Greenfield City Council opposes proposed roundabout for Federal, Main streets

Greenfield Department of Public Works Director Marlo Warner II and Fire Chief Robert Strahan discuss the safety implications of a Main Street roundabout during Wednesday’s City Council meeting at the John Zon Community Center.

Greenfield Department of Public Works Director Marlo Warner II and Fire Chief Robert Strahan discuss the safety implications of a Main Street roundabout during Wednesday’s City Council meeting at the John Zon Community Center. STAFF PHOTO/ANTHONY CAMMALLERI

By ANTHONY CAMMALLERI

Staff Writer

Published: 12-19-2024 5:57 PM

GREENFIELD — City councilors spoke in opposition to the state Departments of Transportation’s suggestion to construct a roundabout at the intersection of Federal and Main streets on Wednesday evening, with some citing potentially dangerous conditions for cyclists and pedestrians as consequences of the proposed project.

Department of Public Works Director Marlo Warner II and Fire Chief Robert Strahan addressed the council with an update on MassDOT’s Transportation Improvement Plan, which maps out funding and planning for state and federally funded transportation projects across the state.

Warner said the city started engineering and design work on the Main Street improvement project roughly three years ago for $350,000. The project, which aims to make Main Street safer and more efficient for cyclists and pedestrians, is now at the 25% design mark.

The city, Warner added, is only responsible for the engineering and design costs of a project, with MassDOT and the Federal Highway Administration covering the remainder of the costs. He said that while he typically “loves roundabouts,” and considers the one near Greenfield Community College to fit perfectly with its location, he believes one at the Federal Street intersection will spell trouble for pedestrians, cyclists and emergency response vehicles.

“We went through this road safety audit that we had to pay an extra $50,000 for, and what it did was it collected crash data from many years back of every intersection that intersects Main Street, so they could do the data and try and decide how we want to change Main Street with the original plan to make it more pedestrian and cyclist safe,” Warner explained. “The other piece of a roundabout is it’s all about speeding up traffic. To me, it’s a little redundant if you were trying to speed up traffic, but we’re trying to make it more pedestrian-friendly — running bike lanes on a roundabout is bothersome to me, personally.”

Echoing Warner’s remarks, Strahan said that unlike the roundabout near GCC, where emergency vehicles have room to go over a curb and pass safely during an emergency, the Main Street intersection does not have the space to safely accommodate a roundabout. The fire chief added that he was unsure how pedestrians could safely cross the roundabout without stopping traffic.

“The big difference between GCC and downtown that I see is just the traffic,” Strahan said. “We don’t see the large trucks as much going around that roundabout, like tractor trailers that we would see often going up and down Main Street, but more importantly, my fire apparatus access that intersection multiple times a day, and I am concerned that if somebody pulls over to the right — which is required by law to do in the middle of that roundabout — if I’m going to have enough room to get my larger pieces of equipment around that roundabout quickly, easily and safely.”

The city councilors who spoke on the roundabout proposal during public comment agreed that the intersection of Main and Federal streets could not safely or conveniently accommodate a roundabout. At-Large Councilor Michael Terounzo said that although he does not support roundabouts — as he said it would be unlikely that drivers and pedestrians would follow the laws used to keep the roundabout safe — he applauded the city for its effort to modernize its traffic infrastructure.

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Precinct 9 Councilor Derek Helie said he agreed with Terounzo’s remarks on the difficulties of enforcing pedestrian traffic laws, but suggested that the city try to improve its downtown traffic lights. He suggested that the city implement a traffic light timing study to ensure that intersection’s traffic flow is moderated safely and efficiently.

“Pedestrians will cross where they want to cross if you put a roundabout there. ... Secondly, I’d like to say that vehicle traffic and emergency vehicle traffic, it’s definitely going to slow them down going through that intersection,” Helie said. “My personal preference would be to move forward with a timing study in the next engineering step.”

At-Large Councilor John Garrett, who said he didn’t wish to go “around in circles” on the issue, suggested the city research alternatives to improve cyclist and pedestrian safety such as cyclist stop lights, designated bicycle lanes, and other cyclist and pedestrian infrastructure improvements.

“I love taking my bike ride downtown, and I imagine going to a rotary to be a terrifying prospect,” Garrett said. “I also know for many people, including my wife, it’s not fun to go on Main Street at all, especially that intersection you have to get in between cars.”

Anthony Cammalleri can be reached at acammalleri@recorder.com or 413-930-4429.