The Oak Bluffs select board unanimously approved adding two stop signs at School Street and Pacific Avenue, making the intersection a three-way stop. The recommendation came from the Oak Bluffs roadways and byways committee.
Byways and select board member Jason Balboni said that an accident at the top of School Street a few years ago prompted the town to look at a way to slow down cars coming down from both sides of Pacific Avenue.
At Tuesday’s board meeting, Balboni said there is no line of sight in the area when cars are parked in front of Good Shepherd Parish Center and the curved road makes it difficult for drivers coming up School Street to see vehicles coming from their right side.
“It’s also a very congested area,” Balboni said, pointing to the town hall and the library as contributors to the congestion. He added the police chief was in favor of the measure to slow down traffic and improve safety.
When The Times asked for further details, Balboni said he was uncertain what type of accident it was but believed it was a two-vehicle accident.
Board member Thomas Hallahan said people drive very fast in the area and asked whether the recommendation was based on a traffic study or anecdotal evidence. Balboni said there have been many complaints about fast driving on Pacific Avenue; the accident also led to a community discussion about what could be done.
Hallahan added that installing speed bumps in front of the library would prevent drivers from “flying,” but Balboni said this could bring issues for cyclists or snow plow trucks.
After further discussion, the board unanimously approved installing the two stop signs.
Meanwhile, Oak Bluffs planning board member Jojo Lambert will be stepping down with one year left in her term. Her seat will be available for the upcoming town election in April. Nomination papers are available at the town clerk’s office.
The select board unanimously approved sending a letter to State Sen. Sue Moran, D-Falmouth, and State Rep. Mark Cusack, D-Braintree, supporting an increase of the ferry embarkation fee from 50 cents to $2. That process began in December of 2022.
The select board also unanimously approved sending a letter to the state with input regarding Green Villa, a proposed 100-unit affordable housing project that is being reviewed by the state for Chapter 40B eligibility. Oak Bluffs town administrator Deborah Potter said the letter would state what is being proposed and the concerns and considerations from relevant town departments, although it would neither support nor oppose the project.
” Stop signs should not be used for speed control.”
https://www.acton-ma.gov/DocumentCenter/View/23/Stop-sign-checklist?bidId=
An average vehicle that has to come to a
complete stop from 25 mph and then accelerate back up to that
speed wastes about 2oz of gas. Not much until you consider
that perhaps a hundred cars a day will have to stop there .
A gallon and a half a day — over 500 gallons
of gas wasted a year.
It’s illegal, unnecessary and wasteful.
The nanny state has to back off.
I find it interesting that they are asking for actual proof or is it anecdotal information about installing stop signs. I am curious if the same discussion happened over increasing the disembarkation fee from $.50 to two dollars which is excessive. Show me that this is just not another money grab from politicians to the taxpayer.
For a town that won’t put one stop sign on the very busy corner of Pennsylvania and County I don’t get it.
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