Milton traffic committee to present report Aug. 16

A Milton ad hoc committee on traffic is close to wrapping up its work after finalizing a series of recommendations it plans to present to town council Monday, Aug. 16.

The Traffic Calming Advisory Ad Hoc Committee plans to present eight primary recommendations for how to improve pedestrian and bicycle safety within town. 

Of the eight recommendations, seven were singled out as the result of a townwide survey and walk audits, where citizens were encouraged to walk sections of Milton with committee members and record their observations.

The No. 1 issue in both of those data collections was curtailing speeding. Among the methods suggested by the committee are greater enforcement, reducing speed limits, narrowing intersections with curb extensions, additional radar signs and raised crosswalks except on emergency roads, such as Union and Federal streets. 

Chairwoman Randi Meredith said at the committee’s July 21 meeting that 75 percent of respondents to the committee’s survey wanted to see speed limits reduced. The committee’s proposal is to bring the speed limit down from 25 to 20 mph for cars, and 15 mph for trucks with more than two axles. For trucks, the committee is recommending alternate route signs to keep as few trucks in town as possible. Trucks exiting from Dogfish Head onto Cave Neck Road will be guided right toward Sam Lucas Road and then to Route 5; trucks would also be forbidden from making right-hand turns from Federal Street onto Mulberry. 

The committee recommends curb extensions, or bump-outs, at Chestnut and Atlantic streets and at Mulberry and Federal streets to both curtail speeding with a narrower intersection and to provide a smaller distance to travel for pedestrians crossing the street. Another idea to both stop speeding and improve pedestrian use is raised crosswalks. One area where the committee suggested these could be put in is at the Rails to Trails at Federal Street, which could have gaps wide enough for fire trucks so that emergency traffic is not slowed. 

One idea that has been previously discussed by town officials that will be in the report is putting in four-way stops at the intersection of Union and Federal streets, and at Chestnut Street and Wharton Avenue, identified as problematic intersections with visibility issues for motorists. Another problematic area was the exits from Magnolia Street onto either Union Street or Mulberry Street. The committee’s recommendation is to keep Magnolia Street two-way but make it so that exits can only be made onto Union Street, citing poor visibility for drivers trying to turn onto Mulberry.

Finally, the committee asked council to consider a feasibility study of alternate traffic patterns and potential one-way streets on the four major roadways in town - Chestnut, Federal, Union and Mulberry streets - with the possibility of converting one of the lanes into a bike lane.

The committee’s 100-plus-page report was originally more aggressive in its posture on one-way streets, but not wanting a backlash from council or the public toward that part of the plan while ignoring the more low-hanging fruit out there that was gleaned from public input, the committee decided on a study of whether one-way streets could be done. Besides the recommendations, the report will also include the results of the surveys and walk audits, traffic data, an inventory of the existing infrastructure, and photographs.