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GRAFTON, Mass.—Driving through Grafton Common has always been an adventure for both beginner and seasoned drivers. On Tuesday, the Board of Selectmen approved establishing a traffic redesign committee to study making it easier.
This new committee, which will be for a one year term, will study the traffic flow at the intersection of Worcester and Millbury Street as well as the parking patterns in front of 2 and 10 Grafton Common.
Residents know it as the hot spot where a traffic dummy with a flashing yellow light would routinely be decapitated by an inattentive driver. It has since been replaced by an awkwardly placed stop sign on Millbury Street.
Selectman Brook Padgett believes fixing the traffic flow problem is more complex and expensive than it looks. All agree the entire area, from the Grafton Common buildings to the flashing-yellow dummy near the library needs to be addressed, but it would most likely need the input of historical preservationists, neighbors, and shop owners.
“We want to look at everything,” said Padgett. “But it’s a bad intersection at 2 Grafton Common.”
The immediate issue, according to Town Administrator Tim McInerney, is crosswalk safety and sight line issues on Worcester Street where drivers have right of way. Padgett speculated a quick fix by temporarily placing Jersey barriers to prevent fender benders as cars ease into and out of parking spaces.
“I don’t want a Jersey barrier,” said Padgett, “but I don’t want a traffic accident.”
A permanent fix might take years according to Padgett. Since Grafton Common is an historical area that is also home to small business owners, finding a long-term solution could be complex. The board agreed that addressing this intersection first would be a sensible start.
The new committee would start as soon as the members are selected, with a deadline of Sept. 1.
Comments (11)
While less than perfect, I'd say the center of town is looking very nice. Short of dropping a bomb, I think it is what it is.
How about focusing some attention and resources to the eyesore (and dangerous) sidewalks along the main corridor of town (Rt 122/140)?
As far as I'm concerned, the recent project to make the front of the Grafton Town House handicap accessible did more to hinder traffic flow than make the building accessible. The elimination of the traffic dummy was ok, but the fancy stone work on the corner of the Town House increased the inability to see approaching traffic coming up the hill on Worcester St into Grafton Common. Prior to the access work, there was a reason why the parking spot nearest Worcester St had a NO PARKING sign on it- SO YOU COULD SEE THE TRAFFIC COMING UP THE HILL.
No matter what you do to this intersection and area, you still are supposed to YIELD RIGHT OF WAY to Worcester St through traffic, folks when you're sitting at either STOP sign, plain and simple.
Oh look - over 90 persons held a meeting in 2004 to study the Grafton Common....
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/graftonma/message/577
Once again - let's not all of us at once rush down to the municipal center and ask to see the following documents...........
1. The Grafton Common Master Plan that some selectmen are now saying is not a
Master Plan - but a "concept plan..."
2. http://www.mass.gov/dcr/stewardship/histland/fundedProjects.htm
a $20,000 grant from Mass DCR for a Grafton Common Landscape Preservation Plan
Ok. Another problem for me to solve. Here goes:
We seem to have a severe need for more soccer fields.
So, close all the Common roads, grass over the whole thing, and make it soccer fields.
There. Two problems solved.
Back to my nap.
The intersection at 2 Grafton Common where Millbury St meets North St is dangerous. The South St traffic does not yield and visibility is poor due to those parking in this area. An accident waiting to happen. All intersections at the Common should be studied!
This has to be a joke! You create a committee to "study" an intersection.
I don't like your picture choice.
The town recently OK'd money for a traffic study for the entire common. Now we are appointing a study committee for only one intersection at the common (wasted $). I thought the town was going take a "wholistic" approach to traffic around the common?
There are community block grants for common area traffic improvements. I'm not sure that looking at just one intersection isn't just chasing our tail. Without a comprehensive plan, it will be difficult to get the historic district commission to buy into a half baked plan. I thought that's why the town chose to do a traffic study for the entire common in the first place?
Right. The Common area has been studied for a long time. If there were simple solutions involving individual intersections they would have been done a long time ago. The only way to really deal with it is with a comprehensive plan that can look at the whole Commin area layout and flow as a whole with the possibility to make conceptual changes.
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