November 19, 2003


To the Editor:

We have been told for months now, that BTD's plan for the reconstruction of West Roxbury's Centre Street included the addition of new state-of-the-art traffic synchronized signals which could provide dedicated left turn signals and pedestrian crossing signals for maximum vehicular efficiency and pedestrian safety. As a transportation engineer, I naturally assumed that optimal use of this technology was included in the City's calculation of "level of service", or wait times, for evaluating which lane structure would best serve Centre Street: the current four lanes without dedicated left turn lanes as proposed by the City; or two travel lanes, one in each direction, with a center designated left turn lane, an option proposed by a community and business consortium.

At the November 13 meeting, I learned that BTD s calculations for both lane structures did not assume that designated left turns for vehicles turning off Centre Street would be used, and in both lane structures, left turn vehicles would be mixed with the through vehicles, resulting in significant inefficiency in the operation of the signalized intersections. Failure to make that assumption results in wait times for the re-designed Centre Street that are unnecessarily high for both designs.

"Level of service" is engineering jargon used to indicate how long vehicles are predicted to wait at intersections for the proposed signal design. In reports published this summer, BTD had stated that four lanes was the only way to go since having one travel lane in each direction with a designated left turn lane would slow down vehicular traffic too much. For example, the report stated that vehicles traveling through Centre's intersection with Corey Street during the evening peak drive time would experience a D level of service (a 44 second wait) with four lanes, an F (141 second wait) with one lane in each direction and a designated left turn lane.

Improving the level of vehicular efficiency and pedestrian safety on West Roxbury's Centre Street is not difficult or expensive. It can be done in three steps if BTD uses readily available techniques along with synchronization technology: It can be accomplished with one lane in each direction and a center turning lane, a change that would allow current lane space to be reallocated into broader parking bays and travel lanes, and permit amenities like bike lanes and sidewalks wide enough to allow seasonal cafes. If the center turning lane at the intersections were extended the full length of the street, this arrangement would also provide ready and safe access to and from the curb cuts (including all off-street parking) between the intersections. The following are the three steps to a more efficient, pedestrian-safe, and commercially viable Centre Street in West Roxbury:

        1) Create a central designated left hand turn lane where 5 or 6 cars waiting to turn can be "stored" until they turn with a protected designated turn arrow. (Through traffic will stay right and continue east or west without becoming blocked by those who wait to turn left as currently occurs.)

        2) Introduce parking meters along Centre Street and in the City lots to encourage turnover of parking spaces and discourage long-term parking by the employees of local businesses and commuters from elsewhere who seek to avoid stiff downtown parking fees. Parking space turnover is vitally important for the success of West Roxbury businesses along Centre Street. Enforced parking turnover would greatly reduce double parking, currently a decided vehicular obstruction.

        3) Implement other traffic calming measures including, but not limited to, highly visible crosswalks with pedestrian activated signals; pedestrian crosswalk "designators", closely planted trees and pedestrian-height street lighting.

It is inconceivable that the City of Boston would install sophisticated technology and then fail to use it's full capabilities to efficiently move vehicles and provide pedestrian safety. As a transportation engineer, I believe that failure to use a designated left turn lane and left turn signal will condemn vehicles traveling on the street to a continuation of the inefficient and frustrating traffic patterns they encounter today.


Yours truly,

Cranston R. Rogers, PE
Transportation Consultant to Walkable West Roxbury