Lynnfield residents air grievances on trouble at well-traveled area

LYNNFIELD – When residents walk into Tuesday’s Board of Selectmen meeting, they will have a concise list of concerns, possible solutions and questions for the Department of Transportation in regards to traffic issues surrounding MarketStreet, Walnut and Salem streets and Sparhawk Drive.”I wanted to allow community members to ask questions, make statements and not be limited by the open meeting constraints,” said Selectman Thomas Terranova, who led a preemptive meeting for residents to air their concerns. “This is your time to speak.”Truck traffic on Salem and Walnut streets, convoluted lane markings on Walnut at the intersections with Route 128/95, speeding and the increase of everyday traffic were the chief topics of conversation during the more than two-hour meeting that also included Police Chief David Breen, Fire Chief Mark Tetreault and Town Engineer Charles Richter.Joe Yurkus suggested a week of solid enforcement might deter trucks from traveling on Walnut Street toward Saugus, which is prohibited. He said there are trucks that repeatedly use Walnut Street that should know better. He also blamed MarketStreet, the high-end shopping plaza located where the Colonial Restaurant once sat, for much of the increase.Breen, however, said his analysis shows that while there is an increase in truck traffic, 95 percent of it is not going to MarketStreet. Most of the traffic is using Walnut Street as a shortcut from Route 1 to Route 95.He also noted that he only has two patrolmen on from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day to cover a town of 12,500 and other streets where people are begging for enforcement.”We are out there, we are issuing citations ? I’m pretty proud of what my officers have down done there,” he said.Joseph Long said he is seeing the same truck traffic problem on Salem Street. Unfortunately, Breen pointed out, unlike Walnut Street, Salem isn’t closed to truck traffic.Long said he is concerned that when phase two of MarketStreet, which will include housing, is built, it will only exacerbate the problem.Breen said when the MarketStreet project was first proposed, he warned town officials that traffic would be overwhelming.”This issue has been going on for 25, 30 years,” he added.Several residents mentioned that the cycling of the lights on Walnut at Salem Street, at the Route 95 overpass and at the MarketStreet entrance are out of sync and the cause for severe backups.”MassDOT did a horrible job on that intersection,” said Joe DeMaina.Alice Long said she fears the intense road rage they hear from drivers will lead to something serious.”The language is unconscionable, people are out of their cars fisticuffing,” she said.Resident Katy Shea said Breen might make an argument that increased ticketing of errant drivers could fund an increase in officers for his department. Breen said it’s not that simple but urged residents to raise the need for increased patrols at the next Town Meeting.Alexandra Road and Sparhawk Drive residents also complained of the number of cars turning around in their driveways on a regular basis because they have either missed the entrance or gone the wrong way while seeking MarketStreet.Samir Shah said the line of sight from his street is also very poor, making for a dangerous intersection.Terranova applauded residents for coming out to the meeting and getting their grievances down for Tuesday’s meeting.”I believe this meeting forced the agenda,” he said. “They will have to address these issues.”