Forest Street resident Phyllis White is hoping Westbrook will put traffic-calming measures on her street, because she said drivers double the speed limit of 25 mph.
She said she routinely has to sit in her driveway waiting for an opportunity to get out into the street in her car. The city has told her no accidents have occurred on the street, and she can’t think of any pedestrians being hit by speeding commuters. However, she had a cat killed after it escaped the house, and she knows of at least two dogs hit right in front of her house.
“The major problem is the speeding,” she said this week. “They start speeding here at 6 in the morning.”
White and other voiced their opinions last Thursday at a public hearing called by Mayor Bruce Chuluda to get some ideas on what the problems are on the street and what might be done about them. City Engineer Eric Dudley said the purpose of the meeting was to gather city staff, councilors and neighbors to discuss traffic-calming measures on Forest Street to slow through-traffic between Westbrook Arterial and Main Street.
The city conducted a traffic survey during September and October, and found that speed along the road averages between 30 and 35 mph. Currently, speed along the road is posted at 25 mph.
It’s not the first time, however, traffic-calming measures on the street had beem considered. Dudley said last week that the topic was a hot one a few years back, and the city went so far as to hold a public hearing, but nothing else came of it.
At the time, the city considered putting in traffic-calming measures such as stop signs and raised speed tables, said Dudley. Continued complaints by residents in the area have brought the issue to fore again.
“It’s been ongoing since I’ve been there,” said 46-year Forest Street resident Malcolm Noyes.
Noyes’ neighbor, Jeannie Waldron, said she has three children, one of whom, an 8-year-old, likes to ride his bike on the side of the road. While her son thinks it’s perfectly fine, Waldron thinks it’s dangerous. She also thinks it’s dangerous during the winter, when the snow collects on the sides of the road and children walking to school, as well as other pedestrians, are forced to walk out into the street.
Waldron’s neighbor, former Westbrook High music teacher Wally Hayes, said he thinks the speed along the street is higher than it should be, although he’s waiting to see what ideas the city comes up with before making any judgment on what should be done about the speed.
“I think the only thing they can do (is) the speed tables,” White said.
According to Chuluda, the city has begun discussions with the Maine Department of Transportation to determine whether traffic measures are appropriate on Forest Street. Because the street is considered a major roadway through the city, the state has final say on whether any measures will be put into place. The state will be reviewing the city’s traffic survey and making the final determination on whether traffic-calming measures are necessary. Coinciding with any traffic-calming measures is a proposed plan to repave the road next July.
“I hope they figure out something,” said Waldron.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
