Transportation Committee (TC) Meeting Minutes, Monday, May 22, 2023

Present: Mary Day Mordecai (chair), Barbara Watkins, Earl Horn, Erin Hammerstedt, Alison Weber, Steve LaMears, Ned Hulbert

Next Meeting:  Monday, June 12, 2023, 8:30-10:00 am at HHI office 

1) E-bike issue on Rail Trail

TC has no reason to be involved in this issue because our focus is on roadways rather than trails within town.  We are interested in ensuring that trails link properly with roads but do not feel that we should have a voice in what is permitted on the trails, since that responsibility belongs to the SB and Harrisville Trails.

2) Chesham Rd (by the dam) speeding concern.  

SB still has ball on this issue.  (It is an example of a grey area where clarification of the TC role might permit TC to give useful input.)

3) Lake Skatutakee summer speeding concerns

Mary Day spoke to the Hancock Rd. neighbor who is concerned about speeding on the road and its impact on pedestrians and bicyclists.  Only one of three options seem feasible to further slow traffic on Hancock Rd during summer months:

  1. a) no thru trucks (not workable) b) turn it into a dirt road (not workable) c) use seasonal speed bumps-tables

-Erin will research feasibility of seasonal speed bump-tables: size, cost, complexity, etc.

Steve thinks that two such speed tables might be workable on specific road sections of Hancock Rd

4) Management of Town’s four data-gathering (TrafficLogix) Speed Radars

  1. a) Mary Day will check with our DOT sign contact (R Hyslop) to confirm what he did with extra speed signs near school. Have they been put up?
  1. b) Steve is managing the radar data: looking at speeds mainly, when he has time – he is very busy now. He does not see any big traffic speeding patterns/issues currently. The radars tell him where to focus enforcement.
  1. c) Steve and Earl will follow-up with Mark Gregory of TrafficLogix (radar vendor) to correct the flashing radar sign that is going off at odd times of day.
  1. d) Do we need ongoing radar update reports to share with SB and others? What would we share? (TC defines Summer as June, July, August, September from visitor perspective – or mid-June to mid-September)

-Earl, Alison, Erin, Steve will develop specific proposals for key radar data points, which might be assessed and reported on periodically to SB and PB (Planning Board). 

5) School Street construction project update 

Erin reported: Kathy Scott of SB reported at HHI meeting that the project is delayed one year, though it is still in active project planning mode.  It will go to construction next year.  Meetings continue: Erin will keep TC updated from her HHI role. 

6) Longer-term TC issues:

  1. a) Do we take on MAST grant opportunity to hire an engineer to work with Highway Dept and SB? TC agrees it is too early to work on this. First step is to address TC role, expectations vis-à-vis SB, PB, Highway Dept. 
  1. b) TC will begin working at next meeting on role, expectations vis-à-vis SB, PB, Highway Dept.
  2. c) Bringing on new members will also be addressed within the next month.