The April 28 meeting of the Mattapoisett Bike/Pedestrian Committee, whose purpose in part is to study the impact of safety options and improvements on public ways, failed to reach a quorum. The planned “kick-off meeting” for the Complete Streets Projects was a fumble.
Invitations had been sent to the Highway Department and the Police Department; however, those representatives were not present. Still, those present informally discussed what needs to happen when the rescheduled “kick-off” meeting is held on Wednesday, May 12, at 2:00 pm.
Present at this gathering were Bonne DeSousa, Steve Smith, and Robert Teixeira. The first issue discussed was a hoped-for, four-way stop at the intersection of Railroad Avenue and Depot Street. The group was unable to advance the idea in the absence of a representative from the Highway Department.
On the remote meeting was Town Administrator Mike Lorenco, who said that he had been in conversation with Bill Mertz, Vice President of WorldTech Engineering LLC, on the status of engineering plans for the intersections of Mattapoisett Neck and Brandt Island Road. Lorenco said the $35,000 contract with Mertz is pending final signatures and that G.A.F. Engineering has completed the survey work. DeSousa confirmed that plans will include modest roadway reconfigurations granting better visibility to pedestrians, bicyclists, and motorists.
The group also briefly discussed the need for more in-depth discussions with the Police Department in order to ascertain the best location for what have been termed “traffic calming” signals known as radar speed feedback signs planned along North Street from Route 6 north to Wolf Island Road.
Lorenco said that the public, as well as the committee members, should plan to give the Board of Selectmen their suggestions on the positioning of the flashing speed signs, and that the Police Department’s recommendations are needed as well. Final decisions will be made by the selectmen, Lorenco said.
DeSousa also brought up safety concerns regarding motorists, pedestrians, and cyclists on Goodspeed Island Road. She said those concerns need to be addressed before the opening of the highly anticipated new recreational span currently under construction along the roadway to the barrier beach and Eel Pond beach. She wondered aloud who is responsible for the safety plan. Lorenco said he would bring that question before the selectmen.
The committee members also spent time discussing overall safety on bike/pedestrian paths. Smith started the discussion when he asked which side of the path walkers should use. DeSousa said there are not any state or local regulations, only that Massachusetts General Law states that cyclists are to travel with the flow of traffic and pass on the left. “Bikes are to yield to pedestrians,” she said.
DeSousa said that the Friends of the Mattapoisett Bike Path had offered up to $20,000 for amenities along bike paths and that some of those funds could possibly be used to hire an expert to help guide the community’s safety regulations for the path. She said that the Massachusetts Department of Transportation planner was not able to address such concerns. Smith thinks any regulations implemented for Mattapoisett’s pathways should be consistent with others in the state. DeSousa said she has recommended to the selectmen that rules used along the Cape Cod Canal could work. She said it’s simply a matter of pedestrians keeping to the right.
DeSousa thinks the most consistent rules are those already in place for riding or walking on roadways. Stay to the right and, “Don’t mow down the pedestrians,” she jokingly added. Teixeira commented, “It comes down to courtesy.”
The next meeting of the Bike/Pedestrian Committee is scheduled for Wednesday, May 12, at 2:00 pm, at which time a formal kick-off is planned for the in-depth discussion of the Complete Streets Plan.
Mattapoisett Bike/Pedestrian Committee
By Marilou Newell