The Wellesley Department of Public Works heard loud and clear during a recent forum (and via other communications before and after that) about the public’s safety concerns for pedestrians and cyclists related to a reconstructed Weston Road. But DPW Director David Cohen said during the Board of Public Works meeting on Feb. 10 (see Wellesley Media recording) that his department is mainly sticking with the planned design it has shared, and that cyclists have spoken out against.
Plans are to improve the busy north-south roadway and surrounding sidewalks beginning this summer from around the Fells Market intersection at Rte. 9 to the Weston town line. It’s estimated by the town to be a 6-8 month project. The road hasn’t had a full repaving since 1986, and sidewalks are in rough shape as well, presenting safety, accessibility, and drainage issues.
The narrowness of the busy north-south roadway limits the DPW’s options for including accommodations such as dedicated bike lines, department officials have said. What they heard at the recent forum and in subsequent communications didn’t come as a surprise, Cohen said.
“This is the conflict that exists with this project,” he said. “This is what Dave [Hickey, town engineer] have been hearing all along.”
Cohen said the DPW team has spent a lot of time reviewing feedback from the public, but that “this is definitely a case where we wish that there was more we could do to create accommodations and facilities for cycling in this corridor, and in the end we just haven’t been able to come to a place where there’s any changes to the current design that I think we would recommend.”
The DPW team looked at the possibility of widening the road, including by moving or removing tree lawns or reducing sidewalk widths. “In the end, we just don’t think that is the right thing to do,” Cohen said.
The DPW has also taken into consideration cyclists’ concerns about vertical granite curbing, which can slash tires or otherwise endanger cyclists. But with 14,000 vehicles a day on Weston Road, Cohen said alternative curbing (like sloped granite curbing)( wouldn’t prove safer overall. The town doesn’t want to invite vehicles up onto the curbs on such a busy, narrow road.
Board of Public Works member Ellen Korpi said “my bias is to be as intermodal as possible,” but given the number of pedestrians vs. cyclists using this stretch, the town needs to focus more on the pedestrians in light of site constraints. “It sounds like we have to make a choice,” she said.
Korpi also urged the DPW to work with neighbors to help address issues with bad sight lines at intersecting streets along Weston Road (this could involve issues with fences, plantings, etc.). Hickey said the town has already begun speaking with some neighbors on this matter.
Perhaps some consolation for cyclists was mentioned by Cohen during the end of the agenda item. An upcoming project on Great Plain Avenue will allow the town to provide “full bike accommodations,” he said.
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Chunks of asphalt curbing everywhere on Weston Road driving home tonight. If anyone wants to see what happens when a main road has asphalt cubing after the snow melts, look no further than this part of town. Having this type of debris on a main road, can’t be good for cars, nor walkers, nor kids using their bikes, nor professional bikers, nor runners, etc. The plows did a good number on the curbing this month!
Thank you David and the town of Wellesley for using common sense and listening to the vast majority of the Wellesley residents needs for this section of town roadway vs. a small loud group of bikers who felt the need to overtake the last zoom meeting on this subject and make it seem that their voices were the majority, which in fact they were not!
The town did a great job researching all options and am very glad that they stuck with the original plan (sidewalks on both sides, granite curbing, squaring off each side road entrance onto Weston road to slow down cars turning into them).
The drainage is also awful on this part of the road, just drive down there today and you will see mini ponds all over this road freezing and un freezing which is why curbing type is important.
Great job David and the town for ensuring common sense prevailed!
As someone who walks on Weston Road all the time I am very very glad that they are keeping granite curbing!
1) many school kids need to walk over a mile on this roadway to get to both the Hardy and Bates school! Kids don’t have a choice either!
2) I can’t tell you how many times I see cars drifting over onto the sidewalks which would be minimized if there were granite curbing vs asphalt
3) the landscapers and Fed Ex trucks are always parking on the sidewalks forcing people to then walk around on Weston Road, which granite will help mitigate
4) asphalt curbing gets destroyed in the winter by the plows which just leaves parts of the siding on the road (making it a hazard for cars and cyclists) and then just leave future problems of no protection for the pedestrians
I understand that Weston road is not ideal for cyclists but many of them ride early in the morning when there are no cars there anyway.
Big win for pedestrian safety and glad there will be granite curbing especially for the school children who need these sidewalks every day to go to school! As an active cyclist, I 100% support granite curbing!
Was very surprised how some cyclists handled themselves in these town meetings, which many of were not even residents of the town, yet were encourage to participate like they were Wellesley residents. Unfortunately, they give a bad rap to the rest of us.
The vast majority of residents who live on this section of town, want to feel safe walking on the sidewalks!
Of course we also want everyone to be safe including the cyclists, but when I want to ride my bike for a long ride, I drive to the Weston middle school in my car and then start my bike route from there!