P.Musante Letter to Northampton Planning and Zoning BoardsPatricia Musante
3A Dewey Ct
Northampton, MA 01060
August 5, 2019
The Planning Board of Northampton
Dear Members,
I am writing to convey my first-hand knowledge of the danger to pedestrians, bicyclists, drivers, and their passengers posed by the traffic situation at the corners of Dewey Court, South
Street, and Old South Street and my strong objection to the addition of at least 22 more cars on Dewey Court with the proposal by developer Ben Lewis to build a large dorm-style structure
with 30 bedrooms at the end of Dewey Court.
As a longtime resident of a house on the corner of South Street and Dewey Court, I can attest to the heavy traffic congestion in front of my house that gets worse with each passing year,
bringing with it more hurried and short-tempered drivers trying to “beat the light” as well as increased smog and noise pollution from the long line of idling cars and trucks during
the rush hours from 7:30-10:00 am and 3:00-6:00 pm.
I have personally witnessed several vehicular collisions and experienced several near misses while driving, riding my bike, or walking in front of my house in the past few years. I have
a pretty good understanding of why these happen. Congestion, as well as the poor traffic design of these street intersections are at fault. It is often very difficult to exit Dewey
Court as cars race up South Street into town or to turn on to Old South Street in order to hop onto I91. As a resident, however, it is even worse to make a left turn onto Dewey Court
from South Street. Drivers do not expect me to turn left so soon after getting through the light and there have been many incidents where I’ve nearly been rear-ended. Worse yet are
the drivers too impatient to wait for me to turn left that speed around me instead, forcing the cars behind them to slam on their breaks to avoid a collision. This hair-raising scenario
is a common occurrence and I sometimes make a loop around Columbus Avenue and Lyman Street to South Street to take a right onto Dewey Court instead. My “solution” is not much better
because northbound drivers believe my right-turn signal is for Old South Street rather than Dewey Court and I have had many near-miss rear-ending incidents.
The above traffic issues create a nightmare scenario for pedestrians and bicyclists as well. Numerous times I have crossed Dewey Court along South Street when I have nearly been run
down by drivers making a quick left hand turn onto Dewey Court to avoid the fast-moving oncoming traffic. Moreover, the nearby pedestrian crosswalk at the intersection of South Street
and Old South Street is an accident waiting to
happen! Again, drivers often don’t bother to check the status of the cross signal when turning right on red. I’ve had more near miss accidents than I can count on my fingers. I’ve
learned over the years to check over my shoulder twice before stepping into that intersection, but I’ve seen many people, mostly young, who haven’t yet learned this lesson at that particular
intersection and just step out onto the crosswalk when the signal says it’s safe. Worse still, I have 2 legally blind longtime neighbors who don’t have the opportunity to “look before
they leap” and who quite literally take their lives into their own hands everyday crossing both Dewey Court and this larger intersection. I frequently hear the sound of brakes slamming
from my front porch and feel a chill run up my spine.
Dewey Court is a relatively tiny, dead-end street with an unlucky exit just 50 feet from the super busy intersection of South Street and Old South Street. I strongly urge the Northampton
Planning Board to seriously consider the major traffic congestion and road design issues that currently create a dangerous situation for neighborhood residents and the general public,
and seek solutions to these problems before a tragedy occurs. Furthermore, I strongly urge the Northampton Planning Board to deny a permit to Ben Lewis in his proposal’s current form
to build an apartment building with 30 bedrooms and space for 22 cars which would at least double the pedestrian population and traffic on Dewey Court and, essentially, add fuel to
the fire I have outlined above. A thorough traffic study of the mounting problems of this area is long overdue, and it is incumbent upon the Northampton Planning Board to initiate such
a study before any permit be issued. Anything less would be negligent.
Sincerely,
Patricia Musante