WESTFIELD – Several residents of the Bailey Drive and Sammy Lane subdivision, along with their families, asked the Traffic Commission Wednesday night to find a solution to the heavy volume of traffic entering their street from Servistar Industrial Way.
The residents, many of whom have young families, said that there are 24 children in Bailey Drive homes and that motorists, often traveling in excess of 50 miles an hour, use their residential street as a shortcut between Servistar industrial Way and Southampton Road.
“So it’s a safety issue,” Chris Nolan of 17 Bailey Drive said. “We’re willing to give up (the) Sammy Lane (access onto Servistar Industrial Way) to shut down traffic.”
The Bailey Drive and Sammy Lane subdivision is located at the end of Egleston Road, which is now a long dead end street. The Planning Board required a second means of egress because city ordinance codes prohibit dead end streets longer than 600 feet.
Egleston Road was closed by a vote of the City Council, led by the late Ward 1 Councilor Charles Medeiros, at the intersection of Servistar Industrial Way because of resident complaints similar to those voiced last night by the subdivision residents.
“Egleston (Road) residents are still seeing traffic, it’s just coming through our street,” Nolan said.
A.J. Kuhn of 23 Bailey Drive suggested that Egleston Road be reopened to traffic at Servistar Road to eliminate the traffic passing through the subdivision.
“It would make a huge difference to us,” Kuhn said. “I watch this every day, the high rate of speed.”
City Engineer Mark Cressotti, a member of the Traffic Commission, suggested that the road was supposed to be a one-way exit out of the subdivision onto Servistar Industrial Way.
City Planner Jay Vinskey said that he has not found that to be a condition of the subdivision special permit.
Cressotti said that perhaps the Planning Board can revisit the conditions of the special permit.
“It would take Planning Board action since they approved the subdivision plan to make it a one-way (northbound),” Cressotti said. “It’s a subdivision and the Planning Board’s authority doesn’t end with issuing the special permit. I think you’d have to go to the Planning Board to get it authorized as a one-way exit.”
Cressotti said that barriers could be added to reduce the throat of the intersection on Servistar Industrial Way to a one-lane exit.
“I think you can get there,” Cressotti said.
Police Chief John Camerota, who serves as the Traffic Commission chairman, said the board will work with the subdivision residents to identify a resolution.
“We’ll work to come up with some compromise,” Camerota said.
