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Do you have a view on how to fund sidewalk maintenance? Would you be
prepared to shovel the part of the sidewalk that fronts your property or
would you prefer the Town to do it at a higher cost to you? To make sure
that YOUR VOICE IS HEARD as soon as possible, please
Contact
Us with comments or questions.
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If you would like to see the Committee Meeting Minutes
please go to our
Resources
page
Highlights of the Committee’s work in
2007
(Extracted from the Town 2007 Annual Report, P44)
• An intensive study was made of walking conditions
for
students and parents in 4 of the 6 elementary school
districts;
data on the remaining 2 neighborhoods is
being
compiled. The inventory was undertaken in each case by
parents
and residents from the area who are familiar with
the road traffic
conditions. It includes a description of
sidewalk and footpath
conditions and a priority assessment
of safety, current condition,
usage, and connectivity
to other high usage routes in the
neighborhood.
• The Lexington DPW has completed a similar listing of
all sidewalks
in town, including condition and priority for repairs
or
new construction in each school neighborhood. The committee
is
preparing to make a master list which compares the
priorities
from the SRTS program and the DPW list after
establishing
criteria that realistically balance the priorities
between
neighborhoods, then making its recommendations for
sidewalk
expenditures to Town Meeting and to the Selectmen.
• The
SRTS program, coordinated by Judy Crocker, has had
success the
elementary schools and is catching on in the
two middle schools as
well. In October 2007, Mass Rides,
the State SRTS group gave their
award for the most innovative
SRTS program to Bowman, Bridge and
Hastings
schools for their promotion of walking, combined with
the
sidewalk priority surveys mentioned above. Harrington
and
Estabrook have also been active in promoting walking.
As a result, the
number of private cars used for transporting
children was reduced.
•
The SWC receives suggestions and complaints by citizens
in a
Correspondence Log, maintained by Francine
Stieglitz,
which gives advice and follow-up for all issues.
About 30 contacts were
processed in 2007.
• Working closely with various committees, the
SWC promoted
pedestrian access along with other
alternatives,
such as bicycling and public transit, in all
commercial
zones in Town. The re-striping of part of Hartwell
Avenue
and plans for similar action on a section of old Mass
Avenue
west of Route 95 are two examples.
• Continued to publish newspaper
articles and letters
describing the responsibilities of the Town and
private
property owners relative to public rights of way.
• Joined
in a forum on Walkable Communities in September
which focused on safety
and convenience for pedestrians in
Lexington Center and made specific
recommendations to the
Selectmen and Traffic Safety committee on
improvements.
• Continued to prepare informal inserts mailed with
tax
bills, reminding residents to keep sidewalks clear and free
of
overhanging branches and shrubbery as a courtesy to
fellow residents.
Highlights of the Committee’s work in 2006
(Extracted from the Town 2006 Annual Report, P46)
• Bridge Elementary School received an Environmental Merit
Award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency honoring the
school’s hard work and commitment to protecting our natural resources
through its successful implementation of the Safe Routes to School
program.
• Initiated
Safe Routes to Schools programs at Bowman and
Hastings elementary schools, reducing car counts and increasing the number
of students walking or riding to school
• Began preparations for
2007 Safe Routes to Schools programs at Diamond Middle
School and Estabrook, Fiske, and Harrington elementary schools.
•
Provided the DPW with a recommended priority list of school bus
stops and adjacent sidewalks for snow removal. The DPW has
obtained signs to mark these stops for the benefit of private snow plowing
companies in an effort to increase student safety by keeping the sidewalks
and school bus stops clear with good lines of sight along the
roadway.
• Began compiling a comprehensive list of the most
active roads and pathways used in Lexington, targeting primary
destinations throughout the town to allow prioritization of repair of
existing sidewalks and recommendations for new sidewalks.
• Received
capital appropriations of $200,000 from Town Meeting for sidewalk
repair in FY06/07 and $100,000 for the sidewalk along the south side of
Massachusetts Avenue in the center. Worked with the Engineering
Department, the DPW, and the Center, Design Advisory,and Tree committees
to assess the best use of the $100,000 appropriation.
• Requested that
the DPW use some of the money appropriated at Town Meeting for sidewalk
maintenance and repair for the installation of a new crosswalk and
sidewalk section connecting the existing sidewalk on Marrett Road
to the existing sidewalk at the top of Prospect Hill Road along a
narrow, steep section of Prospect Hill Road that is presently unsafe but
is heavily used by students traveling to and from Clarke Middle School and
Bridge Elementary School.
• Coordinated discussions between the Police
Department, Engineering Department, DPW, Traffic Safety Advisory
Committee, School Department, and Safe Routes to Schools committees to
install new sidewalks and crosswalks in priority areas to enhance the
safety of students.
• Maintained the Sidewalk Committee Website
updated monthly, to keep the public current on activities and
plans for future work.
• Maintained an e-mail address
to receive public commentary on the Committee’s activities to receive
suggestions and comments about public safety issues related to sidewalks
and pathways. Forwarded e-mails as necessary to the appropriate town
department for action. Contact
page
• Continued to publish newspaper articles and letters
describing the responsibilities of the Town and private property
owners relative to public rights of way (the 4-10 feet or more along each
road and street that many people think of as exclusively under their
control), discussing snow management as it relates to school bus routes
and walking access to schools and Lexington center, and promoting more
accessible public rights of way.
• Prepared an
informational
insert, mailed in December 2006 with third-quarter tax bills,
reminding residents to keep sidewalks clear and free of obstacles as a
courtesy to their neighbors and fellow residents.
Sidewalk Improvements in 2007
Sidewalks were repaired in the following
locations:
East Lexington Branch Library
Stetson Street
1444 Mass Avenue
26 Taft Avenue
26 Bedford Street
Lincoln Field path near Bridge
School
Middleby Road near Bridge School Bow Street
Grant Street
from Mass Ave to Bikeway overpass
Lowell Street: from Arlington line to
Busa Farm Road
Meriam Street from Mass Ave to Somerset Road
sidewalk
Brookside Avenue near Clarke School from Waltham St to tennis
courts
Sedge Road near Diamond School from Hathaway Rd to
school
Waltham Street: Marrett Rd to Brookside Ave
Meriam St: 13
concrete handicapped sidewalk ramps with tactile warning systems were
installed
Traffic Safety and Sidewalk Improvements in 2006
The following signs or crosswalks were installed:
'No Parking' signs on Fletcher Avenue
'No Parking' signs on Worthen
Road
'Stop' signs approaching bikeway on public portion of Seasons
Four/Gold Star driveway
'No Parking' signs protect crosswalk/bikeway
on Middleby Road serving Bridge School
Child safety signage on Milk
Street
Child safety signage on approaches to Curve Street
Child
safety and curve signage on Rangeway
Crosswalks linking pedestrian
routes to new Fiske School
Crosswalk and signage on Massachusetts
Avenue at Charles Street
Crosswalk signage on Massachusetts Avenue at
Oak Street
Crosswalk and signage on Burlington Street serving Diamond
Middle School
Crosswalk and signage on Pleasant Street serving Bowman
School
Crosswalk across Paul Revere at Massachusetts Avenue serving
Hastings School
'Not A Through Way' sign on Webb Street
Speed limit
signs on Watertown Street approaching Route 2
Sidewalks were extended or installed in the following
locations:
Adams Street
Blake Road
Bow Street
Marrett
Road
Pleasant Street
A pedestrian traffic safety issue can
be evaluated by contacting the:
Lexington Police Traffic Safety Officer
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Highlights of the Committee’s work in 2005
Extracted from the Town 2005 Annual Report)
1. A comprehensive inventory of the town’s sidewalks
and pathways, detailing locations, lengths, conditions and obstructions.
This data has been logged into the Lexington DPW database, including
associating the data with school districts. This data has also been mapped
using color coding for sidewalk quality.
Data
and map of sidewalks...
2. The Safe Routes to
School program has been successfully implemented at the Bridge
Elementary School. Initial results show a 50% reduction in car traffic and
100% increase in walkers. Excellent parental support made the program
succeed by both identifying commonly used routes to school and garnering
neighborhood and community support for the program.
3. Recommended to the Lexington Planning Board that sidewalks for the
proposed Battle Green Inn development and other town
center sidewalks have a minimum 4-foot wide section of brushed concrete
running along the length of the sidewalk connecting to all store entrances
and exits as well as curb cuts and street access points to provide safe,
convenient access to all users during all seasons. This recommendation was
also passed along to the Design Advisory Committee and Lex Center
Collaborative.
4. An email address has been created to garner public concerns,
comments, suggestions and questions. A team compiles a list of comments
and directs them to the appropriate department for answers. It may be
accessed from this web site:
Contact
page
5. Published newspaper articles and letters that describe the
responsibility of the Town and private property owners relative to the
public rights of way (the 4-10 or more feet along each road and street
that many people think of as exclusively under their control), discuss
snow management as it relates to school bus routes and walking access to
schools and Lexington Center and promoting more accessible rights of way.
(See Resources
Page for list of published articles).
6. Recommended to the Selectmen and Town Manager that a capital
appropriation of $200,000 be made annually for the restoration and
building of sidewalks within the Town.
7. Provided DPW with a recommended priority for snow removal of
sidewalks within Bridge Elementary District to support the Safe Routes to
Schools Program to increase safety at pickup and drop-off points of school
bus routes. Included in this recommendation was a list of sidewalks and
pathways for priority repair.
8. Worked with DPW, Bridge PTA and crosswalk neighbors to make cross
walks on Marrett Road and Spring Street more visible during school
hours.
9. Requested that DPW evaluate the feasibility of installing a new
crosswalk section connecting Marrett Road and Prospect Hill Road.
10. Requested the Planning Department and Planning Board designate any
mitigation money from the potential redevelopment of 40 Middleby Road fro
the repair and/or construction of the bicycle and footpath leading from
Worthen Road to Middleby Road.
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