After years of meetings with both the ward alderman and the Traffic and Parking Department, Clyde Street residents received some hope at the last Public Health and Public Safety Meeting after learning that a chicane will be considered for Cedar Street.
According to its Wikipedia definition, a Chicane is an artificial feature creating extra turns in a roadway, used in motor racing and on city streets to slow cars.
For the past nine years, Clyde Street residents exiting the street have experienced almost-collisions due to the parking on each corner. After speaking with the traffic engineer, however, parking could be switched from one side to another at certain points along Cedar Street creating a chicane which would also serve as a traffic calmer.
A previous idea involving a mounted mirror was shot down by city officials citing liability and costly repair or replacement if the apparatus was to be broken.
The idea of a chicane comes on the heels of an order submitted by Alderman Sean O’Donovan (190370: Discuss in Committee That the Director of Traffic and Parking appear before this Board’s Committee on Traffic and Parking regarding vehicles exiting from Clyde Street onto Cedar Street) in response to numerous complaints by constituents that included both the parking situation and the speed of which cars travel down Cedar Street.
Traffic and Parking is currently researching the idea for Cedar Street while the item remains in committee.
3 comments:
Columbia Street in Cambridge has chicanes. Here are a description and some pictures.
As a Cedar Street resident, I would love to see something like this implemented. Cars travel too fast down this street. A few years ago when the SPD had a speed board placed on the northbound side just before the railroad overpass, I watched a few cars reach over 60 MPH. I have also seen 2 collisions this year where Clyde meets Cedar. Something needs to be done to keep cars near the 25 MPH limit and help residents exit Clyde Street safely.
They should do the same for Lowell Street! I've seen people cross the bridge doing 50-60 mph.
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