Park Avenue and Pleasant Street Left Turns
At a glance
Based on auto-generated captions and the posted minutes; names and details may be misheard.
- What: two petitions (CC items 9t, March 10, and 7k, June 16, 2026) for a protected left-turn signal and dedicated left-turn lanes on Park Ave. at Pleasant St.
- Where it stands: both filed 3-0 on 2026-08-31, with a chair's order (adopted by the Council 11-0 on 2026-09-08) to prioritize left-turn safety in the upcoming Bottleneck signal project.
- Next: design work under the Bottleneck grant over roughly the next 18 months.
The problem
- Park Ave. carries about 20,000 vehicles a day and Pleasant St. almost 9,000.
- 90 crashes in 5 years, 21 involving left turns on Park Ave. Park Ave. has a shared left-through lane and poor sight lines to the outside oncoming lane.
- A resident at the corner said the building has been hit three times since 2018.
Why not now
- Stephen S. Rolle: the intersection does not meet volume guidelines for protected lefts (per the minutes), and heavily used parking north of Pleasant St. and the roadway width limit options. A green arrow helps only the first car in the queue.
- Options to be studied: lefts as part of a shared lane, or one lane each way plus a left-turn lane; moving the signal pole in Pleasant St. (struck every four to six months); curb extensions to separate the building from traffic.
- Highland St. was widened earlier at the cost of a very narrow sidewalk, which Rolle said would not be legal today; 12 feet of sidewalk is about the minimum for a busy commercial area.
- Eminent domain was described as a last resort.
Related
- Luis A. Ojeda asked whether striping or parking restrictions could help sooner; Rolle said a meaningful turn lane needs parking removed over a long distance.
Discussion time
About 18 minutes across 1 meeting (from transcript timestamps; approximate).
| Meeting | Minutes |
|---|---|
| 2026-08-31 - Traffic and Parking Committee | 18 |
Log
- 2026-08-31 - Traffic and Parking Committee — Two petitions heard together and filed 3-0; Rolle described the Bottleneck grant study; chair's order to prioritize left-turn safety.