BRATTLEBORO — Motorists and pedestrians will see some changes to the traffic signals on Main Street, after a week of adjustments by the contractors who installed them.
Technicians from Moulison North Corp. were in Brattleboro last week working on the Main Street signals to improve traffic flow through the downtown area.
Through observation and data, the technicians found that the heaviest traffic volume was at the junction of Routes 5, 119 and 142, in particular southbound traffic turning on to Bridge Street (Route 119) and westbound traffic turning right onto Main Street.
Adjustments made to the lights include:
• At the junction, technicians redistributed unused pedestrian time and increased time for all other maneuvers. Extra time is now given to those making the left hand turn onto Bridge Street and those coming from Route 142. This additional time is expected to clear the left turn stacking lane. which prevents backups from occurring further up Main Street.
• More time was given at Main and Elliot streets for vehicles turning left onto Elliot Street.
• The Flat Street lights are now on a regular cycle, which will aid both vehicular and pedestrian traffic.
• When trains block traffic on Bridge Street, right hand turns off of Main Street will now be allowed.
The traffic signals were reprogrammed to better handle high traffic volume on Saturday. Moulison North also suggested that the following behavior changes will improve traffic flow:
• Drivers must pay attention to the signals. Driving through yellow lights and making right hand turns on red where it is not allowed will block intersections and create backups.
• Drivers must pay attention to the stop lines. Cameras can only see vehicles that are at or behind the stop line. Pulling up too far will result in being stuck in the intersection.
• Jaywalking is a huge problem. This includes crossing the streets at crosswalks without the pedestrian crossing signals.
Problems/situations that will continue to impede the system, but have few solutions, include:
• The Brattleboro Food Co-op entrance will continue to compound problems at the junction.
• Delivery/moving trucks double parking on Main Street will continue to back up traffic.
• Drivers not following traffic signals during the train preemption will block the junction. Trains will continue to create problems, however the system should re-synch and clear traffic in four to six cycles.
• It will continue to be difficult to exit the Holstein parking lot onto South Main Streer at certain times of the day.
• Having one-way traffic on Interstate 91 during the bridge work does present the possibility of downtown congestion if an accident should occur.
There are additional changes that Moulison North suggested the town consider. They include:
• Fully implementing the software package that came with the signals. While this will require installation of an Internet connection at the master unit, the software can be set to report trouble back to town employees or Moulison. Once reported, adjustments can be made remotely.
• Review the possibility of putting in a second stop line on South Main to assist moving traffic out of the Holstein parking lot.
• Continue to study means of improving vehicular movements into and out of the Co-op parking area.
After the tweaks by Moulison North, what can people now expect when traveling downtown?
Except during train preemption, town officials say that motorists should expect that they will have to wait no more than two cycles to get through the Routes 5, 119 and 142 junction.
Once through the junction, motorists should expect to travel through the remaining three lights with only one stop.
Except during train preemption, motorists should expect that travel time through the downtown on Main Street should take between 2.5 and 6 minutes.
Town officials ask for motorists and pedestrians to continue to report their observations and experiences of the Main Street traffic signals to the Town Manager's Office at 802-254-4541, or visit www.brattleboro.org to submit a report.