WORCESTER, Mass. – Mill Street's new design has only been in place for a few months, and it's not just getting mixed reviews with city leaders, but with the residents that live on the street as well. The updated layout features one lane of traffic, then there's the parking zone, a buffer zone and then finally up against the curb is a bike lane.
Kevin Barry is less than thrilled with the new design for Mill Street. Having lived in the neighborhood for years, he says it's a safety concern.
"If I were to park here and open my door, that truck would have just hit me and taken my door off," Barry said as a truck drove by. "So, that's a serious hazard right there."
What You Need To Know
- Mill Street residents are sharing concerns over the new traffic design, with some calling it dangerous
- The city of Worcester altered traffic patterns on Mill Street to include parking-protected bike lanes in an effort to make the road more safe
- Earlier this year, the city told Spectrum News 1 while speeding has been reduced, the amount of crashes has remained about the same
- Some who ride bikes say the extra buffer from traffic is an improvement, but driver safety is still a concern
Until it's redesign late last year, Mill Street had four lanes of traffic, which was believed to be a factor in a high rate of crashes in the area.
The issue is still so hot, drivers were pulling over to share their thoughts with Spectrum News 1 Tuesday afternoon. Some say crashes are still happening and little has changed on the project after millions of dollars were spent.
"The way the cars are parked, they're parked in the middle of the road," said Harlan Chaput, who says he has lived in the area his whole life. "Put the parking against the curb, then a bike lane, then the buffer zone."
Others have a slightly different perspective. Some who ride their bicycle on the street say there are both positives and negatives with the new design.
"It's not like accidents were happening left and right," one bicyclist said. "So, I didn't see a need for them to just cut it to one lane. But for safety issues, it's good one lane because people like to speed."
City Councilor Etel Haxhiaj is a supporter of the new layout, and stands by the updated design.
"The bike lane wasn't that dangerous before," said bicyclist Tom Lynch, who says he rides on the street several times a week. "It was further out in the road. All in all, I think the cars parked out there, it's dangerous."
Some of those drivers are hoping to see an updated design, or a return to Mill Street's original format.
City Councilor Moe Bergman is asking the city to hire an independent traffic engineer, and remove the parking-protected bike lane.
"If they wanted to slow down traffic, they could have put a greater police presence," said Chaput. "Make people afraid to speed on Mill Street because they'll get pulled over and get a ticket."