As professor correctipants says....Rob...it's "wreaking" havoc not wrecking. Jeeze!

This closure is the best thing to EVER happen for Ravine road and the Fellsway - makes it much easier to manuver around the area any time of day! Mayor Dolan keep out of it - I am certain a FEW of your friends have notified you - don't inconvenience a few just so you can get a few more votes next election! Try living around this area!!!

I agree with Kathy. That intersection is a total disaster. It my understanding that Mayor Dolan has NOT worked "cooperatively to explore long-term traffic options for this corridor of the Fellsway". I am truly horrified that politics have come before public saftety. If Mayor Dolan does not like this solution I suggest he offer up an alternative.

As a resident of the area near the Ravine Road/Fellsway intersection, I need to say that this one-way experiment has been an overwhelming success. The one-way works to solve the problem it was designed to fix. There was a serious problem there, and something needed to be done. Mayor Dolan has stonewalled and resisted any proposed solution to this troublesome intersection, and he now wants to return to status quo without offering any alternative solution to the problem. NOT ACCEPTABLE. The Mayor's conduct with regard to this situation has been an embarassment to Melrose: filing lawsuits against neighboring Stoneham, requesting hearings and failing to appear, and refusing to work out a solution.

If the situation at Pond Street has become difficult, then there might be a solution at that location rather than reverting to status quo. How about a light regulating left hand turns onto the upper portion of Ravine Road? Moreover, why not give this experiment a chance, and let people find alternative routes into Melrose at the time of the evening commute? This was designed as a six month experiment, and the Mayor now wants to give up after only three weeks! That is outrageous conduct by the Mayor. Won't someone run against him?

In my previous comment, I meant to suggest a light regulating traffic turning left onto the upper portion of Pond Street/West Wyoming, the stretch that runs parallel to the part of Ravine that is now one way.

I'd be curious if anyone from the DCR has tried driving in this new "trial reconfiguration" themselves between 5pm and 6:30pm? What a nightmare! I drive over a 100 miles a day and the absolute worst part of my commute now is coming home and dealing with this nightmare. It is an absolute joke how bad it is trying to now get onto Pond Street. I'd rather go back to seeing the other half of Ravine Road that leads into Melrose one way again.

I am curious what was the serious problem that this is supposed to resolve? I don't recall seeing that much traffic beforehand or an increase in accidents in the area. Always seemed to flow pretty good.

I can't see installing a light regulating the traffic turning left onto Pond Street/West Wyoming as a good thing. Imagine coming to such a light as you are going around the corner of Woodland Road going towards Stoneham? How many accidents would that result in? If there is a serious problem I agree that it should be discussed and if Mayor Dolan is stonewalling than shame on him but history has shown that hasn't been the case with him on other issues. I strongly believe that this trial is a disaster and perhaps there really is no good solution right now. Building another one-way road (going the opposite direction of Ravine) could help but then you run into issues as to where given the trails and conservation land.

If the intent was eliminating the dangerous crossover at Ravine/LFP, it certainly has done that eastbound. That intersection was already reconfigured years ago to remove a curved left turn lane off upper Ravine to LFP.

The problem is the law of unintended consequence. The traffic at LFP/Pond is now much worse, and at Pond/Woodland it's a nightmare. While I often am critical of the Mayor, and I agree with the content of his letter, I am also aware that his actions in this matter, at least according to Stoneham residents, have been something less than cooperative in nature. My personal belief is that this is as much about Stoneham sticking it to the Mayor as it is about traffic safety.

Dann, do you have the accident numbers from Ravine/LFP? Is it really as dangerous as Stoneham would have us believe? I honestly can't recall seeing anything there in the last several years.

One last comment from me here: because there's so much history and background here, I compiled a list of links to previous articles on the subject from Melrose Patch and the Melrose Free Press (before Patch existed) dating back to December 2008:

• http://melrose.patch.com/articles/stretch-of-ravine-road-to-become-one-way-for-trial-period-8f50ee69

• http://melrose.patch.com/articles/concerns-about-ravine-road-return-in-melrose-and-stoneham

• http://www.wickedlocal.com/melrose/news/x600908582/Melrose-Stoneham-Ravine-Road-redress#axzz1uL6TO9rv

• http://www.wickedlocal.com/melrose/news/x1796479387/Ravine-Road-subject-of-second-public-hearing#axzz1uL6TO9rv

• http://www.wickedlocal.com/melrose/news/x776478732/Ravine-Road-re-opens-in-Melrose-City-officials-agree-to-meet-with-Stoneham-about-highway-issue#axzz1uL6TO9rv

• http://www.wickedlocal.com/melrose/news/x415870649/As-Melrose-seeks-Ravine-Road-injunction-Stoneham-cries-foul#axzz1uL6TO9rv

• http://www.wickedlocal.com/melrose/news/x1009155867/Melrose-Stoneham-have-literal-impasse-over-Ravine-Road#axzz1uL6TO9rv

The problem I have seen around 5:30pm - 6pm is that the Fellsway intersection with West Wyoming backs up all the way on to Pond St. There is actually a line on Pond St of people trying to turn RIGHT on to West Wyoming. This means that the traffic backs up nearly to the zoo going the other way on Pond St.

Its really awful. And in this situation a light at the Pond St / Wyoming intersection wouldn't help anyway because there is nowhere for the traffic to go.

I never saw the problems on the Fellsway that this new arrangement was meant to alleviate - I'm sure it was tricky otherwise they wouldn't have looked for alternate arrangements.

I travel this route everyday. I can see the reduced traffic as I head across LFP and up Ravine Rd, I'm sure the neighbors prefer it that way. However, coming home each day is indeed a nightmare. The intersection at Woodland/Pond St is all backed up. Have they staggered the lights at Pond/LFP/W.Wyoming? Doesn't seem so. I am not sure what the best solution is, but this needs more review. Another note - a friend looking at homes in Melrose opted to go elsewhere after sitting in the 5 pm traffic on Woodland/Pond St and seeing how crazy that intersection is now.

I mentioned it before but I think it needs to be repeated as I don't think I am alone. I would much rather Stoneham (or Melrose or whoever) make Ravine Road one-way when it was done the last time instead of where they have it now off of Woodland Road. Doesn't that just make more sense? Never once in my 10 years of driving this stretch have I seen an accident coming off Woodland Road and down Ravine. If anything the issue is the option to go straight across. Get rid of the option of going straight and let traffic turn left and right only. Personally I don't think it matters but if it got Stoneham, Melrose or again whoever to open up Ravine from Woodland I'd be in favor of it.

Another alternative would be to allow Ravine Road from Woodland open both directions during certain hours. Say 5pm to 7pm M-F. Maybe the morning as well but my opinion on this is that the evening is 10 times worse than the morning so I'd rather start there. Would it be hard to enforce, yes probably but given enough time folks would learn and it would definitely be better than how this trial is going. Making the argument that this is only a few weeks old and give it some time is wrong in my opinion. This situation is only going to get worse and not better. Think about how this is going to be during the winter if the DCR decides to keep it as is? Can you imagine the traffic during the ZooLights? I can't imagine had bad that will be.

No one likes having commuter traffic go by their house. But does that give them the right to close their road? Is this really a solution that considered anyone's interest other than those living on Ravine Road? The closure was put in place with no traffic study, no mitigation plan. I drive that route every day and it is no less dangerous than it was before. The dangerous spots are now just in different locations.

A map of that area would really helpful!

Top right under the Sponsored Links is a map. Zoom out a bit to see the whole area in question.

I have a suggestion, as many do! This doesn't do anything for neighborhood traffic, as there are no homes on the upper end of Ravine Rd. What this DOES do is create horrible traffic conditions all the way to the zoo and also because people have decided to go to the next turn around and come back at Pond St. from the other side, it creates a backup there. What if they made upper Ravine Rd two way, but not allow left hand turns from the Fellsway onto Ravine Rd. If you want to go up to Spot Pond you have to go to the light. This eliminates sitting traffic at that "dangerous" intersection. At the end of Ravine when you get to the Fellsway, you can only go right. If you want to make the neighborhood of Ravine a one way make it from the Fellsway to W. Wyoming, not the other way around. I don't need a traffic study to figure this out. It just makes sense!

Chad,
Thanks for pointing out the map. Unfortunately this map just points to the intersection of Ravine and Woodland. I am suggesting that a map highlighting which section of Ravine is closed would be more useful. I know, because I know the area well, but maybe others could use a better map...thank you, though!

Thanks so much for the map. My mistake saying closed instead of one-way.

With the pumping project due to start on June 4th, I cannot wait to see how worse the traffic gets. This change is an absolute farce and was a complete failure since Day 1. There was never an issue to start with aside from Stonehams petty jealousies. Woodland road is one of my favorite local roads to travel on, and to take that from me once a day, is a true crime. I have a solution. Make all the DCR/Stoneham decision makers travel home @ 5:30 with a full bladder. They'll open that road in an hour!

Mark

I'm not sure why everyone is complaining about tha lack of action from Melrose and Stoneham. Woodland, Ravine and LFP are owned by DCR. This agency should hire a qualified traffic engineering firm to do a study and move ahead with a real solution, rather than these back-of-an-envelope "experiments". My unqualified solution is to completely close Ravine in both directions and improve the Pond/Woodland intersection with signals or a roundabout.

Where's the original PDF Dan? Not that I don't belive you but its rather hard to believe anything in this City. And since its more than possible and plausable that Dolan would spell something wrong or use the wrong word I'd like to see it for myself.
Regards
Patty

Here's a suggestion: The direction of the Express Lane on 93 is changed depending upon the time of day. Is changing the direction of the Ravine Road one-way likewise a reasonable modification of this experiment? I realize this may require some additional manpower (and thereby cost) to implement, but will it provide the safety Stoneham is seeking and alleviate the traffic that now concerns many in Melrose? If so, then maybe a more permanent and cost effective solution can be implemented once the experiment is completed.

This change has been a disaster and needs to end ASAP. This has created a huge backup for cars making the left turn and I routinely see frustrated drivers cutting people off. Please end this experiment now.

I understand what this change has done to people on Pond, however, it has made our neighborhood much safer for the over 25 children in this neighborhood. There has to be a way to work this out so that everyone benefits.

Why not make Ravine Road a dead end at the intersection of Ravine Road and West Wyoming? That would eliminate the cut through traffic, and the upper section of Ravine Road between Fellsway East and Woodland Road could be fully re-opened with no impact to the residents on Ravine Road. This would help mitigate the dangerous conditions developing elsewhere due to the lane closing.

I'm glad Mayor Dolan has spoken against this. I have to drive through this every day on my commute and it's an absolute nightmare. I sometimes end up driving miles out of my way through other neighborhoods just to avoid it. It's made Pond St/Woodland road much more dangerous by the Pond St intersection during rush hour. It's only a matter of time before someone gets seriously injured there. Also, the orange traffic barrels at the Woodland/Ravine intersection are not only a huge eyesore, but they're so distracting it's hard to see incoming traffic from around the bend when trying to merge onto or cross Woodland. Who thought this was a good idea?

What kind of useful traffic study could they possibly accomplish during the summer where there is going to be road construction that normally is not present?

And for the very few folks who do live in the Ravine road area, I'm happy that you're happy, but if you didn't like the traffic then why on Earth did you buy a house there?

It seems like things would have been safer on the residential side of Ravine road if they had raised a few speed bumps and limited street parking to just one side of the street. The speed bumps worked for Dell Ave.

I understand the concerns about safety for the Ravine kids - I really do - but speed enforcement there is the responsibility of the Stoneham Police, but I have never - not once - seen a Stoneham cruiser there doing speed enforcement. A slew of $100 tickets with a five year insurance surcharge would slow things down there, I bet, and a bunch of 8 inch speed bumps wouldn't hurt either.

This may be a dead thread now but another question I have is who and where are the people who are supposed to be "studying" the impacts of the Ravine Road change? I haven't seen anyone out there checking out how things are going. It leads me to believe this trial run isn't what is seems to be.

Thanks to everyone for the ongoing comments, opinions and thoughtful ideas on alternative solutions. As this comment thread is still very much alive and kicking, I'm bouncing it back onto the homepage again.

In the meantime, be sure to read two Ravine Road residents' rebuttal to Dolan's letter here: melrose.patch.com/articles/letter-ravine-road-disagree-with-dolan-residents-support-one-way-trial

Not sure if this has been offered as a solution or not, didn't read all the comments. How about widening Pond Street between Woodland Road and LFP so that there are 2 lanes coming into Melrose, and add a left turn signal at the light? It seems to me that the back-up comes from people who need to turn left at that light, and there is no room for the people who want to go straight onto Wyoming or right onto LFP to get by till they get very close to the light.

As someone who lives on Fellsway E I agree with David. One of the biggest reasons that there are safety problems is that the speed limits on these roads are not enforced. Fellsway E in the residential area is 25 MPH; no way do most cars go that slow, including me. I don't know what the posted limits are on Ravine, Woodland, Wyoming, Lynn Fells and Pond, but I suspect that if the Melrose, Stoneham and State Police spent a little more time passing out tickets folks would drive a lot more slowly, and many of the concerns would be alleviated. I realize that traffice enforcement isn't glamorous, but I'm guessing it wouldn't hurt the budget problems. I also know that a traffice study WAS done in the area, because I saw the meters outside my home, but I don't think the results were ever shared with the general public.

The accident report numbers quoted here clearly don't support this action, and for that reason alone the trial should never have been started. (If this intersection is such an issue and has been for years, why aren't there any accident reports past 2009?!)

One the one hand, crossing Fellsway at rush hour was dangerous and I can see reasons to not permit it... at rush hour. So make Lower Ravine Road a Do Not Enter between 5 and 7 pm and station a police officer there for a few weeks to enforce it. Commuters got used to the Do Not Enter in Phillips Road and will get used to this one in time. Add some speed bumps on Lower Ravine Road to slow commuters down in both directions and keep neighborhood children safe. And yes, this will funnel some traffic to other side streets, which I imagine will feel unfair to neighbors on those streets, but none of those side streets are an obvious route from Upper Ravine Road to Main Street, so you're not going to see the same sort of traffic you saw on Lower Ravine Road.

That intersection really isn't a problem outside of 5-7pm, at least not in my experience, which is why I don't think the Do Not Enter needs to be enacted at all hours of the day.

Reopening Upper Ravine Road to traffic in both directions allows commuters heading towards Washington Street and Malden to stay out of the Pond Street traffic. It allows commuters heading left (North) on Lynn Fells Parkway to avoid having to make a left turn at the intersection of Pond Street and Ravine Road.

I'm not a traffic expert, but it seems to me that this is the easiest and most cost effective way to alleviate these traffic problems.

Otherwise, if they insist on keeping Upper Ravine Road One Way at all hours, it seems to me that they need to:

- Widen Pond Street to 2 lanes heading East (I imagine this could be done without actual road widening by eliminating the shoulder on both sides and repainting the lines. You'd probably also have to sacrifice the trailhead parking area on Pond Street, which will be unpopular with some people.(
- Add a Left Turn signal at Pond Street and Lynn Fells Parkway. Making that left turn has always been a challenge anyway, and is a problem at all hours of the day.
- Lengthen the light cycle at Pond Street/Lynn Fells to allow for more flow of commuter traffic from Pond Street, to alleviate backups on Woodland Road.
- Consider making Pond Street at Woodland Road a roundabout. Yes, roundabouts suck. But Massachusetts already uses them liberally, including one on this route at the end of Woodland Road in Medford.
- Alternately, install a traffic light at this intersection, but since the issue is only 5-7pm, a traffic light there all the time feels like overkill.

Something has to be done before this six month "trial period" is up. If we're in "but think of the chldren!" mode, let's try also thinking of the children of all the commuters who need to be picked up from various day care situations. Adding 10-20 minutes to everyone's commute is surely having an impact with day care providers and other child care situations. It's great that the 25 children (and other residents) on Ravine Road feel safer, but making a decision that helps a handful of people while leaving scores of other people at a disadvantage doesn't make any kind of sense.

(and I apologize for the multiple comments, this system doesn't let you post too much at once and I'm not good at self-editing :) )

So tomorrow starts the heavy machinery on Woodland correct? I can't wait for the fun tomorrow trying to make it to my boys last t-ball game at 5:30pm. But hey as long as the folks living in the area feel safe now, what's a few more minutes (if only) each night for the rest of us worth anyways?