The outcome on these ordinances.

The results are in

Each committee met and each had the same results

1. 261-06. AN ORDINANCE: Amending Chapter 169-24 of the Code of the City of Fitchburg (Parking prohibited at all times) as it pertains to Water Street, Benson Street and Bemis Rd.
   This ordinance change will move forward. The petition will eliminate all parking on Water St. from the city line to Abbott Ave and add no parking on Benson St. for 50 Ft from the intersection with Water St.
2. 262-06. AN ORDINANCE: Amending Chapter 169-59 of the Code of the City of Fitchburg (One way streets) as it pertains to Devlin Passway and Old Leominster Rd.
   This ordinance change will be withdrawn. The original design called for Devlin Passway to be closed to Bemis Rd. However this was opposed by the fire department because there were issues with fire apparatus ability to turn on to Devlin Passway from the other end. The decision to leave Old Leominster Rd two way was not discussed. I would have liked to hear what the reasoning had been for their original decision to make this road one way southbound. I can only think of a few possible reasons and all of them would have made MassHwy appear inept.
3. 263-06. AN ORDINANCE: Amending Chapter 169-76 of the Code of the City of Fitchburg (Stop intersections) as it pertains to Carey Street, Old Leominster Rd., Falulah Street and Abbott Avenue.
   This ordinance change will move forward.

   These intersections clearly meet the warrant for stop signs (that means they meet the minimum requirement that permit the signs to be installed) but meeting the warrant does not mean the signs are required. There are almost always several design options available and that's where engineering judgement comes in. In this case the engineers decided that these intersections will get stop signs.
   However, at the Phase I hearing for the Rt 12 project (Fitchburg Public Library Theater 28 Feb 2002) MassHwy displayed computer simulations of traffic on the proposed roadway. The simulations showed how signals will bunch vehicles together into packets with gaps between the packets. Vehicles will be able to enter the roadway from businesses that line the road by filling in the gap. Additionally in the new design MassHwy will close the spur with yield sign for traffic turning south onto Rt 12 from Wanoosnoc Rd forcing that traffic to drive down to Rt 12, but that traffic will not be controlled by traffic signals instead having a free turn allowing drivers to move into the gaps in the traffic. This suggests that MassHwy still believes the simulation remains accurate. So how is the free turn from Wanoosnoc to Water or any turn from a businesses or home along Water St. different from a right turn at the intersections of Abbott Avenue, Old Leominster Rd or Carey St onto Water St?
   This ordinance change will move forward despite the fact that these stop signs are not clearly needed at this time. Obviously if after the project is completed traffic patterns developed in ways that indicated a clear need it would be easy to correct the problem by installing stop signs.