The Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR), which is responsible for operation of the Lynn Fells Parkway, recently revealed a proposed design for updating the intersection of the parkway with Melrose Street and Crystal Street, directly to the East of the MVMMS/MHS school complex . This design comes a year after DCR last held a public meeting on the topic, during which they presented numerous design options, including options which simplified the intersection by altering or closing off drive aisles. They are holding a webinar June 9th to present and explain their choice. DCR’s proposal for this extremely dangerous, high-crash intersection is essentially to introduce a traffic signal, widen Lynn Fells Parkway, and leave other design elements unchanged:
We do not feel that this proposal represents an acceptable upgrade to safety, particularly for our school population, nor do we feel that it reflects the community priorities expressed at prior public meetings on this topic. We encourage the DCR to re-review their options and present a design to the community which reflects a more comprehensive, pedestrian-oriented vision for the Parkway. You can read our full letter below and sign up here to make public comment at the June 9th meeting.
June 5, 2022
Re: Lynn Fells Parkway at Melrose Street Intersection Improvements
Cc: Melrose City Council, Mayor Paul Brodeur, Sen. Jason Lewis, Rep. Kate Lipper-Garabedian
To the Massachusetts Department of Conservation & Recreation:
This letter follows up on our previous letter of May 17, 2021, attached below, which offered comment on the design of the Lynn Fells Parkway (LFP)/Melrose/Crystal Street intersection in Melrose. We are prompted to write again by the announcement of another public meeting on June 9, and the publication of a preferred alternative.
While we await further explanation at the June 9 meeting for why the published design was chosen from the many alternatives previously shown, we wish to state that we do not feel this design goes far enough to address the fundamental safety concerns shared by our community during the public comment process. We are disappointed to see a preferred design that changes very little about this intersection, and hence preserves many dangerous conflicts or even potentially creates new ones. We continue to strongly encourage DCR to redesign this intersection to put the needs of pedestrians and other non-vehicular road users first, even if it reduces the convenience of motorists or the rates of motor vehicle throughput at this location. We feel that this is particularly critical given the proximity of this intersection to Melrose Veterans Memorial Middle School and Melrose High School.
The land for the DCR’s parkway system was given to the Commonwealth more than a century ago with the explicit purpose of creating recreational connections between the open spaces of the metropolitan parks. DCR has a statutory obligation to prioritize recreational use of these public assets. The department’s recently adopted Parkways Master Plan set “a vision for an interconnected network of walkways and bikeways throughout metro Boston that provide residents of all ages and abilities with access to recreational destinations and healthy transportation opportunities.” That Master Plan also makes the commitment that “DCR will enhance the legacy of the parkway system by ensuring safe, comfortable access for users of all modes and all ages and abilities.” Specifically, DCR’s plan recommends continuous bike lanes on LFP from Vinton Street to Green Street. We unfortunately see little evidence in this design that these obligations and commitments have truly been taken into account.
The Lynn Fells Parkway is one of DCR’s High Injury & Fatality Corridors. The reason for this is the way the Parkways were designed. We fear that a failure to redesign this intersection away from the status quo will mean that the road will continue to produce severe and life-threatening crashes, the most recent of which occurred just a few weeks ago, on May 22nd, at the Parkway’s intersections with Batchelder and Linden. The members of this community, and particularly our students, deserve bolder action. Our Committee offers our full support to DCR, and to the City of Melrose, to take whatever measures are necessary to redesign this intersection to be among the safest in Melrose and in the Parkways network. We urge you to reconsider the design of this intersection in accordance with the principles and commitments articulated in DCR’s 2020 Master Plan, as well as the City of Melrose’s Complete Streets policy and Master Plan. All of these guiding documents share the goal of designing our roadways for safe speeds, prioritizing the safety of non-vehicular users, and reconnecting our neighborhoods.
With respect,
The Board and Membership of the Melrose Pedestrian & Bicyclist Advisory Committee
(Previous public comment letter:
https://pedbikemelrose.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/PBC-Melrose-LFP-Letter-and-Co
ncept-Plans.pdf)
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