The city’s Department of Housing and Community Development is looking to ease traffic congestion on Everett Avenue by opening a second vehicular traffic lane on the street during weekday mornings.
Last week, the Traffic and Parking Commission voted to send the request to a public hearing.
The second travel lane would stretch on Everett Avenue southbound between Arlington Street and the Rte. 1 onramp from 5 a.m. to 10 a.m. on weekdays. The proposal would also require a no parking restriction along that segment of the road during those hours.
The a.m. peak hours lane would potentially reduce congestion and facilitate access to Rte. 1 in the mornings, according to a letter from the housing and community development department.
“I think that this has been an ongoing problem, and I think the belief is that this is certainly one way to solve it,” said public works supervisor Louis Mammolette.
The proposal would trade parking in the morning, which benefits a small number of people, for the relief of congestion, which would benefit more people, according to Mammolette.
There were some concerns raised by other traffic commission members that the loss of parking could adversely impact businesses along that stretch of Everett Avenue.
In other business, the Traffic and Parking Commission tabled several requests to a future meeting so it could gather more information.
City Councilors Melinda Vega Maldonado and Damali Vidot requested the commission look into placing a speed table near 32 Franklin Ave., and Councilor Tanairi Garcia requested a stop sign be placed on the corner of Parker Street and Clark Avenue and Cary and Clark Avenue.
Mammolette noted that there are a number of areas in the city that could potentially use stop signs.
“I’ve obviously been doing a lot of driving around the city over the last several months, and there are a number of places where I feel like there should be a stop sign and I find myself stopping without even thinking to look for the sign because I just feel I would be more safe if I stopped at this moment,” he said. “I would say we would like a chance to go out and look at this one specifically.”
Mammolette said the traffic commission would take up the request again at its next meeting.