A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to Awaiting Report Item Number 22-5, regarding pedestrian safety on Broadway at CRLS

Page1 of 1 MEMORANDUM To: Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager From: Joseph E. Barr, Director Date: January 31, 2021 Subject: POR 2022 #8 – Pedestrian Safety Near Cambridge Rindge and Latin School This memorandum has been prepared in response to Policy Order and Resolution 2022 #8 from the January 24, 2022 City Council Meeting requesting that the Traffic, Parking, and Transportation Department (TP+T) provide recommendations on additional safety measures that could be implemented on Broadway near Cambridge Rindge and Latin School (CRLS) in response to the recent pedestrian crash that occurred at the crosswalk opposite 456 Broadway. Staff from Traffic, Parking, and Transportation have reviewed the location, as well as the crash report from the recent incident at this location. As noted in the Policy Order, this location is already well equipped with a number of existing safety measures, including pedestrian crossing warning signs and a pedestrian crossing island in the middle of the street. However, given that this crosswalk is located directly in front of CRLS and the Cambridge Public Library Main Branch, we agreed that it was important to review the potential for additional safety features at this location. As a result of our review, we believe the installation of a Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacon (RRFB would enhance driver yielding and pedestrian safety and reinforce the existing crosswalk markings at this location, and we therefore have decided to install an RRFB there. RRFBs are used at a number of locations around Cambridge and are activated by pedestrians prior to crossing the street to help improve driver awareness of those pedestrians. We are currently in the early stages of procuring a new contract to furnish and install additional RRFBs around the City, and within a few months we will be able to install an RRFB at this location (which installation is also subject to confirming that there is sufficient solar coverage to power the solar panel). There are also unsignalized crosswalks nearby at Felton Street and at Prescott Street. Given that these crosswalks are also heavily used by pedestrians coming to and from CRLS and other adjacent destinations, we intend to look more closely at pedestrian volumes and crash histories at all three locations, to develop a more comprehensive plan around continued pedestrian safety at all of these unsignalized crosswalks. We expect to complete this review prior to having our new contract in place for RRFBs, which will allow us to make a holistic decision about the best approaches to pedestrian safety along the entire corridor between CRLS and Prescott Street.