The Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senate unanimously passed a resolution this month to help improve pedestrian safety on Curtis Street, but progress has been hindered by legal roadblocks.
The resolution, passed on March 9, urged the City of Somerville to install a pedestrian crosswalk at the intersection of Curtis Street and Professors Row, as well as a stop sign for traffic on Curtis Street.
Federal traffic codes and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) complicate implementing such changes, though.
It is legally impossible to simply place a stop sign at the intersection, according to Jacklyn Rossetti, a spokesperson for the City of Somerville. The Department of Traffic and Parking "would definitely be open to increased signage, but there will not be a stop sign," she said.
Guidelines from the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD), published by the U.S. Department of Transportation, prohibit the city from implementing a stop sign at the intersection ad hoc. The MUTCD requires traffic surveys to be conducted before multi-way stop signs are placed, and since there is already a stop sign on Professors Row at the intersection, any additional sign would be considered multi-way.
In addition, while the TCU resolution laments the absence of stop signs to regulate speeding drivers, the MUTCD states in section 2B.05 that stop signs "should not be used for speed control."
Tufts owns several buildings on Curtis Street's west side, opposite campus. These buildings include some dormitories, such as Carpenter House.
Curtis Street brings heavy traffic everyday. Students living on the west side of the street must navigate across the street.
The resolution cited the fact that no pedestrian crosswalk or stop sign exists in highlighting the threat motorists pose to students trying to walk to and from classes or Carmichael Dining Hall.
According to TCU Senator C.J. Mourning, who submitted the resolution, complaints from many students motivated the legislation.
"A lot of people were complaining to me about it," she said. "We concluded that it was an issue."
She submitted the resolution to indicate to Somerville officials that the entire student body was behind the project. "They need to see a substantial student support," Mourning said.
While a stop sign may be out of the question, planning has already started for the placement of a crosswalk. Barbara Rubel, director of community relations for Tufts, met with Somerville officials to discuss plans.
"We began a discussion about what would be necessary for a crosswalk and appropriate signage," Rubel said.
Though plans are still being developed, Rubel said that she hoped to see the city install a yellow traffic sign with blinking lights to emphasize the crosswalk. The crosswalk further up the road on Winthrop Street in front of Carpenter House has this type of sign with lights.
"We are at a very early stage," she said. "We have to do some internal checking and then meet with the city again."
The crosswalk must meet federal ADA requirements. This means that the depressions, or "ramps," in the sidewalk that flow onto the street must be up to code.
"There would be a crosswalk installed there if the ADA ramps were up to current standards," Rossetti said. "If they met the standards at the time they were installed, they can grandfather the ramps."
Though the city owns both the street and the sidewalk, Tufts is willing to install new ramps if necessary. "It's a city sidewalk, but the city is pressed for money," Rubel said.
Even with the traffic, Curtis Street has a relatively high record of safety. According to the Safe Start report that Somerville conducted in 2006, there were more pedestrian-related incidents on College Avenue, Boston and Packard Avenues than on Curtis Street between 1995 and 2001.
But in that report, Curtis Street was noted as one of 27 "priority locations" that warranted improved safety measures. Other areas around Tufts with a similar notation include Powder House Square, College Avenue and the intersection of Broadway and Wallace Street on the way to Davis Square.
Students, administrators and Somerville officials all seem optimistic about this project in helping to make the crossing safer.
According to Mourning, who discussed the project with Somerville officials, they are in strong support. One official "gave me [the impression] that it was something that would happen in the near future," she said.
Rubel said, "We've going to try and move quickly on this."
