Melrose Streets Are Getting Safer, In A Roundabout Sort Of Way

Just don't call it a rotary.

If all goes to plan, Melrose will soon have its first roundabout. The three-way intersection at Howard and Green streets is trading in its triangular green space for circular brick as the city looks to check another project off its Complete Streets program.

The work would see the green space give way to a brick apron - think Lynnfield's MarketStreet - and implement much-needed accessibility. Traffic would be forced to pass through more methodically, and pedestrians (and journalists trying to take photos) would have a shot at making it across the street thanks to some crosswalks.

The final touches are still being decided, but what's for sure is as vehicles approach the intersection, the road will narrow into a single lane, and the approaching angles will force vehicles to slow to about 15 miles per hour or so to make the turn.

The project is one of the highest priorities of Complete Streets, funded by state money the city applies for. (The rest of the construction is funded by other previously acquired state funds, so override opponents need not hit their 'caps lock' key on Facebook.) Different criteria determine how a project is prioritized, including public safety - a category this project has the highest possible rank in.

The initial design called for more minor changes, including traffic lights - which could have made a difference but also could have led to more traffic. But the community seemed to be in favor of the roundabout at public meetings, officials said.

Officials also said its important to recognize this is not a rotary. In fact, it's barely a roundabout - City Engineer Elena Proakis Ellis told Patch it's a "mini-roundabout."

Rotaries tend to be larger, multi-lane designs and don't necessarily have the purpose of slowing people down as much as shooing them through to where they need to get. Roundabouts are proven to reduce crashes, Proakis Ellis said - not just how many, but the severity as well.

That would be welcome for what has become known as a dangerous stretch. Just three years ago a woman with young children in her car struck and killed a landscaper who was loading equipment into a truck.

The roundabout will have one lane of traffic - pretty much the minimum needed for trucks and emergency vehicles to make it through. Vehicles won't have space to pass one another, Proakis Ellis said.

The veterans memorial in the middle will be moved to a more accessible nearby spot people can visit.

But it's not happy news for everyone. Some residents, including the owners of Green Street Natural Foods, have spoken out during recent meetings, with complaints focusing on the loss of up to nine parking spots. Officials said they are working on mitigating the impact on parking.

"The concerns being raised by property owners and business owners - the impact will be real for them and we need to balance that with pedestrians and bikers and people using those streets, in addition to the drivers," Ward 2 Alderman Jen Lemmerman told Patch. Lemmerman was happy to finally see the area be addressed.

Because it's a Complete Streets project, the city needs to finish by May 1 in order to apply for the next round of funding, which is worth up to $400,000. The city intends on starting it as soon as the snow melts.

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