June 22, 2026

Items Recommended for Full Council

No items required a recommendation to the full council. All eight policy orders on the agenda were referred from the full council for discussion and were recommended to be marked work completed by unanimous consent of the three members present (Chair Sait, Councilor Wheeler, Councilor Mbah).

Items Referred to Committee

All items originated as council orders referred for discussion with city staff. Each is summarized below with the outcome.

Prospect Street Colored Bus/Bike Lane Markings – Marked Work Completed

Order from Councilors Ewen-Campen and Scott asking for colored lane markings for bus and bike lanes on Prospect Street between Webster Avenue and Somerville Avenue. Director of Transportation and Infrastructure Brad Rawson reported an active project already underway: the corridor received bus/bike lane markings in 2017 but never got the continuous red "carpet" treatment now standard. The city is partnering with the MBTA to upgrade the corridor ahead of the new high-frequency Route 47 bus (East Somerville–Union Square–Inman–Kendall–Longwood) under the MBTA bus network redesign. The project includes traffic signal upgrades with bus priority detection, a project website is live, and staff have been flyering the neighborhood. Pavement markings work could begin in early August.

Teele Square Traffic Enforcement – Marked Work Completed

Order requesting increased police enforcement at lights and crosswalks between Broadway and Holland Street, especially during morning school hours. Sergeant Michael McCarey (SPD Traffic Unit) reported Teele Square has been added to the traffic unit's standing patrol locations with morning focus. SPD typically runs targeted enforcement for about four weeks, collecting infraction data to determine whether continued enforcement is warranted. McCarey noted Teele Square has not historically shown higher noncompliance than similar squares, but resources will be dedicated given the specific request.

Whitfield Road One-Way Signage and Enforcement – Marked Work Completed

Order from Councilor Hardt about wrong-way driving on Whitfield Road, which constituents report happens more frequently in fall after move-ins. Director of Traffic and Parking Suzanne Rinfret said staff inspected the street and found signage properly posted, but agreed to add a one-way sign blade at the Whitfield/Packard intersection. Councilor Wheeler noted Google Street View appeared to confirm no one-way sign exists at that corner. Rawson observed that wrong-way driving is often committed intentionally by residents of the street itself rather than cut-through drivers.

Perkins Street Neighborways Art – Marked Work Completed

Order from Council President McLaughlin requesting Neighborways art near the Perkins Street playground. Rawson explained Perkins Street is already designated as a Neighborway on the city's official bicycle network plan and is on the priority network slated for completion by end of 2030. He cautioned that Neighborways involve more than street murals—wayfinding signage, planters, traffic calming, and sometimes parking restrictions—and require a 12–18 month community engagement process. No start date has been set. In response to Councilor Mbah's cost question, Rawson cited plan estimates of roughly $250,000 per Neighborway mile all-in (about $180,000 for materials and installation alone), in 2022 dollars.

Durham and Hanson Street Daylighting – Marked Work Completed

Order from Councilors Link and Scott to add this intersection to the daylighting/clear corners list. Rawson said staff will add the location to their evaluation list, but noted the clear corners program typically works at the corridor scale on high-speed arterials (Broadway, Summer Street, Bedford Street previously; Highland Avenue is this year's priority corridor) rather than isolated intersections. He emphasized that parking within 20 feet of a crosswalk (or 30 feet of a signalized intersection) is already illegal regardless of markings, and the parking department can do targeted enforcement in the meantime.

Vernon Street Speed Bump – Marked Work Completed

Chair Sait's order, prompted by constituent speed concerns and connected to a planned crosswalk near the Lowell/Vernon intersection. Rawson reported speed and volume data have been collected but not yet run through the full prioritization criteria (proximity to schools, parks, senior housing, transit, plus interdepartmental and utility review). He expects to have systematic ranking information within a month or two.

Elmwood Street Speed Bumps / Cut-Through Traffic – Marked Work Completed

Order from Councilors Mbah and Hardt. Constituents believe traffic calming on Cameron Avenue is pushing drivers to cut through Tannery Brook Row (a private way) to Elmwood as a bypass. Data have been collected and preliminary analysis begun, but the street hasn't yet been ranked against others in the queue. Councilor Mbah, the primary sponsor, pressed firmly for a concrete timeline, saying he heard from multiple constituents and didn't want the item closed with only "talking points." Rawson committed that staff will review the data in July, with public updates on the next few years of traffic calming priorities in late summer (delayed from spring due to staff on family leave). Mbah agreed to mark the item completed but stated on the record that he does not want to have to resubmit the order.

Columbus Ave / Prospect Hill Parkway / Stone Ave Raised Intersection – Marked Work Completed

Order from Councilors Link and Ewen-Campen requesting a feasibility evaluation of a raised intersection or crosswalk. Rawson said no technical review has occurred yet; the location is tricky due to steep grades, sight lines, and cut-through traffic. Engineering, parking, and mobility staff will evaluate it over the summer. Councilor Wheeler urged a holistic review, flagging driver confusion over the partial one-way/two-way configuration of Columbus Avenue; Rawson confirmed a signage review will be part of the evaluation.

Committee Discussion

How SPD decides where to enforce

Councilor Wheeler asked how the police department continually assesses enforcement needs. Sergeant McCarey described a system driven by requests from constituents, councilors, and boards (placed on a high-priority list with targeted 3–4 week enforcement cycles), officer observations, and a quarterly internal traffic review identifying hotspots from citation and accident data. Wheeler requested the current hotspot list and quarterly statistics; McCarey agreed to send both. McCarey also encouraged councilors to use the 311/Q Alert system for enforcement requests.

Near-miss data gap

Councilor Mbah raised how "near misses" (e.g., a car nearly striking a crossing guard at North Street and Powder House) factor into data collection, arguing for a preventive rather than reactive approach. McCarey acknowledged there is no formal system for tracking near misses—they surface only through 311 reports and officers' institutional knowledge. Wheeler followed up on whether observed near misses get logged; McCarey said citable events typically result in a stop and warning, but incidents without a citable violation have "no good vehicle" for recording.

Speed as the root issue

Rawson added that motorist compliance at crosswalks and signals is shown to improve when vehicle speeds are lower, reinforcing the city's focus on traffic calming on higher-risk arterials. He pointed councilors and constituents to SPD's open data portal with an interactive map.

Budget context

Councilor Mbah repeatedly raised cost questions in light of current budget constraints, prompting the Neighborways cost-per-mile figures above.

What's Next

• Prospect Street red bus/bike lane markings expected to begin early August, alongside traffic signal upgrades for the future MBTA Route 47

• Whitfield Road: one-way sign blade to be added at Packard intersection; Rinfret to send site photos to the chair

• Vernon and Elmwood Streets: traffic calming data analysis in July; citywide traffic calming priority update expected late summer

• Columbus/Prospect Hill Parkway/Stone: interdepartmental evaluation over the summer, including signage review

• SPD to provide Councilor Wheeler with the enforcement hotspot list and quarterly statistical data

• Perkins Street Neighborway remains on the priority network for completion by end of 2030; no community engagement start date yet