The Framingham Bicycle, Pedestrian and Trails Committee tonight voted to oppose on-street parking on Water Street. This was in response to a request for seven on-street spaces in front of the development next to CVS near the Edgell Road intersection.
The reason under the committee’s purview is bicycle safety.
Chair Bill Gustafson said he plans to attend the Traffic Commission meeting when this issue is on the agenda. The committee also plans on issuing a letter stating its position.
There was also discussion tonight about traffic congestion and traffic safety issues if on-street parking is permitted, as well as a belief that there are other parking areas nearby that might be potential uses if the development doesn’t have enough parking. However, committee members ultimately decided those were issues for other committees/boards/agencies.
Part of my statement to the committee tonight:
The city’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan specifically states that Nobscot is among “pockets of density . . . that lend themselves to better bicycle and pedestrian facilities.” The city’s website still boasts about our Complete Streets plan. That’s the theory.
But in action, we were told there was no room for bike lanes in the Nobscot intersection project. Not after all the needs of fast-as-possible motor vehicle drive-through were met. That’s not complete streets. That’s car-first; pedestrians & bikes get leftovers if there are any.
But now there’s room for on-street parking? Yet more space for private vehicle storage over safe bicycle infrastructure? Really?
If the plans are just words and we don’t mean them, then please let’s be honest. Rip up the plans and take them off the city’s website. If we do mean them, then let’s mean them.
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