Selectmen Endorse Edmands Road Traffic Calming Plan

A plan to use speed humps to slow traffic on Edmands Road earned the endorsement Framingham Selectmen Tuesday night and will now head to Town Meeting.  

The board voted 4-0 to support implementation of the first phase of traffic calming measures along the scenic road, including the installation of five speed humps and one speed table. 

Town Engineer Jeremy Marsette said travel speeds observed on the road were as much as 20 miles per hour above the posted speeds, which range from 20 to 30 m.p.h. Calls for action increased after last year's fatal accident that killed Edmands Road resident Robert Weitzler while he walked to his mailbox.  

"We regularly receive complaints about the speed and volume on the roadway," Marsette said, adding that public meetings have revealed "overwhelming neighborhood support for traffic calming."

"It's a mess," said Edmands Road resident Barbara Roberts. "It's a horrible, horrible mess."

Jason DeGray, an engineer who drafted the plan, said some additional improvements to the roadway layout may be needed to enable drivers to see the speed-control measures. He said the travel way on Edmands Road is less than nine feet wide at some points, well below design standards for collector roads. 

Selectmen Chairman Charles Sisitsky said additional hearings will be held when more specific plans have been finalized. 

Also at this week's Selectmen's meeting;

• Recognized several Department of Public Works employees for quick action after a fellow worker was injured at a worksite. Workers used a tourniquet to stem the bleeding after the employee severed an artery while cutting a pipe to repair a leak. Firefighters who responded said the quick action by DPW workers may have saved the employee's life. 
• Referred a number of proposed zoning bylaw changes to the Framingham Planning Board for their review.
• Signed a net metering sales agreement with United Salvage Corp., owner of an 800 kilowatt solar  facility on Waverly St., under which the town will purchase the solar-generated energy at a 15 percent discount. The power will be dedicated to Loring Arena, the town's libraries and street lights.