A story about Lincoln’s recent Bikes Not Bombs donation drive had incorrect information about where the donated bikes will be going and when they’ll be packed for shipping. The bikes will be going to Nairobi, Kenya and Bikes not Bombs welcomes volunteers to help pack its shipping container on Sunday, July 19 at its warehouse at 10 Harvard St. in Dorchester. See this web page for more information and to RSVP as a volunteers (breakfast and lunch will be served).
To the editor:
Recent letters in various press outlets are, once again, calling attention to concerns about safety at the Five Corners intersection in the Lincoln Historic District (the “flower pot intersection”). And, as town officials have recently reminded us, our roadways are a “tricky business” and what’s old is new again.
The Five Corners intersection, like many of other area of Lincoln roadways, is both a bane and a blessing for those who travel on them and those who manage them. They are an integral part of Lincoln’s character—and a real challenge for the town officials who are responsible for providing for the public safety while protecting community character.
These quirky roadways are a product of topography and history. The paths of the 1700s—the paths of least resistance—are, for the most part, the same paths we travel today. The land dictated the layout of farms and fields, the first settlement being made in the 1600s. Increased settlement led to the creation of pathways beginning in the early 1700s, and these paths logically skirted the edges of the arable land and navigated wetlands. Needless to say, these paths twisted and turned to preserve land and also to provide viable passage for carts. Stone walls are evidence of famers moving rocks out of fields and creating the edges of fields and passageways.
The original path network, which radiated from the five corners, did not connect to the North and South Great Road throughways until the mid-1750s. It is this winding system of paths, edged with stone walls and shaded by ancient trees that create the beauty and serenity of our scenic roadways. That is the blessing of our history and the bane of modern day traffic demands. It is those paths that went from dirt to gravel to blacktop that our town must manage.
As reported by town officials, over the past 15 year, the town has had traffic engineers do analysis of each and every intersection, sometimes repeating that exercise when new concerns and ideas were presented. In addition, two volunteer Ad Hoc Traffic and Roadway Committees have done extensive study involving much citizen input and offered many thoughtful recommendations. When the town began a roadway restoration project of the major roadways in 2009 and 2010, it went neighborhood by neighborhood to review all concerns, revisit professional and committee recommendations, and engage further traffic and roadway engineers. In addition consulting with Public Safety as of critical importance as navigating these roadways by our ambulances and fire trucks is, indeed, “tricky business!” All this work guided location of signage and crosswalks, intersection configuration, and public safety protocols to conduct regular review of safety issues.
In 2012, the selectmen reviewed all studies and recommendations and put in place a set of guidance policies based on these documents to ensure all future roadway work would follow a professional rational. A standing committee, the Roadway and Traffic Committee (RTC), was established to guide future work on our roadways and roadsides. Town officials have invited all to the meetings of both the RTC and the selectmen to discuss ideas. As they have wisely cautioned, many have been down this path before.
Interesting suggestions have been made to fine-tune the historic Five Corners intersection and are worthy of further review. A review of accident reports would offer a reality check against the perception of danger, as was done in 2008. But in the end, while we tweak, fine-tune and refine, the history and topography of Lincoln has dictated our scenic pathways and which will continue to be a bane… and a blessing.
Sincerely,
Sara Mattes
71 Conant Rd.
Letters to the editor must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to news@lincolnsquirrel.com. Letters must be about a Lincoln-specific topic, will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Letters containing personal attacks, errors of fact or other inappropriate material will not be published.
Thom Quirk and Elizabeth Cherniack look over a donation at the Bikes Not Bombs drive.
Lincoln Recycling Committee helper Darragh O’Doherty.
At Lincoln’s 4th annual Bikes Not Bombs drive on June 13, the Lincoln Recycling Committee collected 65 adult and children’s bicycles and $340 in cash donations, as well as a variety of bicycle parts such as tubes, tires, wheels, and forks. This is a 22 percent jump from the 53 bikes collected last year.
Many of this year’s donations will be heading to Ghana on July 21 when Bikes Not Bombs will host a “Stuff a Cargo Event” in its Dorchester warehouse. Please refer to the Bikes Not Bombs website for more information and other volunteer opportunities. Although many Lincolnites participated, there were also donations from residents of Acton, Bedford, Burlington, Carlisle, Lexington, Maynard, and Sudbury.
The Lincoln Recycling Committee (Laura Berland, Elizabeth Cherniack, Bernadette Quirk, and Susan Stason) thanks everyone who donated and also extends a grateful thank-you to the following individuals who donated their time to help flatten bikes and accept donations on a beautiful Saturday: Thom Quirk, Darragh O’Doherty and Cecelia Nunez-O’Doherty.
To the editor:
I share concern #3 in Jonathan Rapaport’s letter to the editor. A big pickup truck towing a horse trailer southbound on Bedford Road turned left in front of the flower pot onto Trapelo and almost nailed my car while I waited by the stop sign. How about a rotary/roundabout, with the flower pot in the middle? I’ve seen some compact roundabouts in villages in England.
Sincerely,
Roy Harvey
Stonehedge Road
Letters to the editor must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to news@lincolnsquirrel.com. Letters must be about a Lincoln-specific topic, will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Letters containing personal attacks, errors of fact or other inappropriate material will not be published.
(Editor’s note: This letter was originally addressed to Ken Bassett and Noah Eckhouse in response to their June 23 letter to the editor.)
To the editor:
While I agree that rerouting Weston Road or installing traffic lights may be farfetched fixes for Five Corners, there have been some constructive suggestions posted in the Lincoln Squirrel. And while signage and traffic management may be surprisingly complex, we could certainly move a stop sign ten feet without having to commission a speed study.
I have read here a few fixes from knowledgable townspeople that would likely improve the safety and efficiency of Five Corners. They are inexpensive and can be implemented quickly, unless my understanding of such matters is totally naive (always a possibility). I’ll try to paraphrase to spare anyone having to search past posts. In order of urgency:
Additional police presence would be welcome, too. But if you implement these few needed tweaks, the police would be left mostly (one hopes) to enforce civility. Too many drivers plow through the intersection without waiting their turn. If the police do want to put resources into Five Corners, they might consider directing traffic during rush hour. They could relieve bottlenecks by waving through many cars at once.
Thank you for inviting input at public meetings. But please also be receptive to solutions and ideas that reach you through other venues. Lincolnites trust you to make and implement sound decisions.
Sincerely,
Jonathan Rapaport
Winter Street
Letters to the editor must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to news@lincolnsquirrel.com. Letters must be about a Lincoln-specific topic, will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Letters containing personal attacks, errors of fact or other inappropriate material will not be published.
The Lincoln Public Library will be closed on Friday, July 3 in honor of Independence Day. The library will be open this Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. but will then be closed on Saturdays until September 12 (the first Saturday after Labor Day). On Saturday, July 11, the Friends of the Lincoln Library will hold another half-price book sale in the basement of Bemis Hall form 9 a.m. to noon. That part of Bemis Hall will close for construction later that month.
The Lincoln Police are running their self-defense class for high school and college-age girls from Lincoln and Sudbury on August 11 and 13 from 6:30-9:30 p.m. The class will take place at the Parks and Rec Department in Lincoln. This is the same class that takes place during the year at Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School. On the first day, we’ll talk about general safety and dating safety, and then we’ll begin practicing physical self-defense moves like strikes, blocks, and knee strikes. On the second day, we’ll have an officer in a padded suit “attacking” participants, who will use moves they’ve learned to escape. This part of the course is intense but amazing and empowering. The goal of the course is escape. These classes are extremely popular and space is limited, so please contact Jena Salon at jenasalon@gmail.com to sign up or ask questions.
Come to the next “Who Picked This Book?” Club meeting at the Lincoln Public Library on Monday, July 6 at 7 p.m. when they will be discussing The Art Forger by B.A. Shapiro. The book’s jumping-off point is the art heist at The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. Filled with local scenes and flavor—what better why to start the summer off? Copies in various formats are available at the library’s circulation desk. The August 3 meeting will discuss The Children Act by Ian McEwan. For more information, please visit the club’s web page or call 781-259-8465 ext.202. Refreshments will be served.
The deCordova Sculpture Park and Musuem is holding an opening reception on Wednesday, July 8 from 7-9 p.m. (rain date, July 15, 7-9 p.m.) for Architectural Allusions. One of deCordova’s first themed outdoor exhibitions, it explores the presence of architecture in contemporary sculpture as artists reinvent architectural traditions, from ancient ziggurats to modernist pavilions. This international group exhibition includes new commissions, long-term loans, and permanent collection works. Artists include Stephanie Cardon, Dan Graham, Esther Klas, Sol LeWitt, Monika Sosnowska, Kenneth Snelson and Oscar Tuazon. Free and open to the public. Please RSVP by emailing rsvp@decordova.org.
The summer schedule for the St. Julia Parish (including St. Joseph’s Church in Lincoln) is as follows:
The Lincoln Squirrel website is looking rather odd at the moment because of a technical snafu which we’re trying to resolve. However, the stories are still up to date, so don’t worry about the side columns for the time being. We’ll let you know when things are back to normal. Thanks for your patience.”
Alice Waugh
Editor, The Lincoln Squirrel
To the editor:
Traffic seems to be on all of our minds lately, after a difficult winter and a busy spring. We note renewed interest among some for review of traffic control signs and measures currently in place at the Five Corners intersection. This is a complex intersection, and what may feel like “obvious” design changes to the non-traffic engineer could in fact be very difficult to execute. Several generations of Town Traffic Committees have taken up the challenge.
The current configuration is the result not of bureaucratic inertia, but instead of careful study and consideration of traffic control regulations and best practices. The geometry, signage and striping of the intersection has been fine-tuned periodically. Further refinements to enhance driver and pedestrian safety may be available and appropriate, and we will take a hard look. Understand, however, that we go into this analysis informed by the work of those who preceded us, and that the issues, challenges, and constraints are often times more complex than might appear.
We’ve learned that managing the safe and efficient flow of traffic at Five Corners or elsewhere in town is tricky business. For example, by state law, speed limits can be adjusted only after a speed study, and must be set, with few exceptions (e.g., school zones), at the 85th percentile of the speed of cars currently using the road. (Read this last sentence carefully: what it means is that by state law, speed limits may actually increase!) And when considering whether to install stop signs, crosswalks, or striping, the town must consult the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, the accepted industry standard (you can find the Massachusetts version easily via Google). Local knowledge is an important practical consideration, but regulations sometimes limit our options.
All of that said, one immediate tool at our disposal is enforcement of existing regulations and signage. To that end, we have already asked our police to redouble their efforts in enforcement and visibility at the five-way stop. As always, our Roadway and Traffic Committee meetings are open to the public and we welcome your participation. We also hold an open forum at every selectman’s meeting. Please come join us and let us know what is on your mind. It is through an engaged dialogue and not only letters to the editor that we can all work together to tackle these challenges.
Sincerely,
Ken Bassett (chair, Roadway and Traffic Committee)
Noah Eckhouse (chair, Board of Selectmen)
Letters to the editor must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to news@lincolnsquirrel.com. Letters must be about a Lincoln-specific topic, will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Letters containing personal attacks, errors of fact or other inappropriate material will not be published.
Editor’s note: This letter is signed by all members of the Lincoln Green Energy Technology Committee (GETC).
To the editor:
Residential electricity use can account for one-third or more of our personal carbon dioxide emissions, but Lincoln residents can now switch to renewably generated electricity with a short telephone call. Your bill and electricity distribution will still come from Eversource (formerly NSTAR), but the Mass Energy Consumer Alliance‘s Green Power program ensures that your electricity consumption will be matched 100% by electricity generated from local renewable sources supplied to Eversource. You only have to choose whether you would like those renewable sources to be 100% wind-generated or 100% renewably generated using 74% low-impact hydro, 17% wind, 7% solar and 2% gas digesters (from cows).
A couple of Lincoln families have already made the switch. Through their affiliation with Mass Audubon, the Klem family heard about Mass Audubon’s Make the Switch campaign and switched to the Mass Energy 100% wind-generated electricity program. This program utilizes Massachusetts wind farms to generate their electricity. The switch augments the renewable electricity being generated from the Klems’ rooftop solar array to provide them with 100% renewable electricity. It’s costing them 3.8 cents per kWh (kilowatt hour) above the typical Eversource price.
“This is an easy, efficient, and effective way to green up the power you use. It’s a great opportunity to promote the development of wind energy and well worth the small increase in cost,” Sue and Chris Klem say.
The Watkinson family switched to the Mass Energy 100% renewably generated electricity program that utilizes a mix of New England sources including low-impact hydro, wind, solar, and gas digesters to generate their electricity. They switched from a renewable electricity-generating IPP (Independent Power Producer) in order to promote more local generation and renewable investment. It costs them 2.4 cents per kWh above the typical Eversource price per kWh.
“It was difficult for us to build an effective solar array because our roof has very little southern exposure. But with one phone call and for the monthly cost of $15—the equivalent of eating lunch out—we were able to switch to 100% renewably generated electricity. This renewably generated electricity also charges our Chevrolet Volt, so our car is mostly fueled by renewable electricity,” says GETC member Peter Watkinson.
This approach can enable 100% of your electricity needs through renewable sources and is particularly helpful if solar-generated electricity is difficult on your roof (not large enough to generate all of your electricity or not facing south, etc). You only have to decide whether you would prefer 100% wind-generated or 100% renewably generated (multiple sources) electricity. Your charge of 3.8 or 2.4 cents per kWh is also tax-deductible.
With your electricity bill in hand, you can call Mass Energy at 800-287-3950 ext. 5 and sign up to switch to renewable electricity today, or go to www.massenergy.org/renewable-energy/greenpowerform.
Sincerely,
The members of the Lincoln Green Energy Technology Committee
Letters to the editor must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to news@lincolnsquirrel.com. Letters must be about a Lincoln-specific topic, will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Letters containing personal attacks, errors of fact or other inappropriate material will not be published.
A hawk was seen keeping watch atop the wind vane of the First Parish Church. Photo by Harold McAleer
Readers may submit photos for consideration for Lincoln Through the Lens by emailing them to news@lincolnsquirrrel.com. If your photo is published, you’ll receive credit in the Squirrel. Photos must be taken in Lincoln and include the date, location, and names of any people who are identifiable in the photo. Previously published photos can be viewed on the Lincoln Through the Lens page of the Lincoln Squirrel.