Resident Raises Concerns About Locust Street Plan

By Adam Swift

A Locust Street resident is calling for the Town Council to reconsider its recent decision to make a portion of her street one way, and to improve communication with residents for future proposed traffic changes.

Earlier this summer, the council approved a recommendation from the Transportation Safety Advisory Committee (TSAC) for the traffic changes.

Under the new traffic plan, which addresses traffic backing up on the narrow streets toward Revere Street, Almont Street will be one way from Revere Street to Cross Street, Cross Street will be one way from Shirley Street to Locust Street, and Locust Street will be one way from Cross Street to Revere Street.

The change also eliminates right turns from Almont Street onto Revere Street from 7:30 a.m. to 8:15 a.m. and 1:45 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. on school days.

But Gillian Teixeira said the changes do not properly address the issues in the neighborhood, and asked the council to reconsider its decision during Tuesday night’s public speaking portion of the council meeting.

“I am asking the council to reconsider their vote on Locust Street, or at least pause the implementation of this plan,” said Teixeira. “I believe residents need more time to come forward and speak. I also believe with the recent changes to the TSAC committee and the addition of the resident advisors that this matter should be referred back to them for more consideration.”

Teixiera said she has lived on Locust Street since 2009, and that she and her neighbors have often discussed how hard it is to get on and off the street, especially with so many cars parking too close to intersections.

“Many residents lament that our street would be better with one-sided parking,” she said.

When TSAC first proposed the changes to the Locust Street area, Teixiera said she and other neighbors opposed the plan, and lobbied for signs restricting parking near the intersections of the street. She said she would also like TSAC or the town to issue a report on how many tickets have been issued for people parking too close to intersections.

Teixiera also requested that the town and TSAC look at issues on Locust Street as a whole, and not just the portion that was converted to one way.

“I don’t understand how turning one part of the street to one way helps our safety,” she said. “It doesn’t change the turning radius of a fire truck or an ambulance.”

The true issue on Locust Street, Teixiera said, is that it is used as a cut through to avoid traffic from the Fort Banks Gorman School. She said making it one way might help with the morning traffic, but that it could only make the afternoon traffic worse on school days.