RALPH FIGY
WESTFIELD – The City Council approved the first reading of an ordinance to establish a new Pioneer Valley Transit Authority bus stop on Elm Street in front of the former Newberry’s site and to eliminate two stops on Main Street.
The Legislative and Ordinance Committee presented the motion to amend the current ordinance, on a recommendation from the city’s Traffic Commission, as an alternative to the PVTA request to locate a bus stop in front of the Westfield Athenaeum which was opposed by residents, Athenaeum officials and downtown businesses.
Ward 2 Councilor Ralph Figy said the change is needed because the two Main Street bus stops create a traffic hazard.
TINA GORMAN
“This is a safety issue,” Figy said. “The buses stop in the (Main Street) travel lanes where they pinch off two lanes of traffic into one lane. It’s an accident waiting to happen. This change will also keep traffic moving more effectively on Main Street.”
Figy said that the PVTA has reviewed the alternative bus stop and “is in favor of this change.”
The current Main Street stops are in front of Rocky’s on the north side of the street for the westbound rote and in front of the Stop & Shop supermarket, on the south side of Main Street for the eastbound route.
Tina Gorman, executive director of the Council on Aging, said that many of the westbound buses were not parking directly in front of Rocky’s Hardware store where the designated bus stop is located and were using spaces in front of the senior center designated as a drop off and pick up area for senior citizens, forcing seniors, many with mobility issues, to walk to a different location for transportation, including the PVTA senior shuttle which was also being displaced by the route buses.
CARL VINCENT
The new Elm Street location is 61 feet south of the Arnold Street intersection and allows the PVTA to initiate bus routes which will be similar to those when the Arnold Street bus facility is constructed, Figy said.
Ward 2 resident Carl Vincent said that many residents of Meadow and Union streets, who do not have their own means of transportation, use the present Main Street bus stops to shop at the Stop & Shop supermarket and that those residents will now have to walk to Elm Street instead of just to the front of the supermarket.
Ward 6 Councilor Christopher Crean suggested that the city contact the PVTA and request that the present Main Street bus service be continued for two weeks while riders are made aware of the route changes.
The first reading of the ordinance amendment was approved by a 13-0 voice vote and will be on the Jan. 15 agenda for the second reading and final passage vote.
