WEST SPRINGFIELD — During the West Springfield Town Council meeting on Jan. 6, the agenda featured four public hearings for traffic rules in town.
The areas discussed individually were Norman Street speed humps, no parking on one side of Hillcrest Avenue, no parking on one side of Woodmont Street and a three way stop sign on Tiara Lane and Quarry Road.
City Councilor and Traffic and Safety Subcommittee Chair Brian Griffin said the subcommittee vote was in favor 2-0 and Memorial School Principal Karen Albano was the one who brought it to the group’s attention.
Griffin said Albano’s goal is to slow down traffic in and around Memorial Elementary School located at 201 Norman St.
Police Sgt. Michael Reed, who also serves on Traffic and Safety Subcommittee, met with the Town Engineer Connor Knightly to discuss plans for speed humps on Norman Street.
Griffin said, “There will be some others coming forward but for Norman Street it was decided that speed bumps would help in that area and the speeding in that area especially around school time as well as 24 hours a day.”
The Town Council approved the installation of speed humps on Norman Street.
Town Council President Sean Powers further explained, “As a reminder, the speed humps and their installations have become much more popular in the last 12 months so the Traffic and Safety Subcommittee has started to put together a prioritization list and a schedule.”
Powers said the town will be working on that list and schedule and to reach out to the Town Council if there is an area that would benefit from speed humps.
For the second public hearing, Griffin explained that in the proposed area in and around the Hillcrest Avenue corridor, there is some congestion almost to the point where emergency vehicles cannot get through the corner of Hillcrest Avenue.
He said, “We took that into consideration and had the town engineer develop this area that we would establish no parking with. We are trying to relieve that congestion; let emergency vehicles get through etcetera so that’s the crux of Hillcrest Avenue.
Griffin also acknowledged concerns brought to the subcommittee’s attention about the congestion and narrow curve about all traffic not just emergency vehicles.
“We tried to do the best we could to pick an area where we could relieve this, what we consider congestion, in and around that curve and make it better for everyone to travel.”
The Town Council did not vote on this item after an objection by a Town Council member Michael LaFlamme. A further discussion will be had at the next Town Council meeting after the members were torn on a decision after discussing potentially making a shorter section of no parking on one side.
The next meeting is scheduled to take place on Jan. 21, according to Powers, and he explained that when a councilor objects to a vote, it automatically moves to the next meeting.
The third public hearing relating to no parking on one side of Woodmont Street was also not voted on after a resident proposed moving the no parking side from the even side to the odd side of the street.
LaFlamme said, “Currently as it’s designed to be on the even side but that’s not something we can’t take a look at. I don’t think this is something that’s urgent and needs to go into effect tonight. I’d rather take the two weeks, take another look at it, talk to the town engineer and get his thinking behind it and talk to the residents as well.”
The Town Council did vote on and approve a three way stop sign on Tiara Lane and Quarry Road.
Griffin explained there were three separate hearings hosted about Tiara Lane to find ways to alleviate some traffic concerns.
Griffin said this is just a start and that, “It was a big safety concern. There is larger discussion around sidewalks, crosswalks. What we tried to do to is to alleviate at least from this perspective, any emergency that would coexist now. There may be a capital project down the road that we can speak upon and maybe work with the residents.”
One resident who lives on Quarry Road explained there should be a stop sign there because there are two hills going down and with a lot of people walking around, you never know if a car is coming up the hill.
“If you can’t see them and even if you can hear them, you don’t know how fast they are going,” he added.
