Please preserve Centre/Cypress Fixes

As a Newton resident who often traverses the intersection of Centre and Cypress, both as a driver and pedestrian, I was dismayed to learn that the city is planning to return this intersection to its previous configuration. For all of those Newton residents who have suffered for years driving north on Centre Street, and whose residential streets were overrun by cars diverted from Centre street, this is a very disturbing development.

For many years, driving north on Centre Street through this intersection has had delays at all times of day, even Saturdays. It was a rare rush hour when the traffic wasn't backed up at least a quarter of a mile, and sometimes more than half a mile. The actual waiting time was compounded by the stress of navigating through the intersection itself with its strange configuration. Frustrated drivers would divert, speeding through residential streets at all times of day.

After the changes earlier this summer, the improvement on Centre Street has been dramatic, with almost no backups. People who previously would do anything to avoid driving north on Centre Street are now choosing that as the route of choice, instead of driving through residential alternatives. To all of those who have waited for years for the city to address the problems on northbound Centre Street, to undo these improvements would be a slap in the face.

Of course, I am aware that northbound traffic on Cypress and Parker streets has gotten worse as a result of these changes, which gave northbound Centre Street the right of way. During the construction in Newton Centre and on Route 9 there were unacceptable backups on these streets. However, I have observed this intersection at many times of day during the last couple of weeks. Often there is no backup on Cypress at all, and even during rush hour the backups are smaller than the backups used to be on Centre Street at the same time of day. This is not surprising given that the traffic study a few years ago found that there were fewer northbound cars entering this intersection from Cypress than from Centre. Even that study understates the difference, because the drivers on Centre Street were there despite the backups -- anyone who could possibly avoid driving north on Centre Street was already doing so, whereas it will take months before the Parker and Cypress street traffic similarly adjusts downward. While some people will have a longer drive than they used to as a result of the current configuration, overall delays have been reduced.

Furthermore, the intersection in its old configuration was unnatural and dangerous. Cars driving north on Center Street needed to avoid cars coming from almost directly behind them to the right and cars in front turning left onto Cypress, leading to numerous accidents. It required a brave pedestrian to cross the Centre Street crosswalk with drivers' attention already overloaded from negotiating these traffic streams. In the new configuration the situation is improved because the drivers going north on Cypress only have to interact with the cars going in one direction on Centre Street, as is true for right-turning cars at any normal T intersection.

I hope the DPW and Board of Aldermen will do what is right for the City of Newton overall, and keep the intersection in its new, sensible configuration. If you are one of the many people who has benefited from the change at Centre and Cypress, please let your Aldermen and the DPW Commissioner know.