Lincoln Avenue/Amity Street intersection outskirts of town center
The Amherst Select Board meeting was invaded last night by a brigade of concerned Lincoln Avenue residents upset about the initial proposal to ban parking along both sides of their street.
Almost all of them agreed there were problems at the Amity Street/Lincoln Avenue intersection and Gaylord Street/Lincoln Avenue, mainly with sight lines.
But those remedies should only impact the immediate area around those intersections and not the length of the entire road which connects Northampton Road (Rt 9) to UMass Amherst, the largest employer in town.
Click to enlarge/read
Proposed parking scenario widely panned by residents
By removing parked cars entirely neighbors fear it will increase speed along their street by commuters enroute to UMass.
And many of them pointed out they have small driveways and the on-street parking is needed for visiting friends and family.
Concerned neighbors pack Select Board hearing (eleven spoke, all of them opposed)
The Select Board, keepers of the public way, seemed almost embarrassed by the controversy. Connie Kruger said it was "premature to vote on this", that it required a "more comprehensive look," and the town should go "back to the drawing board."
Gaylord/Lincoln Avenue intersect
The Select Board wisely retreated and continued the public hearing until their next meeting July 27. (During the summer months the Select Board meets infrequently).
13 comments:
People that work in town have to park on side streets. By law, their not allowed to feed the meters. Now they want to take way more parking? It's completely nuts.
Don't you know, driving is bad and parking is worse. You should be ashamed of yourself if you drive your car into the center of town. Or have guests at your house that refuse to walk, bike or take public transportation. Get with the program. Please excuse any typografical errors as I am typing this on my phone while driving.
I know that I have to drive more slowly when cars are parked on Lincoln Avenue.
The problem with the end of Lincoln/amity is the cars parked there really block that intersection making a dangerous spot .....I don't think its a parking permit area..is that the attraction?
Yep
Why can't we just park on the lawns of the residents?
Lol
Why is it that we park on the driveway, and drive on the parkway?
You simply could not get a fire truck or ambulance through were there to be a car parked on both sides of the street anywhere near the same place.
This is a safety issue...
Lincoln Avenue is 24 feet wide, a car about 6 feet and firetruck maybe 8 feet wide. They all should fit.
"I don't think its a parking permit area..is that the attraction?"
Yep- no permit needed so it's a popular area for parking.
Parking spaces are nine feet wide. If there's parking on both sides of a twenty-four feet wide street that leaves, you guessed it, a total of six feet. Plus, you don't need room to get one vehicle, you need room for two vehicles, one from each direction. Parking on both sides is never going to work.
Using a random and ever changing maze of parked cars to slow traffic will work but it is dangerous and inefficient. Whatever traffic calming is needed (if any, the speed humps have slowed traffic waaaay down) should be consistent and present at all times.
Yes, but the average passenger vehicle is only 6-7 feet wide and when parked against a curb only extends, you guessed it, 6-7 feet into the roadway leaving 10' - 12' available for travel if cars are parked on both sides.
It would be interesting to know if there is any documentation of any accidents on Lincoln Ave.
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