Great Barrington — A vote is a vote, according to Selectboard Vice Chair Stephen Bannon. Bannon said this to Selectman Leigh Davis at the board’s meeting on Monday, July 11 when she questioned a previous vote on traffic calming measures.
Back at the selectboard meeting on June 27, the board discussed and debated traffic calming measures after representatives from the New England-based consulting company BETA Group gave a presentation.
The company presented a plan for various measures at crosswalks on Main Street that intersect with Railroad Street, and “Rotary Way” which is a location north of Church Street.
According to Assistant Town Administrator Chris Rembold, the traffic interventions, which were first discussed in April, would make it safer for pedestrians to cross the streets and make them more noticeable to oncoming traffic.
According to Rembold, funds for the project are included in the fiscal 2023 budget.
The board had several different options to choose from, including a short-term option that would involve simple markings on Railroad Street and Rotary Way to increase visibility and a long option that would involve an infrastructure project to build out midblock pedestrian islands in the middle of Main Street, which would involve installing signage and flashing beacons to make drivers alert about pedestrians crossing.
After nearly an hour of discussion and debate at the June 27 meeting, including several failed motions, a motion was made by Selectman Ed Abrahams to construct a raised traffic island on Railroad Street, and a smaller painted traffic island at Rotary Way, which both intersect with Main Street on state Route 7.
The crosswalks will include three traffic beacons in the Railroad Street crossing, and two traffic beacons in the Rotary Way crossing.
The motion was seconded by Selectman Eric Gabriel and the motion for the project passed unanimously.
Rembold said that the next steps for the project are for design refinements and for town officials to speak to the state Department of Transportation and federal highway departments, who would “be in touch about a schedule.”
At the July 11 meeting, Selectman Davis questioned the June 27 vote, despite voting for the motion.
“I realize that a vote did take place and we are moving forward,” Davis said. “But as many of you know, I feel strongly that I don’t believe that we voted in a way that protects the pedestrians as much as I would like to, but I respect the other board members’ feelings on this. But what I would suggest and request is that, because we made two significant changes from what the experts [at BETA Group] had recommended, is that we invite them back to show us these changes that were made at the meeting. I don’t feel that I understood what the significance of the changes was until I reviewed [the meeting] tape again. I have very deep concerns about the way we made those changes.”
“Just so you understand, they’ve been given the go-ahead to do this,” Bannon told Davis. “This is going to happen. There is no turning around. We’ve spent the money and they have been given the thumbs-up on this. They can come to the meeting, but we’ve taken our vote and we’re moving ahead with this.”
“Because we made significant changes that were different from what the experts had recommended, I would ask [BETA Group representatives] to show the selectboard what these changes are so that we can see them because I feel like they were done on the fly,” Davis said. “Just to add [to the next meeting’s] agenda, so that they can come back and say ‘OK, this is what your vote is going to result in,’ and maybe give some public comment time.”
“There’s no reason for public comment because we can’t go back to having public comment [on the original vote],” Bannon said. “It’s just going to cause controversy that we don’t need to cause. We can do that on our own.”
Bannon eventually agreed with Davis’ request to have representatives from the BETA Group come back at a future meeting to discuss the project.
Before the discussion with Bannon and Davis, Selectman Garfield Reed told the board that he hopes the town could put together “some type of teaching mechanism to let drivers know that you just can’t race by pedestrians if they are on the island.”
During the citizen’s comments portion of the meeting, resident Gabrielle Senza asked the selectboard to reopen the discussion on traffic calming measures.
“The major problem is the four lanes and the blind spot that is created for any driver of the outside lanes [on Main Street],” Senza said. “I know you all know this, and most people spoke to it. I have also heard selectboard members complaining about people crossing the street and being distracted. I have crossed the street and I’m never distracted. I‘ve seen people hit at that intersection, but I still take my time and I’m very cautious. I’ve flagged drivers that are trying to blow through there and it is a danger to everyone.”
However, resident Michelle Loubert told the board that she saw pedestrians jaywalk across Main Street at least three times this past weekend.
“One time, my husband and I were driving down the street and somebody walked right out in front of us, and they were looking at a cellphone,” Loubert said. “I just wanted to explain that some of us who grew up here remember when a police officer walked up and down Main Street to keep an eye on such things. Maybe we should start thinking about going back a couple of decades for a street cop.”
Watch a recording of the Selectboard meeting below, courtesy of Berkshire Edge Managing Editor Shaw Israel Izikson.
