A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to Awaiting Report Item Number 19-109, regarding speed issues on Raymond Street

MEMORANDUM To: Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager From: Joseph E. Barr, Director Date: December 9, 2019 Subject: Awaiting Report 19-109 – Speed Issues on Raymond Street This memo is in response to Order 9 from the September 9, 2019 City Council Meeting (Awaiting Report 19-109) requesting that the City review speeds on Raymond Street, consider prioritizing Raymond Street and the surrounding neighborhood for implementing 20 MPH safety zones, and provide details on the planned installation of 20 MPH safety zones on residential streets across Cambridge. The City collected traffic speeds on Raymond Street near Bates Street in mid- November; the results of this data collection are presented in Table 1: Table 1: Summary of Speed Data on Raymond Street near Bates Street Direction 50th Percentile Speed 85th Percentile Speed Southbound 20 MPH 24 MPH Northbound 20 MPH 25 MPH This data indicates that drivers are generally obeying the current 25 MPH speed limit, since the 85th percentile speeds are at or below that level. Traffic, Parking, and Transportation has completed planning for the installation of 20 MPH safety zones on residential streets around Cambridge and has entered into a contract with Northeast Traffic Control Services to install the signs necessary to implement the safety zones. In addition, the Traffic Regulations associated with the safety zones--which are required to make these speed limits legally enforceable—have been publicly advertised over the course of November. As a result, once the contractor begins installing the signs, the lower speed limits will officially go into effect as each sign is installed.

As noted in the press release that was issued last month, work will start in East Cambridge and proceed across the city to the west, and the overall installation process is expected to take approximately three months. As a result, the signs on Raymond Street and the surrounding neighborhood will most likely be installed during the second half of the work and should be in place at some point this winter (subject to any unanticipated delays). A map of streets with 20 mph speed limits and approximate sign locations is available at cambridgema.gov/20mph. The map will be updated on an ongoing basis as new signs are installed, so residents can keep track of our progress. In addition, the Community Development Department and the Department of Public Works are hosting a community meeting to better understand resident concerns about traffic conditions on Raymond Street. The meeting will take place on Tuesday, December 10 at 6:00pm at the Graham and Parks School (44 Linnaean Street).