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Stay calm Natick: Those white poles are just part of traffic test

November 10, 2020 by Bob Brown 1 Comment

Natick has installed flexible white poles around the Rte. 27/Rte. 135 intersection in Natick Center as part of an experiment in traffic calming supported by a $25K state Shared Streets & Spaces grant that also enabled Natick to put in place temporary outdoor dining lanes in town.

At first blush, the poles seem to just make things harder for cyclists and drivers, as they present an obstacle course within the de facto bike lanes and add to the clutter of signs and such making distracted drivers even more distracted.

traffic calming posts

I had my first experience with the traffic calming additions while driving on Tuesday morning. Naturally, an ambulance with its lights on came whizzing through the intersection. I pulled over as far as I could, but the poles prevented me from getting over as much as I would have liked.

But the poles and some freshly painted white lines along the crosswalks have been placed with good intentions by the town. It’s looking for feedback on the set-up to help determine what might make sense in terms of any sort of reconfiguration of the intersection, such bumping out the curbs to make crossing the intersection less of a trek for pedestrians and to boost sight lines for any who pass through.

An earlier set of cones and straw sausages were used in phase 1 of the test back in September. These are all part of a “test before you invest” approach, as outlined by James Freas, Natick’s director of community & economic development, in a letter to the Select Board previewing the project in late August.

The new flex poles are supposed to be removed before snow season, not that that’s very easy to gauge anymore in light of our recent late October snowstorm. There’s also a possibility of filling the space along the edge of the road with painted art, which seems like a particularly bad idea in terms of driver distraction (no offense to the artists).

traffic calming posts

Similar flex poles have been installed along Rte. 30 where Natick and Wayland meet.


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Filed Under: Transportation



MBTA seeks input from Natick riders on upcoming service cuts

November 5, 2020 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment

The MBTA is holding a public meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 10 from 6-8pm in which it will outline its Forging Ahead plans regarding how its commuter rail and other services could change in light of reduced ridership since the pandemic hit. This meeting will focus on residents of Natick and other MetroWest communities, and allow an opportunity to ask questions and provide feedback. Register for the meeting.

This meeting will focus on residents of Natick and other MetroWest communities, and allow an opportunity to ask questions and provide feedback. Register for the meeting. Questions can also be emailed to publicengagement@mbta.com

The MBTA is considering, as of May 2021, the following commuter rail changes:

  • Stop all service after 9 PM
  • Stop all weekend service (Fairmount Line replaced by bus service), starting as early as January 2021
  • Decrease weekday peak service and some midday service, reducing from 505 trains (Fall 2019) to 430 trains
  • Close six (out of 141) stations based on low ridership, operational impacts, and availability of alternatives (no Wellesley or Natick stations are on the list to be whacked.

No additional fare increases are planned yet beyond those that went into effect last year.

natick center commuter rail station train


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Filed Under: Transportation



Car crashes into South Natick utility pole, wipes out power

October 15, 2020 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment

10/16/20 UPDATE: Power was restored in the South Natick neighborhood in the wee hours of Friday. Naturally we had just done a huge grocery shop that day and so had a fridge and freezer full of perishables. We kept the doors shut tight during the outage and the ice cream stayed solid. Phew.

The stay-at-home crowd in South Natick got a rude awakening Thursday afternoon when a car slammed into a utility pole on Rte. 16 near South Lincoln St., and wiped out power across the neighborhood.

The crash into one pole resulted in a second one being yanked down as well. Power is out because a transformer on the second pole was knocked off during the incident.

The accident had ripple effects across town, as traffic backed up and was rerouted on major roads including Rte. 16, Pond Road and Union Street. One neighbor came scooting down to check out the scene on a golf cart.

Eversource is on the job, and they were talking of restoring power tonight, though it’s unclear how soon it will really be back. One neighbor was scrambling out to buy a generator. Here’s hoping they won’t need it.

south natick accident power loss

 

south natick accident power loss

south natick accident power loss

south natick accident power loss

south natick accident power loss

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Filed Under: Transportation

A better way to snake through Natick

October 3, 2020 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment

snake brook trail natick

The state this past month granted Natick $55,000 through its Shared Streets & Spaces program.

Natick’s grant is to be used for creating a separated bike/shared-use lane by making use of the shoulders on a segment of Route 30 connecting the Snake Brook Trail at Cochituate State Park on the east (in Wayland) with the commercial Speen Street area on the west (in Natick).

The program provides “technical and funding assistance to help Massachusetts cities and towns conceive, design, and implement tactical changes to curbs, streets, on-street parking spaces and off-street parking lots in support of public health, safe mobility, and renewed commerce.”

Over the summer, Natick received funds as well through this program to expand outdoor dining.


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Filed Under: Government, Transportation

No Natick drivers win the state’s low number license plate lottery

September 26, 2020 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment

For the first time in at least four years, no Natick drivers have won a low plate vehicle license plate number in the state’s annual lottery. A true low point.

Typically, at least one or two Natick residents secure these random low numbers in the name of prestige, tradition, or something.

About 12,000 applications were received for a chance to win one of 100 plate numbers, such as 6P, 751, V35, K5, 2042 and T31. The lottery was even live streamed for the truly hard up for entertainment.

low plate


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Filed Under: Transportation

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