In 2017, the community identified “South” Main Street — between West Wyoming and the Malden border — as a Priority Project for a Complete Streets redesign, incorporating traffic calming elements to improve safety and slow vehicle speeds in this critical travel corridor. In 2019 and 2020, we worked to submit a number of design recommendations to the city, which can be reviewed here. The city then did its own design work, which included the installation of a “pilot” or “demonstration” traffic calming project between Mt. Vernon and Sylvan street in late summer 2021. The city will fully repave the corridor later this fall.
Our advocacy has fundamentally targeted two complementary goals: encouraging slower vehicle speeds and prioritizing the safety of vulnerable pedestrians, cyclists, and other non-vehicular travelers in this corridor. The city is currently in the process of preparing final designs. As is often the case, certain elements of the “pilot” design have become controversial, particularly with abutters: the removal of some on-street parking, and the inclusion of bike lanes. We do not know what the city’s final design proposal will be. However, any design which meaningfully improves the safety of the roadway must include these two elements. If the road is repaved and travel lanes are left wide, drivers will continue to speed danerously — period.
The city will not (or cannot) move forward to final design until the designs are reviewed by the Traffic Commission, an appointed city commission which controls parking regulations in Melrose. The commission will be holding a hearing in late October or early November on the road designs, and if you care about truly building safer streets in Melrose, we need you to tell the Traffic Commission that you support designs which include consolidated parking, and protected bike lanes, for “South” Main Street.
We don’t know the date of the meeting yet, and will share details when we find out. While residents are more than encouraged to show up in person, anyone can email the traffic commission ahead of time and express their support in writing. PLEASE CLICK HERE TO SEND AN EMAIL TO THE TRAFFIC COMMISSION CHAIR SAYING THAT YOU SUPPORT THIS PROJECT! (if that mail link doesn’t work, use this form on the city website).
We encourage you to personalize your note saying why you support a redesign! Tell the city about your experiences walking and biking in Melrose! If you feel that existing accommodations for pedestrians and cyclists in Melrose are insufficient, say so. If you think that the city should invest in “raised” bike paths and cycletracks, say so.
If you’d like a template to write from, please see below for an example.
Dear members of the Traffic Commission,
I am writing to express my support for a redesign of “South” Main Street which consolidates on-street parking in order to create opportunities for traffic calming. In particular, I support the inclusion of high-visibility crosswalks at bus stops, narrowed travel lanes, and protected bike lanes. This combination of elements will encourage slower vehicle speeds while creating safer conditions for pedestrians, cyclists, and wheelchair users. I embrace a vision of Melrose as a walkable, bikeable community, and believe that our main travel corridors should safely accommodate all residents, no matter how they travel.
Encouraging more people in Melrose to walk, bike, and take public transportation means less traffic, less air pollution, less noise pollution — and also leaves more parking available for those who need it. Speeding and unsafe driving are a source of constant (and growing) concern for residents, and I believe that the city needs to do more in order to solve this problem. Our Main Street should make a statement about our values as a community. We should create a design for this roadway which clearly puts vulnerable road users first. If our streets are safe for our most vulnerable residents, they are safe for everybody.
[If you bike in Melrose, or if you would bike if there was safe infrastructure to do so, we encourage you to briefly share that here].
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
[Your Address]