Officials Remain
Vexed Over Neighborhood
Cut-Through Traffic
Scott MacKeen
Staff Writer
6/30/11
Town officials are continuing to grapple with the longstanding traffic issues on Governors Road, Plymouth and Grafton avenues, and other roads that commuters are using to bypass gridlock in East Milton Square.

The Traffic Commission has called several public meetings over the past six months to field the concerns of neighbors, who say the volume of traffic on those streets – which are desirable cut-through routes for traffic entering East Milton from West Quincy – has swelled to unacceptable levels.

“This is clearly a long-term process,” Police Chief Richard Wells Jr., chair of the commission, told Selectmen on June 23. “We won’t be putting this away. We will continue to work to find a remedy. We’re committed to it.

“For every action you take in this town, there’s a reaction,” said Wells, who explained that solving neighbors’ concerns on Governors Road could push the traffic problem to adjacent streets. Residents of Plymouth and Grafton avenues, and State Street, are among those who have also petitioned the town to address the issue.

“The question was: What was going to be the impact for them?” said Wells.

Part of the problem is that both Governors Road and Plymouth Avenue run into Quincy, and the two communities have yet to come to terms on a solution to the traffic complaints.

Ward 4 City Councilor Brian Palmucci, who represents the Governors Road neighborhood on the Quincy side, said he’d be open to trying anything that might help.

“Whether you live on the Quincy line or the Milton line, this affects you just the same. We’re all in the same hole,” Palmucci said in a phone interview.

Palmucci said he has reached out to the city’s traffic engineer, Jack Gillon, and hopes to soon have a formal presentation on which to vote.

Among the suggestions Wells came up with was asking Quincy to place a “Do Not Enter” sign on Governors Road, preventing traffic from entering into Milton from 7 to 9 a.m., when morning commute into Boston makes the cut-through problems worse.

Palmucci said he would consider the signage, adding, “We’re willing to try anything.”

Wells also suggested blocking traffic from turning right from Governors Road to Plymouth Avenue between 7 and 9 a.m., and making Boulevard Street a one-way street entering East Milton Square, reducing traffic backups on Edge Hill Road.

“We want to put our heads together to come up with a solution to all of these problems,” he said.

“I’m glad Milton is pushing the issue forward. It’s something I care about,” added Palmucci.