UnofficialGuideTrafficCouncil
From Newtonstreets
This page is intended as an unofficial guide to fixing traffic problems in your neighborhood by filing a petition with the City of Newton's Traffic Council. This page is not sanctioned by the Traffic Council. This page is one man's somewhat informed suggestions for success. Follow the guidelines at your own risk. Ignore them at your peril.
Understand the problem
Specifics
- Days of the week
- Times of day
- Types of traffic
- Likely source of the problem
Discuss with your neighbors. Chewing over the problem together can yield some useful insights.
Document the problem
- Document incidents
- Take pictures
- Take videos
- Make diagrams
Understand potential solutions
There is a whole set of common practices for dealing with problems of traffic volume and speed. It's called "traffic calming." Learn about traffic calming and the different techniques used around the world and around the country. Learn the difference between vertical and horizontal deflection. Learn why road width matters. Learn. Learn. Learn.
The web has lots of information about traffic calming. Start with the city's own traffic calming guidelines (PDF).
Other sites:
- TrafficCalming.org
- More to come ...
File a petition with the Traffic Council
Follow the instructions on Traffic Council page on the city web site.
Contact Ward Aldermen
Notify your Ward Alderman of your problem and your intention to file a petition. The Ward Aldermen can be very effective advocates for you. Having the Ward Aldermen on your side is no guarantee of success, but it clearly helps your chances.
Present problem/not solution
Your best bet is to present a petition to the Traffic Council in terms of a problem you'd like help with, rather than a specific solution that you'd like to see them implement.
The council is, in my experience, a group of people with a lot of expertise who genuinely want to solve neighborhood traffic problems. They're not perfect. I'd like to see more innovative thinking and more willingness to inconvenience drivers. But, they're thoughtful and concerned.
If you present your issue as a problem rather than a request for a particular solution, you are engaging them as they should be engaged: the city and neighborhood working together to solve a problem, rather than the neighborhood coming on bended knee asking for a favor.
Which leads me to ...
Don't underestimate your knowledge
One reason there is a Traffic Council: traffic and related issues turn out to be pretty complex. Members have a combination of the education, training, and experience to understand the complexities.
But, they don't live on your street.
They don't walk their kids to school in your neighborhood.
They don't witness the myriad vehicle-on-vehicle and vehicle-on-pedestrian conflicts and near-misses that you see every day.
They don't obsess about your problems.
You have something to contribute to figuring out the problem, so don't be shy. At a recent Traffic Council meeting, the council was about to remove an existing stop sign when a neighbor pointed out a high-traffic pedestrian path and how difficult it was for motorists to see pedestrians in the intersection.
You probably have something to contribute to the technical design of a solution. One group of neighbors has pressed for some design changes to an upcoming reconstruction that may make it more successful. They had studied the intersection for hours and realized an opportunity to make the design just a little better.
Avoid stop signs, speed limits, enforcement
Just about everyone's first instinct is to ask that the city for a stop sign, a reduction of the speed limit, or greater enforcement of already posted signs and signals.
Traffic council rarely approves new stop signs, except on a side street entering a main street at a T or four-way intersection. And, not always then, either. Stop signs can be counter-productive.
The city cannot lower the speed limit. Only the state can. And, the rules for setting speed limits are not designed to lower speed limits, but to set them at the prevailing speed. If you were happy with the prevailing speed, you probably wouldn't be reading this.
Enforcement is not going to have a significant effect on your problem. The police have limited resources. They are not going to be on your street as often as they would need to be to be an effective deterrent. What you really want is the design of the road to be such that the speed limit is self-enforcing.
Find money
In many (most?) cases, meaningful solutions to your problem are going to cost money, something that the city does not have endless supplies of. If you can identify a funding source for the solution to your problem, you'll be in much better shape. There are some funds around, particularly traffic mitigation accounts related to development.
Ask around.
Understand the process
Preparation
After you have filed your petition, the city traffic engineer will do an analysis of the situation. And, the Traffic Council members will do site visits. They will already have some understanding of the problem when the hear your petition for the first time.
That first hearing is not the time to start showing photos, maps, and diagrams. With your petition, or just after you file it, submit a report, however informal, of the problem. Put the photos, maps, and diagrams in the report.
Coordinate your efforts. You shouldn't file a dozen different reports.
If you would like, put your report online here at Newton Streets & Sidewalks. Send me the information and I'll post it (sean dot roche at gmail dot com).
Presentation
Your item will be heard by the Traffic Council as a (relatively) formal public hearing. [More to come.]
Vote
[More to come]
Post-hearing
The vote by the Traffic Council is not the final decision. It's a recommendation to the Board of Alderman. Typically, the recommendation of the Traffic Council is acted on by the full board, without debate. That is not true, however, in every case. The full board has, on occasion, reversed the Traffic Council.
Some actions by the Traffic Council -- like a recommendation to change the geometry of the road -- may have to be heard by the Public Safety & Transportation committee, the Public Facilities committee, or both.
Gather the troops
In the end, it's a political process. The more noise you make and the more people who demonstrate concern, the better your chances of success. You don't all have to speak at every meeting. It may be better to have designated spokespeople. But, it helps to make clear that you have an organized group looking for a solution.
Group attendance at key meetings, like the first consideration of a petition, helps. But, everyone doesn't have to go to every last meeting. But, at least one person should go to every meeting.
E-mails to the council and to the ward aldermen help. It helps when a spokesperson has a stack of letters and e-mails that show she's not speaking for herself, but for the neighborhood.
Be patient and resolved
Change is not going to happen overnight. Stick with it.
