WESTFIELD—The city’s traffic commission has made decisions on two roads that residents have had complaints about recently.
The Westfield Traffic Commission has determined that no further action will be made on Honey Pot Road and Root Road following traffic studies on the roads. The roads have been the topic of some complaints from residents who live on and around them in past meetings.
Regarding Honey Pot Road, two traffic studies were done after residents brought concerns forth about multiple turns on the road and drivers allegedly traveling them in excess of the posted speed limit. The commission responded, conducting a traffic study and lowering the speed limit from 30 MPH to 25 MPH. However, there were still requests to lower it further, going as low as 20 MPH.
The Westfield Traffic Commission during yesterday’s meeting.
Traffic Commission member and Westfield Police Chief John Camerota said that the determination to not lower Honey Pot Road again was made following the findings of the two traffic studies.
“The reports would indicate no further action on our part,” he said.
According to Camerota, an average of 210 vehicles per day were traveling the road during the study, which showed that traffic not related to those who live on the road may be low.
Camerota said that there are about 36 homes on the road, and if two people leave the homes and come back, that totals 174 trips on the road, which would leave about 36 trips not to or from residences, according to Camerota’s estimations.
In addition, he said that there was “not a lot of speeding” during the time of the studies.
The two studies took place over a total of five days, first from Aug. 28 beginning at 9:30 a.m., to Aug. 31 at 9:45 a.m., then a second from Sept. 5 at 10:30 a.m. until Sept. 7 at 12:45 p.m.
Regarding Root Road, Camerota said that the traffic commission will also not change the speed limit from 40 MPH to 30 MPH on the road after a traffic study showed low amounts of speeding on the thoroughfare. The road was previously given areas of “No Parking” as a result of resident concerns but a speed limit change was not done.
“Right now I don’t see enough to make a move towards 30 [MPH] but that could change,” Camerota said. “We’ll look at it, I promise you we’ll look at it.”
However, Camerota said that most operators are comfortable with the current speed limit.
According to the traffic study, 659 total vehicles were recorded traveling on Root Road from July 26 at 9:15 a.m., to July 28 at 11:15 a.m.
Of those vehicles, 517–which was about 78 percent–actually traveled below the 40 MPH speed limit, while 111 traveled over the speed limit. Of the 111 that exceeded the speed limit, 13 went faster than 45 MPH.
Camerota acknowledged that activity on the road has been increasing however, and said that another traffic study would be done and that residents will be heard.
“As we hear complaints we’re taking measures and we’ll continue to look at it,” he said.
