Yeah, if that's something that's I mean, we have to um I mean maybe we have to bring in traffic and parking also on this matter and have and see what they can do um to assist.

Um I don't know.

Yeah, so we can talk to them as much as we can, you know.

I mean, yeah, so one thing is communication, at least what's happening in my ward when there are projects like that, you communicate something, you uh you know, it's like it's it's written and you say if this keeps happening, then this is when it would like us to talk about what does ISD do when there are repeated uh uh instances of not complying with again traffic construct construction, um forgetting the word, but like each construction project has like a traffic plan, and um if they're not if there is no compliance to that, uh we can see here from the letter, they specifically say you know, compliance with street closure protocols.

Contractors frequently obstruct or close roads for extended periods without adhering to some of its procedural requirements.

Um sorry, go ahead.

No, because you so that's that's one example, right?

You bring up street closures.

I mean, usually when the street is closed, it's either for um digging up um to you know to do like an electrical service or plumbing service, which you know, they just can't close up a street, they have to go through the proper protocols, which is notifying you know the residents that on such and such a date on you know May 22nd, you have the streets gonna be closed for an extended period of time.

You know, there'll be a police officer there doing a detail.

But you know, that's that's all that that's out of our control.

That's up to the contractor to know that when he's you're gonna shut down a street, he's gonna have to post the street, post the neighborhood.

Right, talk to engineering, talk to traffic and parking and uh get the police involved.

I mean, what one one possible solution would be to maybe um you know, maybe designate more parking control offices in that area to um to enforce to enforce, give tickets, hand out tickets.

Um as a department, we just can't put a stop order on a project if you know if building violence.

If the yeah, if there's because we're we're there to enforce, we're we're there to enforce the uh the building codes.

Um, but not the parking.

But you know, we can talk to them or you know, get traffic and parking to assign more um more PCOs in the area, and they can they can enforce with uh you know one stroke of the pen issuing citations, you know.

Maybe that'll be a wake-up call.

I'm just throwing that out there, but that could be a yeah remedy.

I think what I'm hearing is that um it would be a good idea to try and for the departments to meet so parking, engineering and ISD, you know, engineering and isd, they you all work a lot together for you know, approving permits and um engineering coming up with the traffic plan.

Um, but I think from what we heard like traffic, you know, that they have their you know rules and on how to on issuing tickets and they just do that regardless of you know, is there a contractor?

No, is it a contract of like I think we heard from director um uh uh reinfred that as long as like the the tickets the violations wherever the fines are paid, they continue to issue those tickets.

So a conversation needs to happen here between all the three departments, uh with ISD being the one ISD, you do the enforcement reaching out to the contractors and the developers, reminding them of these things, and what will happen if they do not follow that, which we'll talk about next.

So making sure everyone is on the same page and working together is important, and if we all determine that, okay, these folks are not following the rules.

Um, and maybe that's when you ask the traffic the director Riffret to stop issuing tickets if that's a possibility.

Uh she is not here today.

That's why I wanted to have everyone uh here at this meeting.

So everyone is on the same page and we have like a plan.

Um and um we mentioned just now the SPD and the role here, um for street closure.

Um I just wanted because Councillor Mbat has his hands up.

Uh is there anything that you want to add before we uh that's ISD related before we have I um uh Lieutenant Holland speak to the SPD part of this conversation, council.

Thank you, Madame Chair.

Can you hear me okay?

Yes, yes, yeah.

No, um I guess you know, it is a very distinct distinct privilege for me to sit here and watch the honorable Elo Lorusso, you know, address this committee from ISD.

You know, for those of you who don't know, you know, uh Councillor Razus Lorusso was the what one city counselor for a number of years, so I've known him as a city council.

So I was mostly here to listen to him because to ask for suggestion now that he's on the other side of the table, you know.

Uh first of all, wanted to congratulate him for joining the city in this capacity and ask for his advice about how we should handle a problem like this.

So I was mostly curious to hear what his thing as a veteran and as a former city counselor who have served in city for an so take it away.

The honorable Russo.

Well, thank through the chair.

Thank you for the compliments.

Uh uh Council Umba.

Um, yeah, well, like I said, uh, we're here to um we're here, we're here to work, we're here to help.

And um I think the majority of the problems, the the majority of the complaints was from the prospect street project because there's no parking on Prospect Street and most of the contractors spilled on to um um to Oak Street in Bolton Street.

So I think with those with those couple of projects coming to a uh conclusion in the you know in the next um was the next few months.

I think you're gonna see um you're gonna see um the burden lessened on um on you know Bolton and Oak Street because again, Prospect Street had a few substantial large projects where contractors couldn't park on Prospect Street, so they spilled into um another building 108.

Right, there's another building 108.

And I think there's one on uh Webster Street as well.

Correct.

So um, you know getting all getting all the parties involved, um, and especially um um traffic and parking.

Um I I think we can um definitely remedy this problem before it hopefully does not get out of control.

But then again, we had a bad winter too.

So, you know, that didn't help either with all these uh contractors um just spilling into other you know into the neighborhoods.

It's unfortunate it's uh just every neighborhood has something going on.

Um but that said I'll uh turn it back over to the chair.

Uh thank you, madame chair.

And and uh Elliot, if I hear you complaining online again, because now this is not you gotta solve this problem.

So congratulations no more complaining online.

Okay, we're gonna keep an eye on you, okay.

Thank you, Madame Chair Must.

Okay.

So uh thank you.

Umspectorus.

So um, yeah, so you're just reiterating what you have uh shared, which is the action plan is coordinate these efforts with the traffic department.

Um and reaching out to these, especially the you know, the streets, you the street you mentioned, um the debapus on those on that street, reminding them, you know, of these you know, rules and what they committed to, and um and you know reviewing all the traffic, the traffic plan and you know, whatever permits you know you issued, and um you know, the importance of like complying to all those.

Um so that's one action plan with ISD.

You know, I always like to leave a meeting with an action plan so we can reach out and ask how it's going.

Go talk to neighbors there and adjust it as we go.

Uh and it sounds like right now there's real little communication with the traffic department.

So I'm excited that we're gonna be starting that.

Uh Counselor Wheeler.

Thank you, Chair.

Um, echoing some of what you were saying uh before, I think uh there's there's real value when different parts of the city government talk to each other.

And um, you know, I I think getting folks from ISD and folks from traffic and parking talking to each other about uh you know what are what are some of the proactive ways that we could take a look at some of our procedures and try to figure out, you know, is there an opportunity at the point where the traffic and parking department is being asked by a contractor or developer for parking permits to you know, for example, look at the recent history around you know parking rule compliance.

Uh there are different kinds of pieces of the process that it might be that when city staff are having the chance to to talk to each other uh about this and and to brainstorm that that might come up.

One of the things that uh one of the residents of this neighborhood suggested to me that I I thought was a really interesting uh point was that um there are some different uh approaches and answers that other cities around us have.

And uh it sounds like there's some slight differences in how Boston approaches uh these questions and also some differences in how Cambridge approaches these questions.

Now we're not Boston and we're not Cambridge, but uh, you know, I want to make sure that as we're thinking through tricky problems like this, and it's it's tricky, you know.

I I appreciate your points, uh, Mr.

LaRusso that um there's no easy answer here, but uh I I do think it's important for us to be you know talking to our peers and looking at some of the the ways that they've approached things, maybe some of the ways they've shifted over time.

Um it it sounds like you know, for example, there's different prices in Cambridge and Boston uh for some of these uh contractor parking permits, there's different kinds of limitations, and it it sounds like Boston often has much stricter limits on on how many of these permits they issue, and that could be a reflection of the you know the greater ease of transportation by public transportation in Boston, but you know, we've we've got more of that here than we used to, and it may be that you know, depending on the location relative to transit, we need to take that into account.

I know that I'm talking more about parking and traffic aspects than about ISD aspects, but you know, in the in the spirit of looking at this, you know, from all perspectives and getting together and putting our heads together.

But you know, in the in the spirit of looking at this, you know, from all perspectives and getting together and putting our heads together.

Thank you, Chair.

Uh thank you, Council Wheeler, Councillor Mbau.

Thank you, Madame Chair.

Uh, to counselor LaRusso, I'm gonna push back also now officially as your colleague or you know, on on the other side of the table.

I think issuing, I know part of your so suggestion was that they should have more enforcement officer to issue more tickets.

That doesn't help because it because for them paying tickets part of their business model.

So it doesn't really help any, you know.

This is just it we need to find like an alternative.

I think and plus one to counselor wheeler that they have to be some coordination.

I think the residents are very tough while I consider them as even technocrats, because they don't just complain, they provide suggested way to kind of like you know, solve the problem.

And part of it, we can see that it's gap in communication.

So that coordinated effort to be able to you know create the checks and balances, making sure that once there's a permit, or you know, it's are there any violators?

Are there any so you know stuff that can you know can trigger you know withdrawal or something because we can create policies, yes, we are inspectional services for is for building code, but again, that's why we have policies in the books.

I don't think that there's any court or any judge that's gonna say, oh, you should not have you could the city could not issue a startwall order because you know they are not supposed to, like, because oh, you know, this is like a whole state mandated rules and regulations.

So I guess um this we we gotta find a way to move beyond issuing tickets.

Either we add a triple or quadruple the fines for this kind of violation, or we find a another way to say first, second, third, and then we need to have some policy in the book.

So I guess I'm thinking now, Councillor Wheeler, I think you and I and Chess, I might think about like a broader policy conversation, you know, in terms of like, you know, some new ordinance or regulation that is gonna stop this.

This is where I'm thinking, so that we don't go keep going around a circle and not actually getting some real concrete action, you know, and action that is enforceable, that resident can see that you know we've actually done something.

Thank you, Chair.

Yes, uh I may just say through the chair.

Those are all valid points, uh, Council Mamba.

Um, I think I think we've begun um a good um conversation just tonight alone with the various department heads and us from ISTs, you know, speaking to these um contractors, and hopefully um, it's a wake-up call for them as well.

So we're here, we're here to uh you know, do our part, and if we can you know all work together on this, I think that we can come up with some type of resolution.

Thank you.

Um yeah, thank you uh for you know agreeing to reaching out to them and uh working with uh the traffic department.

So in order to address the situation.

Um, if you're ready uh to move to questions related to what SPD can do.

Uh, we have Lieutenant Holland here.

Thank you for being here.

Um, you know, and uh please um Inspector LaRoussel stay in the call.

Um, because there are some questions again, maybe we can find a way to work with SPD as well.

Um and uh, yeah, Lieutenant Hall uh Holland.

Um so at the last meeting, um director Boswe shared that um it would be important to have this area as like high priority uh for SPD.

Could you speak to how you determine an area is high priority?

And was this area has this area been a high priority for your department?

Um for certain projects they get prioritized um as far as like detail officers being assigned to them, and that that's through the detail office uh based on the street, the location, what they're gonna be doing.

Um it doesn't sound like that's much of the complaint from the letter I was reading, it's more of the vehicles being blocking driveways and and just being in the area, which isn't really a detail officer thing.

Um it doesn't sound like that's much of the complaint from the letter I was reading, it's more of the vehicles being blocking driveways and and just being in the area, which isn't really a detail officer thing, but if they would would uh report the violations to the police department when they like just call when they go or not, we can respond and deal with them as they go on.

We don't normally tow cars for uh regular permit violations or things like that, but if they're blocking a driveway within uh 12 feet of an intersection or um fire fire lanes, fire hydrants, things like that, we we can address those when when we get there.

Okay, um thank you, uh Lieutenant.

So I'm hearing if uh a driveway is blocked, uh that's when your department can get involved.

Yes, we can yeah, um, if someone calls, they can't get in their driveway, they can't get out of their driveway, they can call us, we'll respond, issue a citation, potentially tow the vehicle if we're not able to contact uh owner and and get it moved.

Yeah.

So how what's the process for that?

Does uh do the neighbor should the neighbors just call uh SPD?

Yes, just when that happens, or does it go through traffic to No, right to they can call right to us.

Um the regular business line uh 617-625-1212 or the 1600, um, and just speak to a dispatcher or a police officer, let them know what's going on, and we can come out and respond and address the situation.

Okay, thank you, Lieutenant.

Okay, we have another commitment.

So uh neighbors who are listening going forward, this area is being prioritized, and when a neighbor calls SPD about a block driveway, SPD will send someone um to address that.

And the other thing that I see in the letter that I think is also SPD related, is uh the deliveries.

So when these contractors have deliveries and they're blocking the road, and um, yeah, it's hard for yeah, like the traffic, you know, is not moving.

Um what can SPD do here?

So they're not always um assigning details to these jobs if they're not blocking the road, if they're just working on their buildings.

Um if they're gonna be blocking the road for a period of time, they are supposed to call and let us know and hire a detail, um, even if it's a short time, so we can have somebody go and be there.

Um, as you know, we have a lot of projects in the city, so a lot some of the jobs don't get officers assigned.

But if there's an issue on a on a any street ever, um construction block in the road or any delivery truck, so they can just call and we will have an officer respond and uh address, see if we can get the truck moved or however get get people in and out um however we can.

Okay.

So uh it sounds like same approach here.

Neighbors should call when they see that.

And since we have ISD here, this is another really good reminder for these contractors and developers, is to reach out beforehand so that neighbors don't have to do it and we don't get to into situation where the street is blocked, uh, to just reach out to the police department.

Now, in the event where you know there's no police officer available, um, that's you know, a different story, but it sounds like if they do it beforehand, SPD has enough time to prepare and make sure there's someone assigned to that, right?

Like ideally they would the developer should do that beforehand, right?

Yes, yes.

And if if we find them in violation of that, they're not calling and letting us know um our detail office calls and and deals with the companies um on the administrative side and um to try and keep them in compliance okay.

And my question there, so yeah, when there's no compliance, does ISD and SPD is that communication that happens between ISD and SPD?

Like does ISD reach out to you saying, you know, we receive the ticket, we receive the call.

Um I'm not sure that we we could kind of deal with two different things.

They're more code violations and inspections and things like that, and we're more on the outside of the house.

Um, you know, the street public public areas.

But yeah, in terms of the enforcement, right?

Yeah.

So there's not really an overlap.

There isn't really okay.

Um, how do I ask this?

So, you know, if you know, I'm an abotter of these projects and you don't know who to call, and they just put in a 3-1-1 because that's what usually ask institutions to do.

3 1 1 road is uh, you know, the road is blocked, has been blocked, whatever, for 20-30 minutes, uh, and that there's no you know, police officer there directing traffic or whatever.

Where does that ticket go?

To the police, to ISD, and how um I don't know how 311 handles it.

Sometimes they will forward calls to us, um, but I don't think they forward everyone.

But if it's a uh active block road or any anything that's actively going on, I would suggest to call the police department first, and then um they can always file the complaint with 311 so they have it on record and they can address it on their end.

But if if they're looking to get something fixed and um handled right away, then to call us right away so we can come out.

Okay.

Because very often, thank you for mentioning that, Lieutenant.

Very often we ask constituents to just put in a 3-1-1.

Uh, but it sounds like in this scenario, it's best to just call the police department.

Um that, you know, you you get the call, you have you have you know, staff and officer available, you send them uh it's faster than going through this one 311 process.

Yes.

Okay.

Okay, great.

And thank you for uh willing to prioritize this area, and you know, when a call is received, and especially with the prospect street, um now your department, I hope, is aware that this is an area that has been having a lot of these issues um to make sure we prioritize it until these two big projects apparently, according to ISD has shared uh are will be uh finished in a few months.

Okay, great.

We it sounds like we have an action plan.

Um colleagues, do we have any other questions?

Um to SPD.

Uh Saramba.

Um not necessarily SPD, I don't know if you saw my text, you know, just uh I know that one of you know the leaders of this you know uh group on Oak Street there online, you know.

If you can ask them at ISKIT or Serena, whoever wants to weigh in for this conversation, this is their plot, this is their issue, just so that we you know maybe they probably have an idea or about how it's just helpful.

Like I would just it's at your discretion, my answer.

Um normally we uh we ask uh we give constituents a heads up uh so they're prepared.

Um and um my hope is that we will use the letter as a way to um you know have this conversation.

Um I really appreciate them taking the time to write this and offer suggestions.

Um I think what I will say is if there's anything that is not already in this letter, uh and if uh one of the neighbors would like to add something that is not already in the letter uh or comment very briefly, um that would be it would be okay with that.

Uh obviously if my colleagues are okay with it.

Uh looking at the attendees, uh again, if you'd like to speak, raise your hand.

Uh and um similar to what we did last time, maybe just one person is raised hand.

Uh so Serena Serena is um the neighbor who spoke on behalf of uh everyone who signed this letter.

Uh uh clerk, could you please um you Serena?

Good evening.

Yeah, Serena, we can hear you.

Hello, um, first of all, I just want to say thank you to the ISD and also to Lieutenant Holland for for speaking.

Um, I'm actually really encouraged by what I was hearing.

And um I I uh think that uh it's going to be very important for for your teams to work or your your departments to work with traffic and parking.

Um I I really think this is gonna end up being a multi-the-the solution is gonna have to be multi-department, right?

Um so uh I just I want to thank you for for your willingness to have this conversation.

Um and then the other piece that I just wanted to touch on uh is that really looking for for proactive solutions.

Um I think one of the things that's extremely frustrating about this uh and I I understand, you know, oh you could call you could call SBD about this.

I have called SPD.

And the response that I got was yeah, there's a lot of traffic in your neighborhood right now.

You know, I I think so.

I think Lieutenant Holland, having having you kind of elevate if they if if your team does get a call from our department, maybe to take it a little bit more seriously than just um you know tracking it up to regular regular you know traffic times.

But but that said, um I I appreciate the the multi-pronged solution here and uh and I appreciate the kind of out of the box thinking.

And um, if there's an opportunity to have any of these conversations with you further, I'd uh I'd welcome the opportunity to do so.

So um thank you for for letting me add that.

Can you just state your name and address for the record, please?

Thank you.

Oh, sure.

Serena Badner, 31 Bolton Street.

Uh thank you, Serena.

I appreciate you adding that.

It's always great when we get um immediate feedback um and figure out what's missing.

So uh and yeah, having Lieutenant Holland here flagging this area um for his staff, I think would um hopefully make this situation better.

Um and uh constant ball.

Thank you, Mirancha for indulging me.

Thank you, Serena, for speaking.

Just for the record.

Lieutenant Holland is uh one of the finance at SPD.

So just wanted to leave that out there.

Thank you, Marincher.

Good to see you, Lieutenant.

Thank you, counselor.

Okay, great.

I you know, I love when we are all here brainstorming and you know, together and finding solution.

Uh, and we will um yeah, feel free to reach out as Serena said to the neighbors um to see how like things are going and you know, if they adjust meant to be made uh along the way.

Any other questions to um ISD or SPD before we close these items.

Okay, thanks again, uh Inspector Loriso for your great suggestion working together with uh you know consolidating efforts here and thanks, Lieutenant Holland, for being here.

Um Madam Clerk, we will mark all three items.

Uh as um, I made through the chair.

Absolutely, yeah.

Go ahead.

Once again, um we're gonna, you know, what we're always in the area, so we'll talk to the contractors and um we'll hopefully um drive to them the fact that you have to be respectful to the neighborhood and don't upset the residents and see where it goes.

All right, but we'll uh we'll work on that, okay.

Okay.

Thank you, Ms.

Basilor.

So appreciate your work.

Okay, great.

Uh so with that, we'll mark item one, two, and three as uh were completed.

Chair, we can mark one and two work completed, but three does look disposition.

I assume you know, you can market work approved or recommend it to be approved.

Yeah, referred for recommendation.

Yeah, thank you uh for pointing that out.

Uh so we'll mark item number three as uh oh okay.

See, before we do that, uh counselor wheeler.

Thank you, Chair.

I just wanted to check about item one.

Uh I I'm not super familiar with the background context of that one, but are there any other intersection considerations for Webster and prospect beyond the um you know the the spillover problems that residents have been having?

I just wasn't wasn't sure if there were other improvements that had been motivating Councillor Scott and Counselor Ewan Campen to bring forward that order.

Yeah, uh very good point, Council Wheeler.

Thank you.

We have just a person for that.

Uh uh Director Rosen, if you are ready.

Um counselor's uh reached out to you about this specific item.

There's any other aspect to it if it's not related to our discussion today.

Chair, good evening.

Brad Ross and OSPC Mobility Division.

Um, thanks for spotlighting this issue.

My understanding was that this council order was actually independent of the construction impacts items that we just discussed.

So I appreciate Councilor Wheeler just flagging that.

And Chair, I know we have a longer form discussion on Safe Streets ordinance that we were hoping to get to.

So if it's okay, may I offer to the committee just a very quick, you know, two-minute update on where we're at with prospect and Webster in terms of accessibility and safety updates, if that's okay with you.

Okay.

And um, do you suggest that after this update that we keep it in committee for a longer conversation?

Will this be uh addressed?

What the counselors are asking.

Chair staff's intent would be to provide um you know the best information that we have at this time.

Um, and then if you all want to speak about this again, my recommendation would be to you know submit another order in the months ahead.

Okay.

All right.

Let's hear uh from Director Rossing.

Okay.

Thank you, Chair.

I appreciate it.

So as counselors and community members will recall, the intersection of Prospect Street and Webster Street, which actually technically includes a leg with Concord Avenue, is part of the long-term Union Square Streetscape and Plaza project that has been on the city's capital investment plan for a few years, and that our office led a really terrific community engagement and technical engineering process for several years ago.

So it is a multi-phase project, stretching all the way from the far side of Bow Street down to Prospect Webster.

Um, and it's going to take many years and a lot, a lot of money.

Currently, that entire large neighborhood geography is at its 25% design milestone, Chair.

Um, all of the project documentation for that work that took place primarily between 2021 and 2023 is available on the city's website.

Community members can find that documentation just by searching Summer Voice Union Square Streetscape.

I'll quickly pivot to the phase one project, Chair.

Because this project area is so large.

Our project team have recommended breaking that large area into several smaller phases that can be designed and constructed independently.

So the first phase has been focused on Prospect Street as a corridor, ranging from Prospect Webster Concord past Somerville Avenue and up to the old post office.

Um we have estimated, Chair, that the design budget required to advance that phase one project from its current 25% to construction drawings, would take about 1.2 million dollars.

The city has secured a state grant of a little less than $800,000 in design services.

So that's a great start for the fundraising and building that budget that we need to do the work.

We are currently considering additional options for the remaining funding needed.

And we anticipate having more information on that for the council and the community in the summertime.

Chair, we have estimated that that phase one streetscape project, which includes the big prospect Webster intersection, would need roughly 11 million dollars for its construction budget.

City secured a 1.4 million dollar state grant to help with that last year.

So again, that is a great start for the bigger finance plan that we will need to pull together.

But I don't want to um uh I don't want to minimize the challenges ahead.

Chair, the council and the committee community know uh the challenging fiscal circumstances that Somerville faces right now.

And so we're working really hard with grants, developer mitigation funds and every funding source possible to continue moving this important work forward.

So if we are able to pull the design and the construction budgets together, our current assumption is that we would restart the community engagement and the technical engineering work, starting from that 25% level that we achieved in 2023 and advancing it to construction documents.

Typically that would take about 18 months.

So that would suggest, Chair, that the earliest that we could start construction on that phase would be spring of 2028.

So we're a little ways away.

This schedule does have the potential to align well with an upcoming mass DOT bridge replacement project that the council is aware of.

The Webster Avenue Bridge will be fully rebuilt in the 2027 construction season.

It's gonna be hard for all of us to live through that.

Many city departments have been working to coordinate with the community and with Mass DOT.

But again, in this blue sky scenario, Chair, we would finish that work and we would be pivoting into the city's intersection reconstruction for Prospect and Webster, consistent with those 25% designs that I've referenced a couple of times.

So I realize that that is a very quick and very high-level update on this wildly complex and very important project.

I hope it's somewhat satisfying to the committee, and I'm happy to answer a questions you may have.

Yeah, thank you, Director, for uh this update.

It is uh it is a lot.

Thank you for nicing that.

Um, but yeah, it sounds like you know, we're still keeping our goals um, you know, as a city, and uh well also recognizing you know the current financial situation.

Um, but this is the plan for this intersection.

And um I do not have questions.

Um my uh counselor Wheeler.

Thank you, Chair.

Um, I really appreciate this update and uh appreciate the sense of the scope of this work.

This is part of an immense project.

And uh I'm really excited about this project and also appreciative and humble in the face of you know the depth of the planning work and the implementation work it'll involve.

One thing I know that um that counselor Ewan Campen brought up uh in the council session when he introduced this item was uh you know, just wondering about if there's any room for uh for quick build improvements.

And you know, I know there's there's plenty of trade-offs with those.

Sometimes it can be easy to think something like that will improve things.

Those can be surprisingly expensive and surprisingly ineffective if not thought through all the way.

So, you know, not treating that as some sort of panacea, but I'm curious if there's any opportunity for those, if if that's something that your office is considering.

Chair through you, thanks for the question, counselor.

Yes, and counselor you and camp and counselor Scott and others have consistently asked for that type of um thinking.

It is part of our staff's thinking.

Um currently we are definitely focused on the larger capital projects, and yet acknowledging the complexity and the financial headwinds that we're facing.

Um, we will examine other opportunities for quick build solutions, counselor.

Um quick build solutions can work well for some uh applications.

We've had great success in the city with trimming up excessive intersection like turning radius using Flexpost, for example, just nearby to this location, actually at the corner of Webster and Newton.

That was our quick build solution for many years before the Mastop project got going.

Um, so I hear that advocacy loud and clear.

If we can bring that kind of toolkit to the big intersection, we will start to develop those ideas.

There could be signal timing changes, lane assignment changes uh that could be part of a toolkit as well.

And yet um, one of the things that I definitely just want to caution council and community members with we often just have crosswalk lengths that are too long accessible curb ramps that are too distant from one another.

And quick build projects do have an Achilles heel, which is that they generally cannot accommodate accessibility upgrades, right?

So we've got to get shovels in the ground if we want to relocate a crosswalk landing.

Um, and that's been one of the trickiest parts of planning for this intersection.

Through the chair, thank you, Director.

Uh thank you, Madame Chair.

No, I just wanted to echo you know Council Wheeler.

It seems like you always say hard act of follow these days, but no, it's good.

I mean, like it's uh yeah, I appreciate you know uh Director Ralson and his walk.

Like it's like I was chatting with him this morning, just how much we keep banging, banging him, banging his department there until you go out, and they realize that wow, like we other municipalities are not even doing half of what we are doing.

I'm telling you, this is I just described like uh, you know, like just I was in Miami.

These folks, they are going down here.

It's like, but I could not believe I thought I was gonna go learn something from them, but I was instead the one telling them it's like, hey, come to somebody and learn something.

You know, they're crosswalk done walk, nobody crosses.

It's just it's like a whole it's just a mess, you know, and yet we uh here, you know, we just keep hitting hot, you know, saying that we don't have enough, which of course we'll always keep asking for more.

But again, I just want to say thank you.

Rossin to double down on everything he's doing because it's really humbling when you get out of your own bubble and they realize that, oh, you know, you're not so thank you.

Chair through you, uh Council, thank you for the compliments.

And we've got a great team across many departments, including mine.

Um, so thanks very much.

And and please don't interpret our commentary as kicking the can down the road towards those capital projects.

We will take seriously the goal of trying to act sooner.

Um, we know that the existing conditions are unsafe, inaccessible, congested, chaotic.

Um, and we are actually constantly thinking about folks um like MBTA bus riders who are stuck in these intersections and thinking about signalization and other changes that we can perform perhaps earlier and try to get buses through that intersection.

So um there's plenty of homework assignments for our staff.

Thank you.

Uh yeah, thank you, director, and thank you uh for adding uh the part about yeah, ADA.

Yeah, the quick build projects um do not include ADA um aspects to it.

Um, so we can't achieve ADA compliance.

Um I think it's important to remind, you know, also like the public of that because it's something that we're asked.

Um we're often, you know, when uh we have to wait our turn, and you know we uh we can't just do a quick build everywhere.

Um yeah, and I agree with Council Mbaugh we have the best over here in Somerville.

And um, so with that, we will uh mark item one.

Um Lieutenant Holland, please go ahead.

Yeah, I just wanted to add, um if you can get me a list of the projects going on that are causing the issues.

I have a sergeant who is in charge of details that I can give him the uh companies and the addresses, and he can go by and speak to them also.

Thank you.

Thank you, Lieutenant.

We we lost ISD here, but I would make sure after this meeting to uh connect you and uh ISD.

So um this list can be shared.

I'm sure it's something they can do.

I'm not gonna speak for them, but uh I can make that connection after the meeting.

Thank you, Lieutenant.

This is great.

Um so again, just going back to the disposition of the items.

We will mark item one as um work completed.

Then no further questions from the committee.

And uh again, for item number two and item item number three.

Um, for item number two, do you place that on file?

Item two, you can also mark work completed.

Yeah, okay.

As we said, this is approved.

Um, and um so just uh we're done now with the conversation uh regarding uh these items.

So Lieutenant Holland, if um you need to leave, um you can certainly do that, but you're also welcome to stay if you'd like.

Uh and uh the next item, uh clerk, could you please read that agenda item four?

A communication from the mayor conveying the 2026 safe streets ordinance annual report.

Okay, so we have uh director Rossin.

Yes, Chair, thanks again.

Um, really appreciate you and the committee squeezing in time during this busy season um to help the administration really spotlight the great work that's been done to implement the ordinance that our council passed that our community members have demanded.

Um so just as a quick recap before I introduce Justin Schreiber, our senior planner and uh lead staff person on this work.

Um, just a quick reminder for any community members who haven't been as involved as the council in 2024.

Somerville City Council adopted Somerville's safe streets ordinance, which was intended to help accelerate safe streets projects and crucially improve public information sharing.

This ordinance did build on a 2014 foundation, an ordinance that our predecessors worked on, the 2014 Somerville Complete Streets Ordinance, which was really progressive for its time, and yet the 2024 Safe Streets Ordinance is even better.

The city is required under the 2024 ordinance to publish an annual report to the city council by March 1st of every year.

City staff published our first annual report in March of 2025, consistent with the ordinance.

And in March of this year, we are happy to publish our second one.

So both of these reports, Chair are available online on the city's Vision Zero program homepage.

So an easy internet search of Somerville Vision Zero will bring it to a whole host of resources, including the very clearly labeled Safe Streets Ordinance Annual Reports for 25 and 26.

And although many city departments are involved in the day-to-day work of designing, building, and operating our safe streets, OSP CD Mobility Division does serve as the lead on preparing our annual reports.

So with that, I'd love to introduce Justin Schreiber, our amazing senior planner, to provide a short summary presentation if that's okay with you.

And we can make sure that the clerks have that, even though it's already online.

I just sent that request.

Yes.

Is this already attached to the item?

Is it that what that's what it is?

Yes.

Okay, perfect.

Thank you so much.

You should be able to present now.

Okay.

All right.

Um, so I'm presenting here from our 2026 annual report.

Um, and just I'll briefly review the requirements and then talk about the bike facility installation and then pedestrian and transit improvements as well.

So just quickly quickly go over the requirements of the report.

Um, first is to just report on what was installed in the previous year's construction season in terms of separated bike lanes, and then uh provide a plan for the current year construction season of no less than three miles, along with uh forecasted expenditure, and then also to provide a multi-year plan for constructing the full priority network by the end of 2030.

And there is a one-year extension available.

Um, and then finally, it's to also report on the pedestrian and transit infrastructure, sort of what is detailed in the Vision Zero action plan and the ADA transition plan.

So uh just first a little bit of housekeeping.

Um shown here is the original priority network of protected bike lanes.

And there's just a little bit of housekeeping in terms of what defines that party network that we have to take care of.

Um, so flipping to the next slide.

Um, there's been some updates to the priority network based on decisions that were made in various project processes.

Um, so this slide reflects those changes.

Um, so first um starting from the top of the table there, the Broadway Reconstruction Project provided two directions of bike facility when only one was required by the plan, and that added some mileage.

Um Pearl Street provided slightly less.

And then the L Beacon Connector, uh, just a small section of Beacon Street was added that that did not appear on the original priority network.

So in summary, um, that means that we added a little over half a mile, removed about 0.21 miles, and the net is about an addition of one-third of a mile.

So it's approximately the same, but just sort of for clarity and transparency updating here what the priority network is.

Um, and then again, I I have exactly the same table that was presented in 2025 with annotations in terms of what actually happened.

Um, this is just providing an overview of each project that we presented to be installed last year.

And while most of them were completed, some of them were not completed in their entirety, and some are deferred altogether.

And in the interest of time, I'm happy to come back to this, but I'm not going to go through each one at this time.

And then this next slide is what actually took place last year.

So this includes everything that was on the previous slide that was completed, as well as things that were not on the previous slide that we did also complete.

Um, I'm happy to provide clarity on that if it's helpful.

Um next slide, we have the 2026 planned installation.

Um, this includes the Allen Beacon Connector Project as well as a series of annual streets reconstruction projects.

So this includes the Allen Beacon Connector Project as well as a series of annual streets reconstruction projects.

And a small section as part of an intersection project on Washington Street.

Yeah, you can muted Justin.

Sorry about that.

Can you hear us?

Can you hear me now?

Yes, we can hear you now.

Thank you.

So here's the 2027 plan.

It includes the annual streets reconstruction project as well as a series of quick builds on Foley Street, Medford Street, Summerville Act and Washington Street.

And then this last section here is the multi-year plan for the rest of the priority network.

Again, I'm happy to talk in more specifics about any of these items.

But I don't want to go to the whole table right now.

And you know, just again, in the interest of transparency, just pointing out this note that we've added here that you know, given our current staff resources, we we do not anticipate that we'll be able to fully complete this list by the end of 2030.

Um and then here's a summary table.

I know there's a lot of tables, um, but this presents you know what was constructed pre-2025, um, and then each year planned, you know, actually completed and planned, and then the last section being the remaining to construct that's not included in the the two plans presented.

So that represents the the 28.79 miles of the priority network.

Cost estimate.

Uh we've provided a cost estimate per quick build mile.

So this doesn't include projects that are going to be constructed by capital projects.

Um but approximately again, it it does vary, but on average, how much it costs us for um staff and consultants for planning and implementation installations and operations and maintenance.

So DPW staff um equipments to maintain the liens and then also the the physical materials that we assume are redone approximately every five years.

And then we've taken that per mile estimate and then just applied it to the mileage totals for each year.

So, you know, this this represents the same cost per mile, but you're just seeing the summary and total cost per year.

And and we've just done a simple escalation of our our 2022 analysis to 2026.

So we're not sort of escalating at this point for future years, but you know, as we present these will increase based on what we are what we're experiencing.

And then lastly, uh the report piece about pedestrian and transit infrastructure.

Um I promise this is the last table.

The the left column here is each sort of infrastructure, each goal for the Vision Zero plan that has specific infrastructure called out.

And then on the right is our 2025 progress.

They will match up perfectly in the years since we published the plan.

You know, the the ways and and what we construct has changed a lot.

So we've tried to match them up in buckets as as well as we can across the two.

Um and and generally speaking, you know, for the most part, we're we're meeting the goals that are listed in the Vision Zero plan.

And that concludes my presentation.

I'm happy to go into detail.

I know there was a lot of information, happy to go into detail on anything else that was presented here.

Thank you.

Yeah, thanks, Justin.

Thanks for uh yeah, I love this time of year when we get this presentation, especially at the chair of Travicum Park in because you know, we talk a lot about you know like it just feels good to see the data.

It's just like this is completed, this is happening.

Uh so uh it's it's always great.

And I have said this to uh to director Ross in the past.

Um wouldn't it be great if like we started every uh you know, open house or uh you know the meetings we do when uh to get input and feedback from the community when we you know with his intersection improvements or whatever, and just like start with here's what we accomplished, you know, because it is it's just like you know, uh I think it just it's it's easy to forget, right?

Uh then just to focus on the one project or what didn't work and how you want the thing to be perfect, and we didn't get all the things we want, and um, but yeah, looking at the big picture, this is really great.

Uh thank you, Justin.

Uh I see Gosamba uh it's hand raised.

Yeah, no, thank you, Chair, and thank you, Justin.

Um this is enormous amount of walk and heavy lifting.

So the time and the effort and uh yeah, your commitment to really building an integrated city.

Um, I have a lot of question, but I guess the first quick one I'm wondering is to go to like I think slide number five.

You know, the updated priority that will you know, increase from like you know, 28 point to 28.75 miles with some projects redesigned for beta connectivity.

So I guess, you know, like how does the city evaluate whether this changes improve safety, you know, and usability for cyclists.

And counselor, yeah, you're you're reading our minds.

Um we struggle with this tension all the time between our adopted citywide bike network plan and our commitment to meaningful local engagement with every single project that we do.

And as counselors will remember, when the city was preparing our bike network plan back in 21 and 22 and 23, there even community members started to talk about this tension and say production is the most important thing.

The most important thing we can do is build the maximum mileage everywhere.

And at staff level, we respectfully push back a little bit and said, we think that we can do both things.

We can increase our production rates, and we can hold ourselves to standards of transparency and engagement street by street.

And so that bike network plan really does commit us to meaningful local engagement.

Typically, it takes 15 or 16 months for one of our projects to go through community engagement, flyering, door knocking, open houses, pop-up events, surveys, public meetings, specialty outreach with priority populations, which include young people, older adults, communities of color, populations for whom English is a second language.

And we have found that that commitment to process is helping us actually with our production targets.

But getting to the core of your question, Counselor, in the case of West Broadway, as Justin noted, the folks who were showing up, um, which was a broad and representative group of West Somerville residents, um, really did prioritize two directions of safe separated bike travel, even though our network plan only called for one direction.

And so we were responsive, and we figured out that the street was wide enough to do all the things that we wanted in terms of prioritizing bus movements and getting safe separated bike lanes in two directions.

So that's when the mileage goes up.

But as Justin could tell you, and maybe I can hand the mic over to him, Chair.

Um, we found something different in our local engagement process for the Western Pearl Street project that Justin had managed.

Maybe Justin, you can summarize that one.

Sure.

Um yes, you know, chair through you.

I mean, they're they're very different streets, and a lot of this can be driven just by you know how wide the street is itself, and on Pearl Street, you know, providing the two directions for the full length would have meant eliminating all curbside access entirely along Pearl Street.

And um through you know, our first meeting and and other forms of outreach, I think we know we saw that that was likely to produce you know negative outcomes in even in terms of safety, whether that's people driving up and parking on the sidewalk or stopping in the middle of the roadway.

Um we knew there was a lot of different you know needs for curbside parking, so not just not just resident parking, um, but there's very popular sort of destination restaurants there.

Um there is the Pearl Street Park residence, which has a lot of home health care workers that come in and and are usually from outside of Somerville.

And then, you know, crucially with the the street grid itself, we had an opportunity to use um the Gilman Street neighborway, an existing popular low stress route, which largely parallels Pearl Street to you know replace part of that connection using those side streets, make some improvements on Skilt and Av and have other Spark and you know provide what we felt was a reasonable alternative for our, you know, whereas on Broadway the street network is not quite the same, and there really was not a reasonable alternative that could be provided.

Um, and then continuing that connection up to Medford Street, even though it was it was only called for one direction in the plan provides that continuous two-way connection to the section to the the bike facility on school street and really sort of knits together this this network around um Gilman Square and the Central Hill campus.

Wow.

So it's it's very much project, you know.

It this is what we learn when we actually do the work and not we're not just drawing lines on a paper.

It there's a lot more information that comes out.

Yeah, no, absolutely.

Um yeah, no, thank you.

It's it's like this are like very complex, you know, like and also like boots on the ground, you learn a lot, you know.

So when the robot meets the road, then you see how things change.

I guess um if you go one slide down, you know, uh so in 2025, several planned bicycle lane projects, you know, you can see that they were marked not completed, you know, including portions of Medford Street and Washington Street.

I guess what were the main obstacles to completion, and how would those lessons inform the 2026 construction season?

Um chair through you, I'm happy to uh answer that question.

So um the the three towards the top, the yellow on a graph, and then the Medford Street, they're all a little bit related.

Um, because they are we're talking about McGrath Highway and the frontage roads from McGrath Highway.

Um the first line, McGrath Highway from Roofer Road to Broadway, that was a part of the Mastot's um McGrath Highway resurfacing that I believe began in 2022.

And you know, essentially they didn't complete about you know just over a third of a mile, and that's that's primarily due to bridge work that's ongoing to this day.

So the the Squires Bridge that takes McGrath over into Cambridge, and then also the bridge over the green green line, the low line next to Highland Ave.

Um there remains you know, partial closures on those bridges today because of structural issues that are being repaired.

So essentially that resurfacing project was not quite completed by the state, and that's that's why we're left with a little bit less.

Um then the other two um the other this uh the first one, the Medford Street McGrath Highway ramp, Rospick Hill to Somerville Ave.

That's the down ramp from about Highland Ave to Somerville Ave.

And then the next line is the frontage road, you know, also called Medford Street from Um Poplar to Linwood, where the Mercedes Benz dealership is.

And and again, you know, one of the reasons why this is not prioritized is because of uh a lot of the the approvals that have to be gained by the state can be fairly difficult and fairly time intensive.

And a decision was made partly through the year that that given um McGrath Boulevard's progress that that with that project, you know, expected to break ground, hopefully 2027-2028, that we would you know, pri prioritize focusing on the McGrath Boulevard project versus trying to convince the state to allow us to remove a lane on that down ramp, which you know had the potential to have some traffic impacts at Washington Street, and um focus on a couple other projects that appear on the next slide.

Um the bottom there, the Washington Street.

That that's a construction project that that just didn't make the cut last year, and you'll see it does appear um on the the next slide.

I believe drainage work has already been completed.

So you know that was just a construction project that didn't couldn't quite get completed in 2025.

That's super helpful.

Yeah.

Um thank you.

That's hopefully information.

I guess you know, one last question that I have, and then you know, again, I mean, this we can keep going around here.

There's just a lot of stuff.

I'm looking going through Vero Slides, just so much.

Uh I guess um the fact that you guys, you know, you've said it here, and it's also like in the report, you know, that you know the city would need to extend the timeline for completion, you know, uh the completing the priority network beyond 2030 due to staffing engagement timelines and funding constraints, which you know makes them.

But I guess the question I have is like kind of like what steps or specific steps, you know, is the administration taken to avoid delays, you know, and accelerate implementation.

Because again, this is we already know that it's you've said it, but what is like that uh uh yeah, I just want to understand, you know, what is that plan, you know, because you've already identified like you know what the issues are.

So what is your plan, you know, to be able to you know avoid that and accelerate implementation.

Chair, I'm happy to attempt to answer that question and counselor, thanks for cutting to the heart of the matter.

This is part of what keeps us up at night is knowing that we established really ambitious community goals through our Vision Zero Action Plan, through our bicycle network plan.

We codified them in ordinance, and they were assuming certain resources could be available.

And I do want to identify a couple of things on your question, counselor.

Although everybody focuses on like mobility division staff and engineering staff who are responsible for community engagement and design development and construction management, the same logic applies to our operations partners in parking department and DPW and fire, and even in other parts of the city administration.

We can encounter bottlenecks in communication, procurement, law, IT, um, in addition to those street management departments.

Um I just wanted to paint that broader picture for a moment, but I'll also remind counselors and community members that you know this is not a surprise.

Mobility division has used our visibility, our leadership and our soapbox in partnership with the council to try to secure additional resources for some of our sister departments.

With your support, we've been successful.

We got an extra three laborers at the DPW to try to take care of street sweeping, snow fighting, uh flex post replacement.

We got an extra staff person at the parking department, so we could actually manage our curb spaces more effectively.

Um we worked with you all to pursue grant resources to get traffic signal upgrade resources to keep fire engines moving on our traffic calmed streets, and so those are just a couple of important examples that it's not always about the fact that mobility wasn't able to expand.

And yet to cut back to the original question, Chair.

Um it has been several years since mobility has been able to expand our staff.

People are working around the clock.

We all do work more than we ought to, and more than most peer agencies would allow their staff to in order to try to deliver projects, and yet there's so many non-project responsibilities that we have.

So I think we're doing a better job, counselor, of telling those stories in the community than we used to be.

If we were to divert all of our resources away from analytics from coalition building, um, from program management development review, then perhaps we could squeeze in a few more hours uh for staff planners and mobility division to try to lead a design process and prepare designs for another safe streets project.

But that would not be my recommendation to the mayor or to the council or to our constituents.

Um we think that we've got a really good balance right now uh for the staff that we have uh for our community members.

Um in terms of resource constraints, we talked earlier this evening about how we've always needed to pursue external financing, knowing that the city can't pay for everything.

We have an incredible track record of pursuing and winning grants of working with our congressional and state delegation partners on earmarks and other programs.

Um, and just earlier today I was talking with some of our grants staff about you know yet another example of that.

So I think we're doing everything that we can in this era of constrained resources to make sure that we've got the funding needed to continue building out these safe streets.

Uh, but I don't want to shy away from the fact that that that you know belts are tightening right now.

Um, and we hope for better days, and we hope for stabilization of the international and national and local economies.

Um, but yeah, we're not quite as unconstrained as we were just a couple of years ago, and we view the value of this conversation with our partners in the city council.

It's just an important opportunity to be honest about that.

Um, we will always partner with our safe streets advocates, our residents who tell us they feel unsafe on our streets, those who are frustrated with the what they perceive as slow pace of change.

Um, and we will remind them that we're all in this together.

There's only so many hours in the day, so many hours, so many dollars in our budgets.

Um, and that we're gonna we're gonna keep going because this is a long-term, this is this is a long-term coalition and a long-term strategy.

Thank you.

Uh we are hope for better days, Director Rosen.

And we also add a pleasure of our constituents.

Thank you, Melancho.

Thank you, Class.

Thank you, Chair, and uh thank you, Director Rossin.

And uh sorry, um Justin, I didn't catch your title.

Planner.

Oh, planner.

Oh, great.

Thanks.

I just want to thank you, planner Schreiber.

Um I I appreciate so much about your work and about this presentation.

One of the things I I really appreciate your uh focus on the details of what's needed on this street versus this other street by these residents, these you know, abutting businesses and uh facilities and buildings like Pearl Street Park.

Uh, I think that that really matters.

I've I've certainly heard from uh many residents of Pearl Street Park uh in the past about how important it is to them to be able to have people who might be coming to uh to do caregiving there um or who might be visiting uh people in Pearl Street Park to have parking.

And and I know there's always there's always a trade-off of the different competing needs of the streets.

Um it's never it's never an easy answer, but I really appreciate your consideration for those needs.

Um I had a couple of questions about the presentation.

Some of them were just my sort of understanding some of the details of what it's communicating.

And I wonder uh if I could ask a few of these.

Um one uh clerk, if you wouldn't mind going to slide six, uh that I think is the 2025 sort of review.

Um so I was I was curious about this one about the McGrath miles.

Uh was it Somerville that that did those uh 2.37 miles?

Was that mass dot?

Um sure through you, this is the mass dot project of which the 2.03 is what was completed.

The 2.37 is what we estimate that the total would have been.

Okay.

It's an estate project.

Thank you.

Um I appreciate all of the miles that we put in.

And I you know, trying to trying to get a sense of what our sort of practical capacity is uh for how much we're able to make um each year.

Uh with um the I think the 2026 projection, is that um slide nine?

Oh, yeah, is that thank you.

Uh the the 1.96 priority miles, that's sort of the combined legs of the Elm Beacon connector.

Uh is that is that the same kind of linear measurement that sort of anybody would do.

Is that counting uh two different bike lane directions uh separately?

Um sure three of you.

So we measure by bike lane center line mile.

So, you know, a bike lane on both sides of the street for one mile is is two bike lane center miles.

Thank you.

I appreciate that.

Uh that helps me understand that that number.

Um slide 14.

Uh yeah, I'm always excited to see uh sidewalk and accessible curb ramp construction.

I know that's something that uh, you know, there's so many different things that we have need for in the city, and I appreciate all the balancing that I know that your office is doing.

And I certainly hear from people, especially people who have mobility issues getting around, how important uh sidewalks we're you know, we're resolving cracks, we're resolving holes uh are and you know, for people with other with who may be in wheelchairs or otherwise need uh curb ramps, um, how important those are.

And I was just curious about uh, you know, if there's some examples of spots in the city where that work was done at 2025.

Uh chair through you.

Um yes.

So we're primarily not referring to DPW's repair of of individual panels and areas.

These are um projects that engineering undertakes as a part of the streets package program.

So projects that aren't categorized as complete street projects, but are just full street reconstructions or just sidewalk reconstructions.

Um, I believe and and Brad can correct me if I'm wrong here, but in 2025, that included um Otis Street in East Somerville, which was an example of a street that was you know really put back as it as it exists, existed previously, but with new sidewalks, and I believe that that street was paved as well.

Um that's the first one that comes to mind.

Thank you so much.

Yeah.

Um I was wondering about sort of in general is uh, you know, I I know with streets where we're planning uh much more fundamental, you know, reworking of the street.

And you know, here one that comes to mind is much of Highland Ave.

And I I know that's on some of these, some of these charts as a as a future project.

Uh I'm curious how we approach those in the meantime.

And um, you know, I know that we don't have the resources to patch every uh every area of broken asphalt in the city.

Um, but uh, you know, I notice and certainly many other people uh notice and and reach out to me about uh the sort of broken, the unusually broken state of some stretches of Highland Ave.

And you know, I'm just curious how your office balances the sort of you know, the the long-term plans to improve, in which case you don't necessarily want to spend a bunch of money and time sort of patching something that we might be going to tear tear up again in six months.

Um taking into account, you know, some of the sort of frequency of use, uh taking into account the the time it may be until some of these projects.

Just curious how you approach that balance.

Chair, I'm happy to answer that question as best we can.

And uh our apologies at Director of Engineering, Brian Postalwaite, who's been a critical partner in this work, could not be here this evening with you.

Uh he sent his regrets.

So Brian's team manages the city's pavement management program.

And kind of the quick nutshell, counselor, as you may be familiar, is every year.

Brian's staff and consultant team survey approximately one third of the entire city's street miles and sidewalk condition.

And we use that data to make sure that we're calibrating our programmed spending to upgrade those sidewalks and those streets.

But asset management is not the only factor in that calculation and that multi-year investment plan.

You acknowledge street usage.

That is actually a really important input to Brian's model.

So we look at land uses like schools.

We look at pedestrian traffic generators like high frequency bus stops.

We look at parks, senior housing, grocery stores as other important components of evaluating if you have two streets that are identical in their pavement condition, identical in their sidewalk condition, but one of them is likely to serve greater volumes of multimodal users.

We will likely prioritize that one.

So um just painting a quick picture on the methods.

And had been identified for larger scale capital upgrades for quite some time.

We were anticipating full sewer separation, water service upgrades, et cetera, as part of the Spring Hill project a couple of years ago.

I know that one of Brian's current workflows is to reevaluate um some of those inputs and figure out if we are still planning on doing that larger scale work.

Because as you acknowledged, counselor, if there is near-term work happening with gas, water, or sewer, um, then it's really important that the city is honest about the pros and cons of investing certain amounts of money in the short term.

But in our perfect workflow, which I would identify Western Washington Street as a great example near the Argenziano school, our engineering division was able to get ahead of that asset management equation.

We knew that this pavement was appreciate, you know, approaching these depreciation curves where it was going to start failing.

We knew that the sidewalks were crumbling.

We knew that from a land use and a demographic standpoint, it was a priority network.

And so we got ahead of things.

We worked with air resource gas and said, please accelerate this on your investment list.

We worked with city water and sewer departments to say, let's investigate and start to plan out upgrades to the water system.

Our residents down in that neighborhood had to live through a couple of painful years of utility construction before mobility was able to deliver the community design process that ultimately produced the fun stuff, the widened sidewalks, the floating bus stops, the separated bike lanes and the fresh coat of asphalt um to kind of top it all off.

And so whether we are able to deliver that kind of integrated tool kit on some of our crumbling streets, um, you know, parts of Summer Street come to mind.

It's not just Highland Avenue, even though that's one that many of us talk about because we experience it.

Uh, there's so many other corridors that I know Brian and his team are trying to juggle.

Um, if it's okay, Chair, my recommendation would be that we speak about that with the subject matter experts in the engineering division.

I don't want to get too far too far ahead of them on specific streets.

Chair, if if it's okay, I just wanted to add that, you know, for more standalone repairs, DPW can and does, you know, repair sidewalk panels.

In fact, I saw them from the bus on Highland Av um just you know a couple weeks ago in front of uh the butcher near Lowell Street.

So that that's a good place for you know directing those sort of one-offs, um, no matter on what street they appear on.

Thank you, planner and director, and through the chair, if I could ask just a few more uh the same family of questions.

Um one thing, and and this also sort of uh relates to the next item on the agenda.

Um, one thing I've been interested in is the question of how uh how we are approaching signaling around bicycles.

And you know, for example, I've noticed that coming south on McGrath and reaching Pearl Street, there's uh signal that's intended just for bicycles.

I I don't know if that's administered by Mastot or by us.

Um personally, I find it a bit confusing.

Uh it seems it seems like a red light that applies to cars.

Um I, you know, I I'm curious about I know there's lots of different ways that signaling uh to communicate to bicycles can work.

Uh I'm wondering if there is sort of a specific approach that we are taking or converging on, or we're trying a variety of different approaches to signaling.

Um chair, chair three, I'm happy to take the question.

And that's a very good example of that bicycle signal of how uh with all due respect to the state of how not to do bicycle signals.

And one of the limitations we have is with the NUTCD, which is the manual on uniform traffic control devices, which really um ensures you uniformity on the streets all around the country.

And our new version of that was published within the last year and you know, really significantly tamped down on the use of those signals.

Um you will notice that that signal is only green when it is the only thing that is green, and that is one of the requirements of the new MET CD, which is that there can be no conflicts with a bike if you're gonna use a bicycle signal face.

And that um it essentially means it has to run on its own.

So in terms of guidelines that we use when we're promoting the use of bicycle signals, I think it really has to add value for us to not have bicyclists use just standard vehicle signals.

Um of those cases can be when we're able to offer protected concurrent signaling.

So folks may be familiar with concurrent in the the form of pedestrian signals, where if you're going straight, pedestrians are also going allowed to cross the street at the same time.

It's very common in the city of Cambridge.

We have a couple of those as well.

Um one of the ways we're able to improve upon that is if we do have a right turn lane, we can hold those right turns with a red with a red light and allow pedestrians, bicyclists, and vehicles to travel straight through an intersection all at the same time without having that conflict.

So that's a very good example of good use of a bike signal.

And um, if anyone has done you know, some looking at what Mastod is proposing for the McGrath Boulevard project, you'll notice there are in fact a number of right turn lanes, and that's exactly what they intend to do is use bicycle signals in a way that makes the intersection work a little more efficiently when we don't have space for that.

You know, our recommendation for Massad is generally to not use those signals.

Um there are some cases where a short bike signal makes sense.

In many cases, what you will see is very, very poor compliance with with that sort of signal system, mainly because you're forcing people on bike to wait multiple minutes and then giving them you know under 10 seconds to get through an intersection.

So we're a little restricted by the federal guidelines, and you know, the the engineers that design our street need to conform to that.

Um so we're we're focused on using them really only where they add value and otherwise foregoing the use of them.

Thank you, planner.

And uh just on the subject of the McGrath redesign, a you know, following up on a conversation that we had uh some meetings ago.

I just really appreciate your office's communication with Mastot about those plans and advocacy for uh for sensible and safe design.

It's it's very encouraging and reassuring to know that that you're having those conversations with them.

Um just if I could just as two more little ones.

Uh one, and this is something that Director Ross and I have chatted with you in the past about.

Um, I'm curious about the wide variety of speed hump height in the city.

And I know there are places where there's some deliberateness around the variety.

Um, and I know there have been in the past sometimes that contractors have not quite matched what our intention was.

Uh I'm I'm curious in particular, you know, when I think of some of the the most dramatic pumps.

Um, for example, on Morrison Street.

Uh, I'm just not always sure.

Was that a deliberate decision?

We've got to have really, really aggressive bumps here.

You know, for example, it's near a school.

Um, or is that more of a result of some leeway on the part of contractors?

Um, Chair through you.

Thanks, counselor.

Um, and if it's okay, Justin or Maddie, it might be helpful to bring up the final slide of the Safe Streets Ordinance presentation, which deals with traffic calming commitments in the city's visions or our action plan.

So while that comes up, you know, counselor, yeah, it's a good question.

You and I have spoken about it, and many community members have as well.

The city built our first speed humps in kind of 2019, 2020.

Um, and at the time, we didn't have a ton of experience.

However, we did have a legitimate problem to solve.

Three residents on our streets were killed crossing the street in marked crosswalks by speeding drivers and hit and run collisions.

Um, and we took those losses very, very seriously as an administration and as a community.

Um, and we began experimenting and scaling our physical traffic calming program from there.

As with any new intervention, counselor, um, we were going to get certain things right and certain things wrong with those first couple of efforts.

Um, and the first generation of speed humps that you're describing typically were a little bit larger than the later generations.

And we did notice that we were achieved that our contractors were also having some quality control issues in the locations where after consultation with some of our operations partners, including the fire department, we were anticipating smaller profiles, we were getting larger profiles, or vice versa, working with local residents and ward counselors.

We were expecting larger speed humps and getting smaller ones.

Slowly but surely, counselor, we have been able to improve quality control and start to get better consistency with the both the height and the shape.

I want to be very clear, Chair.

The design intent for the city's traffic calming program is to achieve a slow, safe, consistent 18 to 20 mile per hour driving speed, post to the speed limits on most of our neighborhood streets, and even many of our intermediate um volume streets is 20 miles per hour.

And that can be achieved with certain speed hump frequency and certain speed hump shape and profile.

Think about the difference, counselor, between Western Powderhouse Boulevard, where Allison Donovan was killed on the front steps of the West Number Neighborhood School in 2019 versus the east side, closer to the community gardens, Tufts campus and uh Doherty's funeral home.

That is a perfect study in contrasts.

That's my neighborhood.

I'm there all the time.

I observe traffic there all the time in all modes, and a slow, consistent 18 to 20 mile per hour drive speed is achieved on the east side, closest to Doherty's and the circle.

On the west side, closest to the school, you do have certain temptations for people to stop on the gas and then mash on the brakes.

And we do hear from constituents who say that the noise impacts of automating out vehicles is a burden and a nuisance.

So I'm happy that we've been able to get better with the planning, specifications, coordination with our operations teams at DPW and FIRE over the years.

We've been able to get better with the coordination with our contractors.

But the last story I'll tell on this topic, counselor, just to illustrate our commitment to doing this work right.

Just last year in 2025, our contractor was constructing speed humps on Dane Street.

And Dane Street had been specifically identified by our partners in the fire department as an important response route.

And as a result, the plan was for smaller, lower profile speed humps that would allow for slightly higher drive speeds.

Contractor goofed up in the field.

We learned about it that day.

Called the fire department officials that day, and we said this is not intentional.

Our contractor will correct this error.

They were directed to do something different within another 24 hours.

Contractor was bowed up back.

They were not particularly happy about it.

And we had to pay for this mistake.

But they removed those incorrect speed humps.

And then seven days later, we got the asphalt crew back.

They came back, they built them properly.

And so I hope that those anecdotes, Chair, are helpful for the committee and for our community members to understand the intent of our speed hump program.

And I do want to end by kind of reiterating speed humps save lives.

There's no question, Somerville has celebrated three consecutive years without a fatal crash on our streets.

Um, all of 25, all 24, and all 23.

Um, and the rapid scaling, but the responsible scaling of our physical traffic qualming program really is the dominant theme here.

It's not about enforcement, it's not about education, it's not about individual behavior, it's about designing and building streets that really limit the opportunities for dangerous speeding behavior.

Thank you so much, Director.

I'll I'll uh I'll stop there with a lot of appreciation.

And just as a callback, the I'm sure you remember the very first time you and I met was uh at a community meeting where I shared with you that my daughter had been hit by a car.

Um, thankfully she she was okay and she is okay.

Uh, but that was you know on the community path crossing Cedar Street.

Uh and um I I live closer to another stretch of the community path nearer to Sycamore and school.

And uh I I think the speed humps that are on Sycamore make a big difference in the safety of people crossing the community path there.

So thanks so much for all your work.

Yeah, yeah, thank you, Counselor Wheeler, and uh indeed thank you, uh Director Rossin and all your team for your hard work.

And uh that's exactly what I tell you know, constituents.

Um, you know, are like sometimes you know, frustrated with like the very high, you know.

Actually, I had no idea this was very, very informative.

So it now it all makes sense that yeah, like so.

We used to construct them like we used to have higher construct higher uh speed humps.

Um, but yeah, we are yeah, like so.

So nowadays more, you know, like this analysis and checking with different departments to make sure we construct the uh speed hump that will um meet the needs of the street.

Um great, but yeah, just to say like I use the data, like that's what the data is showing.

It means that it works.

Um yeah, and uh I was gonna ask a question about Highland Highland Ave, and uh thank you for speaking to that.

And uh for adding that.

Director Bosway is the person to um have for this conversation.

Fortunately, he's not here tonight.

Um, but maybe you can put in a different order to discuss it.

I will say that that's uh now that the construction season has started.

Everyone is asking about Highland Av.

So it's important to have the uh to hear from mobility.

Um I think hearing also from Jackson from engineering would be very helpful here.

Um I think now they know the council for look for the third year now.

I I understand the challenges.

Um that's something we as a council we've always pushed for, which is coordinating all these projects.

Um it makes sense financially, but also you know, we can't be you know digging up the street over and over and over.

Um so again, that's uh we will make sure to have that conversation with director plus two wait uh a later time.

Um counselor Mbaugh.

Uh thank you, Maranchair.

I know the eyes later.

I just want to double down on the expression that speed home seeds live because I have heard that a lot, and I've also had people criticizing that.

And so I've I feel like we should have like a billboard in Davis Square.

So welcome to speed bomb city, you know, something just you know, we gotta celebrate something, you know, because it's uh it's something that we have to be proud of.

You know, I know somebody in my own neighbor came and knocked on my door and said, like, when are we gonna change some of it to speed home city or something?

Like I don't know.

I wasn't sure if I should take that as a compliment or something, you know.

It's like sometimes I I'm never I so I I try not to ask, and then I said, Oh, thank you for bringing it to my attention.

And then I kind of because you can tell I can tell that you know they don't bike or something.

I'm not sure.

Like, don't quote me, but it the question I wanted to ask is Did you get sign up from the firefighters?

You know, when you're building these speed humps.

Chair, through you, um, I think there's a longer conversation coming.

Um, and I'm happy to provide just a very quick answer on this important topic.

The quick answer is that the city works through all of its departments on interdepartmental review for all of our street designs.

That coordination work occurs with relevant department heads and division heads from many departments, including fire, DPW, parking, engineering, and others.

And I did not mention it in my answer previously, Chair, but I will quickly note that there are streets where city staff have evaluated traffic data and speeds and constituent complaints and concerns and recommended higher, more aggressive speed humps.

And our partners at the fire department have asked us to use smaller, shorter ones because of the importance of that specific street on their day-to-day operations.

It is not the intent of city staff from one department to make another department's life harder.

It is the intent of mobility division engineering division and all of us to save lives in all of our own ways and respect how hard everybody's job is in this process.

Um, so again, we look forward to those longer conversations, but we approach them with humility.

Understood.

Thank you.

And I thought so too.

I'll leave it there.

Thank you, Director Alson.

Yeah.

Uh thank you, Director.

Um there any other questions before we mark this uh work as we're completed.

Okay, seeing none who will mark this item as uh we're completed.

Sure, thanks to you and the committee.

I know that discussion got heavy and deep.

Um, and if anybody wants to, you know, find some of the happier statistics again.

That City Vision Zero webpage has crash statistics, speed statistics, engagement statistics.

Um, thank you as always for your partnership on this committee to help us do this work.

Okay, great.

And now a next item.

Uh Clerk, could you please read item number five?

Agenda item five, a resolution by counselor Ewan Campen that the director of mobility pilot the installation of dedicated bicycle yield signals to operate during the walk cycle at several intersections throughout the city, including Washington Street and Somerville Avenue and Prospect Street and Somerville Avenue.

Chair through you.

Um Justin answered this question a little bit in our last discussion uh after one of Counselor Wheeler's questions.

So just to reiterate, um city does follow federal guidelines.

Those federal guidelines change recently, and the federal guidelines really make it hard for uh staff engineers or consulting engineers to formally sign off on this specific signal pattern uh that this council order requests as a result, city staff from engineering from mobility are looking at other ways to try to provide better mobility at intersections for people biking.

Um, but at this time um we do not anticipate a path forward to pursue this type of signal strategy.

Okay.

Are there any questions?

About this update.

So Wheeler.

Thank you, Chair.

I just feel you know, the awareness sometimes of not knowing enough to be able to ask a good question.

This is something where I'm not familiar with what these yield signals would be like exactly.

Um, you know, so I you know, I'm appreciating the answer uh that uh you both, um, director and planner gave to you know my question about the sort of overall approach before.

Um I'm just sort of curious to to know a little bit more and not knowing quite what questions to ask about this.

If there are yield signals like the one that Counselor Ewan Camp and described that are anywhere else in the Boston area, um sorry, I don't have a better question to ask.

No, no, please um through your chair.

Um we are always looking at our peer cities to figure out where creative solutions can be brought to the table, even if federal guidance is less progressive or just a little out of step with what we're all trying to achieve.

Um I do not know any examples, counselor, uh, of that specific type of application.

I think we have all seen lots of behavior in Somerville and elsewhere where people biking sometimes come to a complete stop and then advance cautiously and respectfully during a pedestrian walk phase.

We understand this order to be requesting the installation of an extra signal head that specifies specifically says that bike riders may heal may proceed with while yielding to pedestrians.

Um but again, that is the type of signal that is prohibited under current federal guidance.

Thanks.

Um, and if you don't mind a sort of connected question, uh I know we've also chatted in the past about the sort of delicate question of the minority of uh e-bikes on the community path that go uh dangerously fast relative to the the density of other people walking on the path.

Um I'm just curious to hear if you have any thoughts on any signaling, sort of in the spirit of this resolution that could or couldn't be useful.

Um, Chair, if it's okay, I guess I would respectfully recommend that we tackle this question uh in the context of one of the other orders that this committee has in the box at a future meeting related to sharing in the past.

That's what we don't yeah, we actually uh we'll have an item in committee um where we get updates from um from the mobility uh division regarding yeah, like the improvements on the community path.

So I think it's uh uh a different conversation.

It's not, you know, um it's related, obviously, but I think uh just yeah, looking at the time.

Um I'm happy to uh try and uh schedule it before we go and recess so we can uh can update on that.

And Chair, and we will make sure to have another one of our amazing senior planners in the mobility division, Viola Augustine, who's been leading a team working on community path safety improvements.

So not trying to avoid your question, counselor.

Um, just hoping to have it in a longer form.

Thanks.

Yeah, we always like when city staff come prepared and you know, ready for us to ask questions.

So that's the format we use.

Um with that, we'll mark if I know for oh, it's the counselor.

Thank you, Marache.

I think this is going to be much more of a broader conversation down the road, because I just want us to, I mean, to us directors in, I mean, like for the longest time.

I've just been wondering the concept of us of like this uh uh unit flow with cause and bike in one direction, and just how dangerous it could be that you're biking and you're trying to look around, put your hand this way instead of biking in the opposite direction where you can see a car and kind of like really know how to evade an accident.

Like, so is that something you know, for a future consideration for us to start thinking about what is the appropriate safe way, you know, just remember when we're kids, you don't bike in front of cars.

Um, Chair through you, yes, that does also sound like a timely and helpful conversation.

It reminds me of the neighborway street type that our bike network plan identifies uh in terms of lower volume, lower speed streets where folks can share a little bit more safely.

Um that's one example uh of that.

Another example as the counselor and I were speaking about at school drop-off um this morning was time-restricted uh one-way conversions that several of our streets have to try to try to organize traffic and reduce conflicts with kiddos uh who are walking or biking or scooting or or driving and getting dropped off to schools.

So, again, longer conversation um and and we'd love to be able to have that with you all.

All right, great.

Uh thanks, director.

So with that, we'll mark this item as we're completed.

And uh that brings us to our last item, item number six.

Could you please read the item?

Yes, agenda item six, a resolution by counselor clay in that the director of mobility evaluate opportunities for improved pedestrian safety at the intersection of Broadway and Main Street.

Um, Chair, thank you for you.

This is something that Counselor Klingon and I and other counselors at large have spoken about many times over the years.

Um, we definitely appreciate the order.

We definitely feel presidents' pain uh in terms of some of these bigger intersections on higher volume, higher speed streets like Broadway.

As many of you know, that is a really unique and challenging intersection in part because of the angle at which Main Street hits Broadway.

In recent years, Chair, our uh your recent months, I should say our work is actually focused on improving safety through small scale traffic signal tweaks and operations and equipment upgrades that would actually reduce the wait times.

One of the things that we have identified at that location is that there is has been an excessively long signal cycle, partly because there is a private driveway for an apartment building that enters into the middle of the intersection and would get triggered every time, even if nobody was using it.

Um, when long signal cycles exist, you can create incentives for motorists to run red lights to take illegal right turns on red, which are particularly dangerous and uncomfortable at an elongated intersection like this one.

And you can create incentives for people walking and wheeling, you know, pedestrians to cross against a signal.

Um so I'm really happy to report, Chair, that just a couple of months ago, uh our engineering and mobility staff were able to work with our DPW teams, spend a little bit of money, upgrade some of our equipment at this intersection and change out that operation so that driveway no longer gets called every cycle, which shortens the entire thing.

So small but meaningful um improvement in safety and accessibility and congestion relief at that neighborhood.

Um, but I don't want to uh avoid talking about the longer term challenges.

We are interested in more substantial redesigns at this intersection that would truly reconfigure the intersection to make it work better for people walking, people biking, people catching the bus, and people driving.

That would probably involve taking kind of that Y-shaped intersection and turning it into more of a T-shaped intersection, but there's a long engineering and uh process and a construction budget needed to do so.

So this section of Broadway chair is part of the city's five-year street and sidewalk reconstruction plan that we mentioned earlier.

There is a great website that Brian's team maintains for that five-year street sidewalk plan where folks can look interactively at streets all over the city, and you'll see Broadway around Main Street listed on there.

Uh, we do not have a specific timeline within that five-year plan for when that work would be scheduled.

Um, but it is our hope to get to that section of Broadway after we finish the current one, which is focused on that Magoon Square up to uh Central Street section.

Um, so we will keep this location on our evaluation list.

If opportunities to pursue changes sooner rather than later develop, we can update the councilor Klingon and the whole council.

Um but again, just wanted to quickly respond to the order and set expectations for the time being.

So happy to answer any questions.

Thanks.

Okay.

Uh thanks, Director.

Any questions from uh my colleagues?

All right, thanks, Director, for uh reaching out to the counselor.

See if he has any for questions after this update.

All right.

Um I see no questions.

Uh, we mark this uh item as we're completed.

That will brings us to the end of the agenda.

Chair, if I may, just before you adjourn, we do need a roll call on agenda item three.

Okay.

So can we do a call for to approve item three and adjourn at the same time?

Absolutely.

So on approval for agenda item three that this council review construction related parking in the area of Oak Street and Bolton Street and on adjournment, Councilor Wheeler.

Yes.

Counselor Mbaugh.

Yes.

Counselor Say.

Yes.

We are adjourned.

All right, thanks everyone.

Thank you all.

Much appreciated.

Yep.