In 2021, the City of Melrose is planning on resurfacing the section of Main Street between West Wyoming Avenue, to the north, and Sylvan Street to the south. This stretch of roadway is one of the most important in the city; it connects our “downtown” and Wyoming Hill business districts to Malden/Oak Grove/Pine Banks. The road is also very wide. Why does that matter? Because that factor, combined with the critical importance of this street to the city, makes “South” Main Street (or sometimes referred to as “Lower Main”) the city’s single best candidate for a signature “complete streets” roadway. We have an opportunity to design a transit corridor which offers dedicated infrastructure for pedestrians and cyclists, while at the same time affording “traffic calming” benefits to the entire roadway, rendering it safer for all users.
In order to encourage the city to adopt an approach which provides traffic calming benefits while genuinely promoting alternatives to single-occupancy vehicle (SOV) travel, the Ped/Bike Committee produced a detailed set of design recommendations at the beginning of 2020. Our report lays out a set of options for the city to pursue along this corridor. While the repaving work stops at Sylvan Street, our design includes details showing how to extend improvements, including continuous bike lanes, all the way to the Malden border. Note that all options assume enhanced daylighting at crosswalks throughout the corridor:
- Bare minimum option: striped/painted bike lanes both northbound and southbound (e.g. similar to Essex or Berwick)
- Buffered, protected bike lanes both northbound and southbound
- Raised, protected bike lane (level with existing sidewalk) both northbound and southbound
- Two-way painted and buffered bike lane located either on the northbound or southbound side.
Click here to download our report. If you like what you see and support safer street access on this critical roadway, please add your signature so that we can ensure the city hears your voice.
