Neighborhood effects of Watertown Square traffic redesign

[jboc...@rcn.com]

On behalf of myself and Marcia Ciro, Nancy Kay, Ernesta Kraczkiewicz, and Sarah Ryan:

 

The city administration is putting together plans for the redesign of Watertown Square. The two plans now being discussed both try to reduce wait times for traffic entering the Square by reducing the number of streets that meet there. To further this goal, both the “Mini Main Street” and “Four Corners” plans (follow links or see diagrams below) would change the location of the western end of Charles River Road, where it connects with the Square. The Mini Main Street plan makes Charles River Road one of the four corridors into and out of the Square. The Four Corners plan bends the western end of Charles River Road to approximately the location where Riverside Street now connects with North Beacon Street. In our opinion:

 

•          It is to the benefit of everyone in Watertown if Watertown Square becomes a more attractive place to be in, rather than primarily a pass-through intersection.

 

•          No redesign should be chosen without thorough study of its effect on our neighborhood and other affected neighborhoods, particularly as to traffic.

 

•          The use of Charles River Road as a shortcut to the Square became substantially worse after the Arsenal on the Charles campus became fully occupied, to the detriment of our neighborhood and the park along the river. Additional development in and around the Square, Arsenal Street and North Beacon Street, and even intense development in Brighton, will only make matters worse. This traffic is a change to the character of Charles River Road since the park and the road beside it were created.

 

•          Our goal as residents in the Riverside neighborhood is to avoid any increase in neighborhood traffic by drivers whose point of origin or destination is not in the neighborhood — “cut through drivers”— and to reduce shortcut traffic on Charles River Road (that is, drivers who are not trying to access the public park along the river or the neighborhood).

 

•          The Mini Main Street plan for redesign of the Square, while offering several attractive features for the Square, makes Charles River Road one of the four corridors into and out of the Square; we believe this will result in significantly more use of Charles River Road as a shortcut.

 

•          The change to Charles River Road proposed in the Four Corners plan is preferable to the existing conditions and to the Mini Main plan even though the Four Corners plan would also require some sacrifice of convenience for people in the Riverside neighborhood.

 

We welcome further discussion. We suggest you contact city manager George Proakis and your district city councilor and at large counselors and share your opinion.

 

The next public forum about the Watertown Square redesign plans will be Thursday, April 4, 2024, beginning 6:30 PM at 66 Galen Street (new building adjacent to the MBTA car barn).

 

Jon Bockian

 

EXISTING ROADWAYS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

FOUR CORNERS plan

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

MINI-MAIN plan