Traffic and Parking Committee — Minutes, Sep 29, 2025

City of Somerville, Massachusetts City Council Traffic and Parking Committee Meeting Minutes 6:00 PM Monday, September 29, 2025 The meeting took place remotely via Zoom and was called to order at 6:03 PM by Chair Sait and adjourned at 7:23 PM on a roll call vote of 2 in favor (Councilors Burnley and Sait), none against and 1 absent (Councilors Wilson). Others present: Director Brad Rawson -Mobility, Director Brian Postlewaite – Engineering, Director Suzanne Rinfrett – Parking, Peter Forcellese – Legislative Clerk. Roll Call Ward Five City Councilor Naima Sait, City Councilor At Large Jake Wilson and City Councilor At Large Willie Burnley Jr. Present: 1. Approval of the Minutes of the Traffic and Parking Committee Meeting of May 19, 2025. Committee Minutes (ID # 25-1003) ACCEPTED RESULT: Ward Five City Councilor Sait, City Councilor At Large Wilson and City Councilor At Large Burnley Jr. AYE: 2. By Councilor Clingan, Councilor McLaughlin, Councilor Wilson and Councilor Strezo That the Director of Mobility and the Director of Engineering collaborate to install crosswalks across Walnut Street and Wigglesworth Street near Sunnyside Avenue to protect Winter Hill Community Innovation School students, families, and educators using the Otis Street footbridge. Order (ID # 25-1424) Councilor Wilson sponsored Samantha Zielstorff to address the committee. Ms. Zielstorff spoke about the traffic problems on Walnut and Wigglesworth Streets and asked for a crosswalk and traffic calming measures to be put in place. Director Postlewaite commented that he understood the goal and desire to have students feel comfortable when walking to schools He noted that this issue came to light about 18-24 months ago, and since that time, a number of crosswalks were refreshed. He explained that a crosswalk is more warranted on Walnut Street and said that the challenge is weighing the priority for doing these locations vs. all other requests around the city. Director Postlewaite said that this is a common concern around all schools in the city and must be prioritized, adding that he feels that this particular location may Page 1 of 5

Traffic and Parking Committee Meeting Minutes September 29, 2025 be prioritized sooner rather than later. Chair Sait stated her feeling that all schools should be prioritized for traffic calming. Director Rawson asked the committee to remember that as staff gets into this matter, a number of reviews will be needed for crosswalks, since the city can’t install new ramps where there are utilities, hydrants, driveways, etc., and time will be needed to navigate the technical challenges involved. Director Postlewaite noted that there are trees and poles at this location, therefore, it may not be possible to locate a crosswalk at the intersection. Should this be the case, the preference would be to situate crosswalks between city blocks. RECOMMENDED TO BE MARKED WORK COMPLETED RESULT: 3. Pedestrian and Transit Advisory Committee, Somerville Alliance for Safe Streets, Commission for Persons with Disabilities, Groundwork Somerville Green Team and Union Square Main Streets submitting comments re: Union Square Walk Audit. Public Communication (ID # 25-1378) KEPT IN COMMITTEE RESULT: 4. By Councilor Sait That the Director of Mobility update this Council on when the speed limit signage and NO MOTORIZED VEHICLES signage will be installed along the Community Path and at its entrances. Order (ID # 25-1354) Director Rawson stated that a community engagement process has been launched to discuss safety and upgrades to the Community Path. Mobility and Engineering staff are reviewing data and signage will be developed and installed, perhaps in the spring. RECOMMENDED TO BE MARKED WORK COMPLETED RESULT: 5. By Councilor Ewen-Campen That the Director of Mobility install a left turn signal for vehicles turning left from Somerville Avenue onto Bow Street. Order (ID # 25-1349) Director Postlewaite stated that staff has been working on this for months and he explained that the upshot is that a request for a left turn traffic signal is not appropriate at this location as it would be confusing to motorists, as most traffic would be continuing straight onto Washington Street. He explained that a more appropriate option would be a LEFT TURN AFTER STOP sign. RECOMMENDED TO BE MARKED WORK COMPLETED RESULT: Page 2 of 5

Traffic and Parking Committee Meeting Minutes September 29, 2025 6. By Councilor Ewen-Campen, Councilor Wilson, Councilor Strezo, Councilor Clingan and Councilor Mbah That the Director of Engineering update this Council and community advocates on current efforts to fix the unsafe crossing of the Community Path at School Street. Order (ID # 25-1171) Chair Sait sponsored Ben Orenstein to address the committee on this matter. Mr. Ornestein stated that this site is dangerous and that he took it upon himself to install a convex mirror to make it safer. Several residents held a meeting and expressed their interest in making this area safer. Director Postlewait commented that this has been an important topic since this section of the path was first installed in 2021-2022 and that the city has been working for years to resolve this matter. He explained that the problem arose, in part, because of the high school and the GLX projects occurring simultaneously and because of jurisdictional issues of the location among the city, MBTA and MA DOT. He reported that the city hired a consultant to produce a design and that it should be ready in October for presentation. He asked that this item be kept in committee until then. Chair Sait asked for an update on Lowell Street as well, if possible and Director Postlewaite replied that this item also applies to Lowell Street, since the two areas are similar and are being done jointly. KEPT IN COMMITTEE RESULT: 7. By Councilor Sait That the Director of Parking install a new MAGOUN SQUARE MUNICIPAL PARKING LOT sign at the Magoun Square municipal lot. Order (ID # 25-1137) Chair Sait told the committee that the business community requested this 6 months ago because many of their customers weren’t aware that they could park in the lot. Director Rinfrett asked for more specific information since there already is public parking sign at the lot and signage within the lot about paid parking. Chair Sait will contact the business community and connect with Director Rinfrett about specific language. RECOMMENDED TO BE MARKED WORK COMPLETED RESULT: 8. By Councilor Sait and Councilor Wilson That the Director of Mobility return the DO NOT BLOCK INTERSECTION signage to the intersection of Broadway and Hinckley Street. Order (ID # 25-1099) Director Postlewaite said that he suspects that the sign was removed during one of the construction projects on Broadway. He explained that it is not necessarily a good idea to put these signs up since doing so could cause more problems elsewhere. Additionally, the city tries couple street signage Page 3 of 5

Traffic and Parking Committee Meeting Minutes September 29, 2025 with illustrated signage. The director went on to say that this request is not a priority since a clear safety implication is necessary, e.g., providing clear passage for emergency responses at locations where a regularly blocked intersection impacts emergency responses time. He also explained that the traffic backup caused by these signs may also affect traffic by backing it up even more. Director Postlewaite noted that this site is within an area that is being actively worked on for redesign, and addressing this matter at that time would be a better option. RECOMMENDED TO BE MARKED WORK COMPLETED RESULT: 9. By Councilor McLaughlin That the Director of Mobility place a speed bump on Pinckney Street and consider the Neighborway potential of this street. Order (ID # 25-1014) Director Rawson told the committee that there are many streets to consider and that Pinckney Street has been added to the list. He commented that the Neighborways project has taken off in the city and that the conversation will continue with the Ward Councilor. RECOMMENDED TO BE MARKED WORK COMPLETED RESULT: 10. By Councilor McLaughlin, Councilor Clingan, Councilor Wilson and Councilor Davis That the Director of Mobility update this Council on recent changes to the #90 Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) bus route and the reasons for those changes. Order (ID # 25-1012) Director Rawson explained that the MBTA approved a long-range plan in 2022 which did not include the #90 route. Some time later, the MBTA made the decision to combine the #88 and #90 routes. After the GLX opened, the MBTA focused on creating bus to green line links to provide better access to Green Line stations. Neither the city nor patrons of the #90 route were pleased, especially since they were not appropriately consulted on impending changes. After collaborating with the mayor to mitigate the problems, the MBTA informed the city that if safety improvements were made for its buses, they would bring back the route, at least temporarily, and as of this past August, that route is back in operation. Director Rawson commented that the MBTA’s logic is valid and there is value to combining the #88 and #90 routes and in creating bus to green line links. He told the committee that the MBTA reported that Cross Street is challenging for buses to navigate, however they are willing to move buses back to the neighborhood if changes are made by the city. Councilor Burnley asked how many bus stops were re-allocated and he recommended that the Mobility Department provide data for public Page 4 of 5

Traffic and Parking Committee Meeting Minutes September 29, 2025 consumption, including accident data involving buses. RECOMMENDED TO BE MARKED WORK COMPLETED RESULT: 11. By Councilor Clingan That the Director of Mobility install STOP signs on Ten Hills Road at Governor Winthrop Road, making the intersection a four-way stop. Order (ID # 25-0988) Director Rawson explained that federal guidelines dictate that certain due diligence steps are taken and if the city cannot meet the requirements, staff will try to find other ways to alleviate the problem. He will reach out to Councilor Clingan to get more particulars on this situation. RECOMMENDED TO BE MARKED WORK COMPLETED RESULT: 12. By Councilor Sait That the Director of Mobility update the traffic signal equipment at the intersection of Rogers Avenue and Boston Avenue. Order (ID # 25-0839) Chair Sait stated that she submitted this item to put it on the Mobility Department’s radar for future work. Director Postlewaite noted that this matter was discussed this past spring and explained that the level of analysis needed isn’t one that can be done in isolation as it impacts other signaled traffic in the city. Saying that this was not “a one off”, he told the committee that staff are working on many other upgrades needed for emergency signal pre-emption. He commented that it would be better to incorporate this request into a larger project, possibly in the next few years, to make it more executable. RECOMMENDED TO BE MARKED WORK COMPLETED RESULT: 13. By Councilor McLaughlin That the Director of Mobility install a rapid flashing beacon with push button STOP sign in front of the East Somerville Community School, on the Cross Street side, to assist in street crossings. Order (ID # 25-0743) Director Rawson stated that staff is going through a prioritizing process and reviewing how signs are working citywide. He explained that this type of signage is typically used on longer crossings, not on narrow streets, however, if concerns continue, staff will look at available options. RECOMMENDED TO BE MARKED WORK COMPLETED RESULT: Page 5 of 5