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Committees: Traffic Committee

Traffic Committee

The Traffic Committee is an advisory committee and makes recommendations to the Board of Selectmen for implementation.  It considers all aspects of traffic and safety issues which are brought to the Committee's attention from citizens as well as Town Departments.  For many years it consisted of representatives of the Police Department, Fire Department, Department of Public Works, Parking Clerk, Planning Board, and Light Department.  In 1997, the committee was reorganized to include three citizen representatives, appointed for three year terms, plus the Police Chief (Chairman), Fire Chief, Town Planner and DPW Superintendent.

The Traffic Committee exists to assist Hingham residents and business owners with ways to alleviate traffic concerns in all areas of the Town. The Traffic Committee does not have the power to implement changes but rather recommends proposals to the Board of Selectmen.

Should a resident or merchant have a topic to bring before the Traffic Committee, they should make a written request to the Board of Selectmen, cc: Chief Michael Peraino, Hingham Police Department. Questions regarding traffic issues can by addressed by Sgt. Steven Dearth, Traffic Sergeant, Hingham Police Department, 781-749-1212.

2010 Report

The Traffic Committee exists to assist Hingham residents and business owners with ways to alleviate traffic concerns in all areas of the Town.  The Traffic Committee does not have the power to implement changes but rather recommends proposals to the Board of Selectmen.

2010 was an extremely busy year for the Traffic Committee.  

A crosswalk was installed at Water Street and Station Street based upon the request of merchants located in the 59-61 Water Street location to improve pedestrian safety.   

Area residents came before the Traffic Committee to request a traffic light with a pedestrian signal be installed at Chief Justice Cushing Highway (Rte. 3A) and Kilby Street to enable children and their parents to walk to East School.   Due to budgetary constraints, it was determined that the safest solution is to bus the children who live on the other side of Rte. 3A which is the current practice according to Dorothy Galo, Supt. of Schools.   

A recommendation was made to the Board of Selectmen to make the connector roadway from Fort Hill Street onto New Bridge Street one way in a northeasterly direction.    It was determined that this roadway is not sufficient in width for safe two-way travel.  

A request was made by the HDIC to allow MBTA buses to turn left from Water Street onto Summer Street (Rte. 3A) in order to connect buses to the commuter boat dock at the Shipyard which is where the Inter Modal facility is being constructed by the MBTA.   Committee members unanimously determined that allowing left turns from Water Street onto Rte. 3A would be extremely dangerous due to the requirement of crossing four lanes of traffic along with heavy traffic volume in the area and therefore could not be recommended. 

Hingham Center resident Declan Boland came before the Committee regarding the issue of speeding and unsafe traffic volume in Hingham Center.   After discussion, it was decided that the best course of action would be to use the Traffic Radar Trailer to discourage speeders as well as placing the area on the Traffic Hotsheet for increased speed enforcement.  

By request of Patricia Coyle of the Bare Cove Park Committee, speed limit signs were installed on Bare Cove Park Drive by DPW.    These two signs are for 20 MPH and are located near the field.    It should be noted however, that these are suggested speed signs and cannot be enforced.

Bulow Road residents came before the Committee to address the problem of traffic speed and increased volume on their street which is often used as a cut-though to avoid the traffic lights on Rte. 3A and to avoid the speed bumps on Beal Street.   Residents requested that their street be made one way or limit access during peak hours.   After muchdiscussion and a traffic study, it was determined that speeding is not an
issue and that volume is not significantly higher at peak times resulting in the fact that additional measures are not warranted based on the evidence of the study conducted by Sgt. Horte.   

An all way stop sign at Ward, High and French Streets was proposed.   It Was determined that the layout and topography of the area are problematic and poorly suited for stop signs.   Major reconstruction of the area would need to be done in order to make stop signs feasible butthe cost would be prohibitive.  

A crosswalk was installed at Kilby and Summer Streets in the interest of pedestrian safety and in light of the fact that it is on a walking route to East School.   It was determined that the site met all criteria necessary to install a crosswalk which was installed after a unanimous vote from the Committee.

Kilby Street resident Carole O’Connell requested signage at the Rte. 3A Rotary to ensure proper traffic flow and safety.   Since Rte. 3A is a State Road, a letter was sent to Mass. Highway/Dept. of Transportation recommending that they take another look at the area and the possibility of installing signs approaching the Rotary to simplify entering and exiting properly for motorists.  

The Traffic Committee was charged with reviewing the intersection of Main/Cushing/South Pleasant Street by the Board of Selectmen in regards to the need for a traffic control device.    The Traffic Committee was assisted in this endeavor by Coler & Colantonio (a traffic engineering company hired by the Town).  After much discussion and review of the data collected, it was determined that a roundabout would slow traffic in all directions with deceleration, acceleration, air quality issues from traffic stopping, braking, etc.   As for a traffic signal, this would mainly benefit Cushing Street traffic and would result in delays and backups for Main Street traffic.   Retired Traffic Engineer and former Planning Board member Richard Cook offered his assistance in analyzing the data.  Mr. Cook concluded that there is no evidence of the need for a traffic control device based upon current traffic volume and the number of accidents to justify the installation of a traffic control signal at this intersection.     The Traffic Committee by a vote of 7-1 agreed with the findings and conclusions set out in the report which was sent to the Board of Selectmen.   The report states that after analyzing all data, the Committee determined that the safety concerns raised by Article 29 of the April 2010 Town Meeting to justify the installation of a traffic signal are unsupported by the facts.   The Traffic Committee recommends that no action be taken at this time in regards to the installation of a traffic signal.  It is recommended however, that the issue of this intersection be referred to the Planning Board.    The Planning Board is in a better position to analyze the growth of South Hingham and its impact on the roadways in South Hingham, most notably Cushing Street. 

Should a resident or merchant have a topic to bring before the Traffic Committee, they should make a written request to the Board of Selectmen, cc: Chief Taylor Mills, Hingham Police Department.  Questions regarding traffic issues can be addressed by Sgt. Steven Dearth, Traffic Sergeant, Hingham Police Department, 781-804-2205.