Selectman mull another sign request from Old Winter St.

Undeterred by an earlier denial by the Board of Selectmen, some Old Winter Street residents have asked the board to restrict evening commuter traffic on their road, though members were at best noncommittal at their June 19 meeting.

The Roadway and Traffic Committee (RTC) fielded a complaint from the road’s residents in 2015 that some commuters traveling north on Winter Street from Waltham to Lincoln were using the Old Winter Street loop as a cut-through to “jump the line” of traffic backed up at the intersection with Trapelo Road. The RTC recommended that the town install a sign banning left turns onto Old Winter Street from 4–7 p.m. for a six-month trial period.

However, the Board of Selectmen voted by 2–1 margin later that year to deny the request. Selectmen Peter Braun and Renel Fredriksen were reluctant to restrict use of a public road in general and were concerned about setting a precedent for similar situations in Lincoln.

Earlier this year, the RTC reiterated its recommendation for a no-left-turn sign, but RTC members also plan to write a memo with “a detailed rationale and explanation of what makes this circumstance unique as compared with other cut-through traffic circumstances elsewhere in town,” said Town Administrator Tim Higgins.

“If nothing has changed and we’re getting the same request again, it’s almost akin to judge-shopping or forum-shopping,” Selectman James Craig said. “Previous colleagues who’ve sat in these seats have already studied and carefully, thoughtfully, and painfully deliberated this. For me that’s concerning.”

Selectmen deferred action pending the memo from the RTC.

Other highlights of the June 19 Board of Selectmen’s meeting compiled by former Selectman Peter Braun:

• After interviewing four additional candidates, the board appointed the four at-large members of the Community Center Planning and Preliminary Design Committee: Douglas Crosby, Owen Beenhouwer, Sarah Chester, and Ellen Meyer Shorb. The board also approved committee members who were nominated by their respective boards or committees: Steve Gladstone, Jonathan Dwyer, Eric Harris, Dilla Tingley, and Margit Griffith.
• Town Administrator Tim Higgins reported on the current status of staff’s conversations with a new advocacy organization called Mothers Out Front that is focusing on natural gas leaks.
• Higgins reported on the recent Route 2 celebration event and his intention to invite to a future board meeting certain residents who were unable to attend the event, so their efforts could be recognized in person.
• The board approved the concept of forming a housing options working group with the Housing Commission and other agencies to coordinate consideration of opportunities to enhance affordable housing in Lincoln.
• The board discussed ideas for enhancing communications with the public in general, including enhancing coordination and public outreach concerning proposals that are intended for Town Meeting presentation.