Milton committee recommends one-way streets

A Milton committee has recommended five streets in town be designated for one-way traffic.

The recommendation has been forwarded to Milton Town Council for an up-or-down vote; the next town council meeting would be Monday, Dec. 7, but an agenda has not been released.

The streets in question are Church, Sand, Poplar and Manship streets and Hazzard Lane, all narrow connector streets between Chestnut and Federal streets. Church and Poplar are already one-way streets with parking, while the others are two-way streets that are each about 20 feet wide; town code recommends two-way streets be 28 feet wide. The committee’s stated goal is to improve safety.

The committee has debated in the past about whether to make all the streets one-way, but met with resistance from residents along those streets and the town council. Council had decided at the time that since there had not been any complaints about safety problems on those streets, they should maintain the status quo. The idea was dropped for some time until it was brought back at the committee’s Nov. 17 meeting.

Chairman Emory West at first wanted to put the matter to rest by not discussing the topic further and recommending the council not consider it. But Public Works Director Greg Wingo disagreed, saying the council asked the committee to further review the proposal. 

Wingo recommended a plan that would make Sand and Manship streets one-way streets going from Chestnut to Federal. Hazzard Lane, Poplar and Church streets would stay one-way with parking and go from Federal to Chestnut. Church Street and Poplar Street would both have parking on one side of the street.

The new design would create a grid pattern that will ease traffic and improve safety, said Wingo. 

“I think this will work out,” Wingo said. “We need to start addressing these smaller streets. We have to start somewhere.”

When committee member P.D. Camenisch questioned whether the five streets were that heavily traveled, Wingo said the streets are so narrow that cars have to go into people’s yards because they cannot pass through safely. 

The committee agreed to accept Wingo’s plan and forward it to town council for discussion and a possible vote.