Traffic Changes around Stratton School Meet Significant Opposition

Proposed changes to traffic patterns around the Stratton Elementary School designed to improve safety and ease congestion met with significant opposition from neighboring residents at a public hearing Monday night. According to Selectman Annie LaCourt – who led the meeting attended by a vocal crowd of 50 residents – the proposal is now likely to be revised prior to being considered by the Board of Selectmen on August 9.

Presented by Arlington's Transportation Advisory Committee (TAC), with support from Arlington Police, the proposal included making Mountain Avenue one way from Overlook Road toward Dickson Avenue to ease congestion and allow more parking close to the school. Pheasant Avenue would change direction – from Dickson toward Overlook, according to Stratton Principal Alan Brown, who said this change will increase safety by allowing children to be dropped off against the curb rather than in the travel lane.

Brown said the proposed changes were developed by TAC in collaboration with the Stratton School following two years of discussion about traffic congestion, sidewalks and the Safe Routes to Schools program.

"We have unbelievable congestion around the school every morning, especially on Mountain Avenue," Brown said. "We are trying to increase safety while alleviating the impact of traffic on the surrounding neighborhood."

Opposition from residents ranged from the number of drop-off spots around the school, to concerns about illegal parking, to increased driving speeds on one-way streets. Attendees also expressed doubt that sufficient study had been done to determine optimal solutions.

"I want to hear what the problems are and what options were considered," said Craig Horgan, a Stratton parent and homeowner on Chatham Street. "Have they considered making changes on a time-limited basis? Do they all need to be in effect 24 hours a day, 365 days a year?"

Increasing safety for school children was cited as the top concern behind the proposal, said TAC Co-chair Jeffrey Maxtutis. But according to a show of hands at Monday's meeting, only five of the nearly 50 residents in attendance have children at Stratton.

One parent in attendance, Ellen Scoggins, echoed safety concerns. "I couldn't even contemplate letting my daughter walk to school because of safety," she said.

But the most vocal attendees expressed dismay about potential inconveniences of the proposed changes. Many also decried a lack of enforcement of current parking restrictions and traffic regulations.

"I see no active enforcement in the area around the school," said Alex Wilson, a longtime homeowner on Mountain Street who questioned the town's ability to effectively monitor new restrictions and enforce changes. "A reduced police force only means less active enforcement."

Selectman LaCourt pledged to take all comments under advisement and to continue seeking public input prior to submitting the proposal to the Board of Selectmen for a vote next month.

"We are reconsidering everything as a result of tonight's meeting," she said. "We will be knocking on doors to get additional input. It may be that we wait and decide we need more time to evaluate before moving ahead. We won't rush it and make a bad decision," LaCourt added.