WESTFIELD – The Traffic Commission voted unanimously last night to send the City Council a recommendation not to approve a request submitted by the Pioneer Valley Transit Authority to relocate its Main Street bus stop to Elm Street in front of the Westfield Athenaeum and the United Bank.
The PVTA has broken its past bus route into two separate routes, one between Westfield and Springfield and the other from downtown to Westfield State University which runs on a 20-minuted schedule.
The PVTA proposal would take three parking spaces and a taxi stand on Elm Street in front of the Westfield Athenaeum and United Bank for a new bus stop where the two routes would link for passenger exchange. The current downtown stop is located on Main Street in front of Rocky’s Ace Hardware.
The Traffic Commission includes Police Chief John Camerota, City Engineer Mark Cressotti, Public Works Superintendent Dave Billips, Brian Boldini, a former police sergeant who served as the WPD traffic bureau supervisor and Thomas P. Liptak.
Athenaeum Director Cher Collins opened the discussion of the bus stop relocating stating that the displacement of parking from the front of the Athenaeum to Court Street near the Berkshire Bank “is a major inconvenience for our senior citizens and disabled people.”
“There is safety issue with buses parked in front of the Athenaeum near the crosswalks,” Collins said. “I am supported by my Board (of Trustees) that we oppose this proposal to move the PVTA stop.”
Ward 2 City Councilor Ralph Figy, said “there is no need to move the bus stop, the two routes can be served by the bus stops we now have” and suggested that the new WSU shuttle route use “existing stops on Court Street at Holland (Avenue) and Washington Street”
“I don’t see a need to take these parking spots (in front of the Athenaeum and United Bank),” Figy said.
WSU is paying the PVTA $160,000 to operate the shuttle route, Figy said, adding that the PVTA did have public meetings on proposed changes to the bus route, including the bus stop change in Westfield, but none of those public meetings to allow residents to comment on the proposed changes were conducted in Westfield, the third-largest community served by the PVTA.
“These changes were discussed at the PVTA public meetings held in Agawam and other locations, but not here in Westfield,” Figy said.
The Commission then voted 5-0 to send the City Council a recommendation not to approve the relocation of the Main Street bus stop to Elm Street in front of the Athenaeum and United Bank.
The discussion then focused on providing the PVTA with an alternate location for a bus stop. Cressotti suggested that the PVTA adopt routes which will be compatible with those required to service the proposed intermodal bus facility to be constructed on Arnold Street.
“The PVTA should be trying to set up patterns similar to the routes they will have when the Arnold Street facility opens,” Cressotti said. “It may add a little time to each route, but it’s time that will have to be added anyway when they open the intermodal center. Put the intermodal circulation pattern in place now.”
“The Athenaeum parking is too valuable,” Cressotti said.
Cressotti suggested a motion to send to the City Council for creation of a bus stop at a different Elm Street location, in front of the former Newberry’s store. That stop would initiated a route closer to what will be required to use the Arnold Street bus stop.
Camerota said that the Newberry stop “would put students closer to where they live. The City Council established bus stops, not the PVTA, I say put it where the (intermodal facility) will be developed.”
That motion was also approved by a 5-0 vote
