Chris Potts kindly shared with me her notes from listening to the MTV version of Maurice Goulet, Director DPW presenting to the Select Board last week about the MassDOT preference that the RTE 27 and West Street intersection be improved with a roundabout instead of new traffic lights and the link below to the MTV recording.
“Here’s a link to the recording that starts at the point in the discussion when costs were noted: https://youtu.be/VemA9lcCRhQ?t=1903” I see that the presentation on the intersection begins at 27:00.
Chris’ input got me to listen to the MTV video of the meeting about what Moe said, and I now supply a more accurate account. Moe said:
- it will cost the town $1.1m. more if the town opts to do new traffic lights instead of the roundabout.
- the costs are
- traffic lights:
- $1.4m. +$300,000 for design costs
- town would not get the $1.3m. Federal earmark
- = $1.7m. net cost to town.
- roundabout:
- $1.8m. + unknown amounts for takings of slope easements and temporary takings
- town gets the $1.3 Federal earmark
- = $500,000 net cost to town.
- traffic lights:
- How Moe gets to the $1.1m.of extra cost to the town, instead of $1.2m. I do, is not clear to me, but it might be the needed takings he references.
- Moe also used the words that MassDOT will “require” the roundabout, and that MassDOT is “adamant” about employing roundabouts unless one proves that a roundabout will “not work” at the site.
- My prior post stated a $800,000 increased cost to do traffic lights instead of a roundabout, and that was wrong. The increased cost of the traffic lights is either Moe’s $1.1m. or the $1.2m. that I figure.
Medfield02052's Blog 
Even more reason. Plus there is no discussion of on-going maintenance costs.
LikeLike
Pete – I strongly agree with your position on the roundabout at West Street and Route 27. Like you, I’ve seen how well they work in Norfolk. About 10-15 years ago I read Traffic. Traffic: Why We Drive the Way We Do (and What It Says About Us)
| | | | | |
|
| | | | Traffic: Why We Drive the Way We Do (and What It Says About Us)
Traffic: Why We Drive the Way We Do (and What It Says About Us) |
|
|
I remember some compelling photos of a town in the UK showing the snarls when they had traffic lights, and how much more easily the traffic flowed after a roundabout replaced them. I also remember the author’s noting psychological studies about the interaction between drivers and pedestrians. They show that a driver going through a traffic light at 40 mph will see a pedestrian simply as an object – an obstacle to his forward progress before the light turns red. The same driver, going 15 mph in a roundabout, will establish eye contact with the pedestrian and see them as a fellow living human being. I just ordered Traffic through the Minuteman Library Network. When it comes in, I would like to show it to you and the board. Medfield’s lights in the center on 109 work very poorly and cause numerous traffic jams, IMHO. There is no good reason to ban a right-on-red turn onto South Street. Particularly aggravating to me is westbound left turn signal at 109 and 27 – it is very slow to react when a driver enters the left turn lane to head south toward Walpole. Traveling westbound on Main Street, I have often approached and waited first in line in the left turn lane at the light – watched the cars zipping by N-S on 27 – only to have left my arrow fail to deploy on that cycle, though the eastbound 109 drivers get their green arrow to turn onto 27 northbound. I have to wait through another complete cycle to make the left turn onto 27 south. It should have been fixed years ago! BTW, as you and I once discussed, when crossing from Cumberland Farms to CVS, as a gift to motorists, we eschew the pedestrian crossing buttons – and instead walk across in front of the cars already stopped, then wait for the light stopping the cars in the other direction so we can complete our journey…faster. In your reply, please include my original message.
David F. Temple Past President, Medfield Historical Society https://medfieldhistoricalsociety.org/ Co-Chair, Medfield Historical Commission300 South Street Medfield, MA 02052 H-508-359-2915 M-508-613-6606
LikeLike