To the editor:
This letter is from the Board of Selectmen to participants in the LincolnTalk discussion forum on roads, as well as all Lincoln residents. In recent days, there has been considerable dialogue in LincolnTalk regarding questions and concerns with roads.
Public safety on our roads is a primary responsibility of the Board of Selectmen and is a regular topic for our discussion and decision. We encourage residents to bring their specific questions and concerns directly to the Board of Selectmen as outlined below.
We understand and appreciate that residents have always had and will continue to have concerns with traffic and road safety. Our roads are busy with traffic generated by residents and non-residents. We also attract bicyclists, and many of us like to walk alongside our roads, most of which do not have a roadside path. Some of our roads more easily accommodate traffic and traffic-related design than others. Moreover, the town has always valued the appearance of its roads and viewscapes. Finding the appropriate balance for managing these conditions is a regular challenge for us. As a result, the Board of Selectmen and its agents are the repository of many decades of experience.
With more than two decades as our Town Administrator, Tim Higgins is very knowledgeable about road safety and regulation. Tim is also a good listener, enjoys interacting with individual residents, and is ready and willing to provide guidance. He is reachable at 781-259-2604 or higginst@lincolntown.org. Please contact Tim directly. He and we welcome it.
As Tim will explain to you, road regulation is complicated by being subject to state regulations that constrain how we control usage of our local roads. Moreover, the state has direct jurisdiction over state and “county” roads. Therefore, we rely heavily on the experts in our Police Department who not only enforce our road regulations but also help us evaluate specific road issues and understand the universe of solutions permitted by law. This includes maintaining and regularly updating a database on traffic speed, usage and incidents, as well as proactively observing and alerting us to potential areas for increased attention.
In addition, we have a longstanding relationship with an excellent traffic engineering firm. And we maintain a standing advisory committee known as the Roadside and Traffic Committee, who assist us and our DPW Superintendent on the design and aesthetic aspects of maintaining our roads, and on whom we call for advice from time to time on specific matters.
In the near future, we hope to provide residents with a primer on road regulation, to help provide context and history for understanding prior and future decisions on enforcement, speed bumps, speed limits, crosswalks, signage, lines, turning restrictions, one-ways, roadside paths, and similar matters, along with a forum for further public discussion if desired. In the meantime, we encourage those with specific concerns to contact Tim.
Sincerely,
Peter Braun (Chairman, Lincoln Board of Selectmen)
16 Trapelo Rd.
Letters to the editor must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Letters will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Letters containing personal attacks, errors of fact or other inappropriate material will not be published.
