SAUGUS — Five months after an elderly Saugus couple was struck by a car while walking the rail trail, residents will have a say on how to improve the path.
Members of the town’s Planning Department and Bike to the Sea, an organization working to extend the Northern Strand Community Trail from the Charles River to the Lynn waterfront, will gather at Saugus Town Hall on June 21 to hear comments from the people who live near the trail.
In January, an elderly couple was walking on the trail when they were struck by a car on Central Street. Both suffered serious injuries and were taken to area hospitals for treatment. Two months later, chairman of the Planning Board Peter Rossetti began advocating for improvements.
“They were injured and narrowly survived,” said Rosetti, who wants to explore options for better signage and something reflective to try to avoid a repeat accident.
Debra Panetta, chairwoman of the Board of Selectmen, said she spoke at length on Tuesday night with Jay Cobau, vice president of Bike to the Sea, regarding the issue of unsafe intersections.
“He explained that he’d like to hear from the town on what we’d like to see, so I’m passing along this message in order to get many people out and talking about the bike trail,” Panetta said in an email.
Town Planner Krista Leahy met with the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental affairs earlier this year about using some of the $1.5 million grant funding devoted to the trail to implement safety measures. The Baker-Polito Administration announced the commitment to fun designs for the trail in Everett, Lynn, Malden, Revere, and Saugus in February.
President of Bike to the Sea Stephen Winslow said each community along the seven-and-a-half mile trail will have similar meeting in the next several months to brainstorm ideas. While safety is always a concern, part of the objective of the funding was to create a cohesive design for the trail, including paving the sections in Revere, Saugus, and Lynn, and installing consistent signs to let users know they remain on the right path.
Adding flashing signs, stop lights, and pedestrian lights is expected to be discussed at the meeting.
