The town’s five year plan is available on the Transportation Coalition website: https://www.lincolntown.org/1552/Transportation-Coalition
The town’s engineering consultants designed the crosswalk - all infrastructure improvements are professionally designed. Site lines determined the exact location of the new crosswalk as they do all crosswalks. Margaret On Sat, Dec 13, 2025 at 2:51 PM Sara Mattes <[email protected]> wrote: > Past road projects were informed by professional guidance, standards and > research. > I am surprised to find that a survey response by under 100 residents seems > to now guide decisions. > > The 117/Old Sudbury Rd. crosswalk is beautifully executed. > However, it leads to a narrow, busy road (Old Sudbury Rd.) with no > shoulder, no path, no sidewalk.. > > When the Roadway and Traffic Committee (the RTC) was formed, clear > guidelines and standards were established for all such decisions. > Crosswalk locations were determined to be safest and most appropriate > where site lines were clear and the crosswalk connect paths and/or trials. > > It would be instructive to have the Transportation Coalition share the > rational developed through guidance documents and professional reports that > direct the expenditure of tax dollars on these projects. > > > > On Dec 13, 2025, at 2:18 PM, ٍSarah Postlethwait <[email protected]> wrote: > > “The crosswalk by town hall has new, hopefully more visible signs. It will > be upgraded to a speed table in the spring, once the water main patches > have settled. The speed table will give drivers, pedestrians, and Public > Safety experience with this new traffic calming measure. We will then > consider whether speed tables are well suited to other crosswalks in town.” > > I am genuinely struggling to understand why a traffic table is being > presented as the preferred solution for Lincoln Road, particularly given > its well-documented drawbacks and the availability of safer, more effective > alternatives. > > Traffic tables carry significant and foreseeable downsides. They can delay > emergency response vehicles, create safety hazards for motorcyclists due to > abrupt elevation changes, and cause damage to vehicle suspensions, > undercarriages, and front splitters—especially once the Table has a few > seasons of New England weather has left it in less than optimal condition. > Is the Town prepared to accept liability for vehicle damage caused by this > installation? If not, why is a measure with such predictable consequences > being advanced? > > Moreover, a single traffic table does nothing to meaningfully reduce > overall vehicle speeds along Lincoln Road. At best, it creates a brief > bottleneck where drivers slow momentarily, only to accelerate immediately > afterward. This does not address speeding behavior along the rest of the > roadway and offers no comprehensive traffic-calming benefit. > > It is also worth noting that traffic tables are not safely traversed at > 20-30mph. In practical use, drivers must slow to approximately 15–20 mph to > avoid vehicle damage. This creates an inconsistent and potentially > hazardous driving environment, particularly for unfamiliar drivers, > cyclists, and emergency vehicles. > > Compounding this concern are ongoing discussions about asking residents to > contribute financially to repaving Lincoln Road- work that will likely be > necessary sooner rather than later due to the extremely poor patching > performed after the water main replacement. If repaving is imminent, would > the newly installed traffic table need to be removed and rebuilt? If so, > how is this an efficient or fiscally responsible use of public or resident > funds? > > There are proven, safer alternatives that address pedestrian safety > without introducing these risks. For example, pedestrian-activated crossing > signals, such as the flashing system used at Walden Pond, have been shown > to improve driver compliance and pedestrian visibility while preserving > road continuity. Why was this option dismissed by the Transportation > Coalition, and on what evidence was that decision based? > > Finally, it remains unclear who would be responsible for the installation, > maintenance, and long-term upkeep of the proposed traffic table. What are > the projected costs, and how will they be funded? > > Given these unresolved concerns, it is difficult to justify a traffic > table as the best, or even a prudent solution for Lincoln Road. > Sarah Postlethwait > > > On Sat, Dec 13, 2025 at 1:44 PM Margaret Olson <[email protected]> > wrote: > >> Everyone, >> >> We wanted to share with you the results of the Transportation Coalition >> survey and give you an update on recently completed and upcoming projects. >> >> The Survey: >> >> The survey opened on August 26th and closed on October 13th. 312 of you >> responded to our outreach: postal mailing, flyers, and emails. To all who >> responded: Thank you! The feedback we received will help guide our >> long-term planning. The Transportation Coalition will continue to partner >> with the Town's Public Safety Department and DPW on road safety and >> maintenance, and to fund as much as possible with a combination of state >> Chapter 90 money and grants. >> >> Resident’s top-rated priorities were additional roadside paths/sidewalks >> (82 votes), road maintenance (77 votes), and speed/traffic control (61 >> votes). Answers to the question "if you could pick one project to improve >> pedestrian or cyclist safety in your neighborhood, what would it be?" >> reflected these priorities: sidewalks and speed. The intersection of 117 >> and Tower Road and additional bike lanes were the largest group of specific >> responses. >> >> When it comes to taxes to support improvements, 146 of you are opposed, >> 129 are in favor, and 27 responded with "maybe". >> >> Projects: >> >> The crosswalk at Old Sudbury Road and Route 117 is now complete! It >> consists of new pedestrian refuge islands and a pedestrian activated >> warning light. This was funded by a Complete Streets grant. Attached is a >> picture for those of you who do not often drive along 117. >> >> The crosswalk by town hall has new, hopefully more visible signs. It will >> be upgraded to a speed table in the spring, once the water main patches >> have settled. The speed table will give drivers, pedestrians, and Public >> Safety experience with this new traffic calming measure. We will then >> consider whether speed tables are well suited to other crosswalks in town. >> A "speed table" is a traffic calming device consisting of a long, flat >> topped speed hump that allows vehicles to maintain speeds of around 20-30 >> mph while still slowing traffic for safer pedestrian crossings. Attached is >> an image of a speed hump from the Federal Highway Division. >> >> And, as most of you probably know, the second half of the water main >> project on Lincoln Road will begin in the spring/summer. >> >> The 2A repaving by Mass DOT will not be put out to bid until 2029. At >> least some of the 2A crosswalks and pedestrian protections that the Town >> advocated for remain as part of the plan. >> >> MassDOT has informed us that the Route 126 bridge project will start >> this coming summer and is projected to finish in the summer of 2031. >> >> >> Margaret Olson >> >> Chair, Transportation Coalition >> >> -- >> The LincolnTalk mailing list. >> To post, send mail to [email protected]. >> Browse the archives at >> https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/private/lincoln/. >> Change your subscription settings at >> https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/lincoln. >> >> -- > The LincolnTalk mailing list. > To post, send mail to [email protected]. > Browse the archives at https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/private/lincoln/ > . > Change your subscription settings at > https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/lincoln. > > >
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