Crime & Safety

Medfield Police Addressing Traffic Congestion Along Route 109

Medfield Chief of Police Robert Meaney Jr. said there will be more emphasis on traffic enforcement at major intersections along Route 109 in an effort to reduce congestion.

In an effort to address traffic congestion during the evening commute along Route 109 in town; Medfield Police Chief Robert Meaney Jr. assigned traffic enforcement officers to monitor vehicles blocking the intersections of South and Main Streets as well as North and Main Streets.

“The decision was based on the amount of congestion that occurs during the evening commute and that cars blocking the intersections increase the congestion and the level of frustration with drivers,” Meaney said. “Route 109 is a very popular commuter route with congestion increasing each year. This was one way to deal with congestion without spending significant amounts of money.”

Meaney said the cost of the traffic enforcement at the two intersections on Route 109 from Oct. 17 to Oct. 20 was roughly $700.

Find out what's happening in Medfieldwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

“The signs were approximately $50 each and the overtime has amounted to approximately $600 last week,” Meaney said.

Meaney said two signs were placed – one at South Street and one at North Street – beginning on Oct. 10 “without any enforcement.” Then on Oct. 15, according to police reports, Meaney requested one officer Oct. 17-20 from 3 to 7 p.m. for intersection enforcement.

Find out what's happening in Medfieldwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

“I had one officer on overtime work with one officer from the shift to issue written and verbal warnings to motorists,” Meaney said.

According to police reports, 21 citations were issued on Oct. 17 and 22 were issued on Oct. 18. Meaney said he “believed there might have been an additional 20 citations written during the remainder of the week.”

The fine for blocking or causing gridlock at an intersection is $100, according to “Chapter 89, Section 9 in the Massachusetts General Laws,” Meaney said.

Meaney estimated out of the 60-plus citations issued last week, “90 to 95 percent” were written or verbal warnings with no monetary fine attached to them.

“[The intent of enforcement] is not to see how many citations the officers can write but it is about changing behavior so that traffic at these intersections can flow better,” Meaney said. “South Street, North Street and North Meadows Road (Route 27) are three significant roads that intersect with Main Street (Route 109) within a very short distance. My intent is through a variety of means to help the traffic flow better.”

In addition to the traffic enforcement at the intersections, Meaney said he has spoken to a traffic engineering company about conducting a study to look at the timing of the lights relevant to the congested intersections to see if the cycles can work more efficiently.

“I have spoken with a traffic engineering company that works for the Medfield Planning Board,” Meaney said. “I want them to give me an estimate of what it would cost to have the three traffic lights work more efficiently to increase the flow of traffic and decrease the amount of frustration. This may involve changing the timing of the lights or may involve changing the software that operates the lights.

“For example, if South Street has a green light to enter Main Street but the Main Street light at North Street is red then the South Street people have no place to go … based on the fact that the traffic is solid from South Street to North Street as is often the case during the evening commute.”

Medfield Police will continue its efforts to address the traffic congestion issues that arise along Route 109.

“In upcoming weeks there will be less emphasis on the warnings and I’ll leave the decision regarding the citation being a warning or a civil fine based on the officer’s discretion,” Meaney said. “We will still monitor traffic.”

The officers involved in last week’s traffic enforcement told Meaney motorists were both understanding and cooperative.

“My sense from the officers involved was that motorists understood why they were being stopped and agreed that what they had done was not helping traffic flow,” Meaney said.

As for the enforcement being a success, only time will tell.

“That will have to wait for a few weeks to see if driver’s behavior was modified,” Meaney said. “That is the whole intent.”


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.