Use this search box to find articles that have run in our newspapers over the last several years.
Date: 1/19/2023
WEST SPRINGFIELD – The Town Council is pursuing a grant that would install radar-equipped school zone signs on Piper Road, a month after a pedestrian was struck and killed not far from West Springfield High School.
Residents have voiced their concerns about speeding on Piper Road. On Dec. 20, 2022, a 25-year-old woman named Neely Murray was struck by a vehicle while walking her dog on Piper Road near Monastery Avenue. Murray was rushed to a local hospital for treatment, but both she and her dog died from their injuries.
“The accident is a tragedy,” said interim School Superintendent Vito Perrone. “My thoughts and prayers go out to the family. The accident says to me that we all must keep the safety of pedestrians in the forefront of our minds as we drive, especially in school zones and during conditions where visibility is compromised by darkness or weather.”
He went on to say, “I commend the council members and thank them for their action. Any enhancements that can be made to heighten awareness of drivers with respect to the safety of pedestrians on the road is welcome.”
Council President Edward Sullivan said before November 2022, state traffic regulations did not allow towns to set school speed zones for buildings that serve grades 9-12. Reduced speed limits are already in place on roads that pass the town’s other school buildings.
The speed limit on Piper Road would be the same as all other school zones, 20 mph during school hours, which include pick-up and drop-off times.
“West Springfield High School opens and closes at 7:20 a.m. and 2 p.m., respectively,” said Sullivan. “An appropriate enforcement time would be 6:50 a.m. to 4 p.m., when considering extracurricular activities.”
Sullivan said if the town receives the state grant, the only cost to the local budget will be the labor necessary to install the signs, as all the equipment will be provided by the state Department of Transportation. In addition to announcing the school zone, the signs will be equipped with radar units and display each passing driver’s speed.
“Radar-equipped signs provide a speed check to drivers who may not be very mindful of their speedometer and provides them an opportunity to correct their speed,” Sullivan said.
Town Engineer Connor Knightly called the December crash “a tragic event, one that should serve as a reminder to all motor vehicle operators that they are not the only ones permitted to use public roadways. It is because of unfortunate events like this the Department of Public Works aims to improve traffic safety through the town’s Complete Streets policies and Complete Streets Prioritization Plan.”
Knightly pointed out that drivers typically operate at a speed that they find comfortable, even when there is a slower speed limit posted. He said the most effective way to slow vehicles down without continuous police presence is to alter the geometry of the road so that drivers no longer feel comfort at a higher speed. He said this can be accomplished in a variety of ways, including narrower travel lanes or road surfaces, speed humps, lane-dividing islands, barricades in cases of events and construction, and “road diets.”
He said the road diet implemented in mid-2022 on Route 20 at the Westfield city line – what was formerly a four-lane road was reduced to one lane in each direction, with bicycle lanes and a wide median added – initially received heavy public criticism, but has been successful in not only managing speed, but improving safety for cyclists who frequent that corridor.
After the improvements have been made at the Piper-Monastery intersection, the town will be looking more closely at the corridor from Monastery Avenue to Piper Cross Road to see if any of these strategies could be implemented.
In the meantime, Knightly asks drivers to more frequently check their driving habits as well as their speeds, keeping in mind that the posted speed is an upper limit, not a minimum requirement, and it is seldom necessary to drive at or faster than the speed limit.
Police Sgt. Joseph LaFrance said traffic cones and another crosswalk sign – upright signs on the double yellow lines in the center of the roadway – have been placed at Piper Road crosswalks. Long term solutions will be discussed by the council’s Traffic and Safety Subcommittee in the future.
Other road projects planned in the next 18 months include state reconstruction of Memorial Avenue, as well as town work on Harwich and Churchill roads, Morton Street and Amostown Road, Kings Highway and Pine Street, Elm and Westfield streets, and the roadways around Fausey School. Improved crosswalk lighting and other pedestrian improvements are a priority for the council, mayor’s office, police and town engineer.
“I will say without hesitation that the overall safety of our pedestrians is the council’s utmost and priority concern,” Sullivan said. “The council, and the council’s Traffic and Safety Committee, are constantly looking at ways to improve the safe travel in all types of travel modes such as walking, jogging and bicycling. Many times, these suggestions come from our residents, all of which are taken extremely seriously; and we encourage folks to bring their concerns to the council’s attention.”