Lynn Fells Parkway at Melrose Street Intersection Comment Letter

Lynn Fells Parkway at Melrose Street Intersection Comment Letter

May 19, 2021 

Jeff Parenti
Deputy Chief Engineer, Division of Planning and Engineering
Department of Conservation and Recreation

Re: Lynn Fells Parkway at Melrose Street Intersection

Dear Jeff:

Thank you for the opportunity to provide comments for the proposed intersection improvements at Lynn Fells Parkway and Melrose Street. We are very excited to see DCR’s approach that improves safety for people walking and biking and adds traffic signals and upgraded crosswalks.

Design Concept 2 is our preferred approach for this intersection because it:

  • Significantly simplifies the intersection by closing the eastern end of Melrose Street to vehicles, in the process reducing conflict points and providing additional green space.
  • Offers improved visibility for pedestrians crossing to/from the north side of the intersection via curb extensions, and shortens the distance of the Lynn Fells Parkway crossing as recommended in our 2017 Melrose High School/Middle School Campus Bicycle and Pedestrian Accessibility Project Final Report.
  • Adds a new crossing in order to allow pedestrians travelling along the north side of Melrose Street to safely travel through the intersection without the need to traverse 3 crosswalks.
  • Several local residents voiced support for the concept at the Virtual Public Meeting on May 5, 2021.

We suggest considering several design details as the project advances:

  • Construct a 10.5’ shared use path along the north side of the intersection as demonstrated in Design Concepts 1 and 4, rather than a 6’ sidewalk and no dedicated space for cyclists on the road.
  • Close the second Dunkin Donuts drive-thru and convert the first drive-thru into a two-way operation in order to reduce conflict points for pedestrians, as explored in Design Concept 3 and supported by several local residents during the Q&A at the meeting on May 5.

Consider constructing continued bicycle lanes or a shared-use path along Lynn Fells Parkway, in order to provide cyclists with better separation from traffic than sharrows and ensure that the parkway is a pleasant travel experience for all users.

We look forward to seeing the next iteration of the project concept as it approaches final design.

Best regards,

Stacey Beuttell, Executive Director 

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