Northampton's Picture Main Street

Traffic jams in the project area are mostly due to outdated signal timings at four key intersections. We covered this in our 25% design public hearing and it's backed by in-depth engineering studies. Lower Main Street, which has a higher traffic volume, already functions well. Our plan—adding a third turning lane, clearly marking lanes, reducing crossing distances, and updating signal timings—will manage traffic flow without reducing current capacity. Much of this congestion is created when drivers weave within the width of the roadway that is not clearly delineated. All four signalized intersections will have new signal modules and technology to manage flow in a coordinated pattern.

Some have raised concerns about bicycle/pedestrian conflicts with a separate lane. The lane will elevate cyclists and make them more visible to vehicles and pedestrians. Cyclists will thus be easier to see by pedestrians than if they were in the lane of traffic blocked from view by parked cars.

Others point to an article in Forbes Magazine claiming that separated bike lanes are not safer. This article was written by a person who works at a conservative think tank focusing on energy and the environment and who has written extensively advocating for increased use of fossil fuels, more pipelines, and looser environmental regulations, including a book titled Regulating to Disaster: How Green Jobs Policies are Destroying America's Economy. The study she cites in the article was a master’s thesis, not a peer-reviewed study. Just over a month and a half later, the same magazine - Forbes - published a story entitled, “Protected Bike Lanes Increase Safety, Save Money And Protect The Planet, New Report Finds.”

The Federal Highway Administration recently (February 2023) released a summary of its report about Crash Modification Factors (CMF) for separated bike lanes, using Cambridge, Massachusetts, as one of the study locations. The research found that, at a 99% confidence interval, separated bike lanes are expected to reduce crash rates by approximately 50% over conventional bike lanes.

In 2016, the National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO) cited “Studies from cities across America show that adding protected bike lanes significantly increases bike ridership on those streets with rates ranging from 21% to 171%. Additionally, People for Bikes states, 'On D.C.'s Pennsylvania Avenue protected bike lane, bicycle volumes increased 200 percent after the facilities were installed (District Department of Transportation, 2012),' and 'The average protected bike lane sees bike counts increase 75 percent in its first year alone (National Institute for Transportation and Communities).'

Not only are protected bike lanes safer, but they also promote economic growth in many ways such as fueling redevelopment to boost real estate value, helping companies score talented workers, making workers healthier and more productive, and increasing retail visibility and sales volume. More information can be found here.

Over the years, we have commissioned several studies to look at our parking downtown, and all have agreed that the plan includes sufficient parking for downtown. The parking garage (with a bridge leading right into Thornes Market in the heart of downtown) always has spaces available, and the first hour is free. Numbers show that about 12% of the people who park there pay nothing, 20% pay just 75 cents for two hours, and another third pay $1.50 for three hours!  

Northampton offers an experience as a downtown and offers a place where people want to come and hang out. The Picture Main Street project builds on that with more space for people to hang out, dine on the sidewalk, and walk or roll side-by-side down the sidewalk.

• In 2014, Walker Parking Consultants found:

“Overall, the parking system had capacity on our survey days, and that finding is consistent with informal observations made on other visits and with information provided by staff. Our off-street, public occupancy rates were very close to counts done in 2000 for a previous study (we found 83 percent peak occupancy, whereas the earlier study found 85 percent peak occupancy)...Our counts find that under most typical conditions, a driver should be able to find parking within a few blocks.”

The recommendations of this report largely mirror many of the measures enacted by Mayor Sciarra in March 2023 to address the REAL problem - circulation (the fact that cars stayed too long in prime parking spots at the wrong times).

• In 2022, Stantec parking expert Jason Schrieber shared in his parking system analysis:

“In peak hours, Main Street is at full capacity and off-street lots are significantly below 85%. This observation can be reversed by adjusting pricing, rather than supply. When front door “Main Street” spaces are priced higher, more remote and less utilized spaces can be priced cheaper, or in times of low-demand, free.”

It was many of the recommendations of this report that were implemented in March of 2023.  

Based on feedback from parking managers, enforcement officers, and downtown visitors, Mayor Sciarra believes that Main Street parking has improved. We're now collecting data for a six-month review of the changes made in March and will soon update residents. If more modifications are necessary, the city will make them - in the ongoing cycle of using data to inform good policy. 

Since 2015, Northampton has been a part of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts’ Complete Street Program. “A Complete Street is one that provides safe and accessible options for all travel modes - walking, biking, transit, and vehicles – for people of all ages and abilities.” This is already baked into Northampton’s culture and governing philosophy - and the Picture Main Street project is just implementing the latest and best in urban design to realize these worthwhile goals.

From the first survey conducted in early 2020 and after several initial community meetings, the following top 5 goals were identified for the redesign:

1. Café seating with wider sidewalks
2. Protected bike lanes
3. High-visibility crosswalks
4. Art crosswalk
5. Street closure

Dedicated bike lanes are great for everyone.  They result in fewer injuries, improved traffic flow, safer sidewalks, they’re better for the environment, and they make people healthier.

This is incorrect. MassDOT requires a study as part of the justification for the proposed design. In January 2021, Toole Design submitted its 967-page Functional Design Report with all the data, statistics, and analysis that form the backbone of the proposed design solution. This report is linked within the Storymap on the city’s website. MassDOT engineers spent months reviewing the submittals to ensure that the standards and design justification were met. They do not allow a project to move forward to the 25% design public hearing until this data has been fully vetted.

In the initial planning and throughout the planning stages, the Fire/Rescue Department and Police Department reviewed the plans and whatever adjustments they thought were important were made. Both the Fire/Rescue Chief and the Police Chief fully support the approved design. Most of Northampton's roads are two lanes, and our plan adds a third center turning lane. This extra lane allows for smoother emergency vehicle passage, especially when cars comply with the Commonwealth's emergency vehicle and 'Move Over Laws.' The new three-lane design will actually be wider than existing lanes on Pleasant Street, Lower Main Street, and King Street up to Stop & Shop.

We recognize that snow management will change with the new layout. Unlike Northampton, most northern cities don't have wide enough streets to store snow in the middle. Our design team has studied how similar communities handle snow removal effectively. This includes Edmonton, Canada, St. Paul, MN, Madison, WI, Cambridge/Somerville/Greenfield, MA, and Burlington, VT. The DPW has been consulted on the change and is developing a plan for snow removal and storage.

We're keenly aware that construction will present challenges for our downtown businesses and residents alike. The project, spread over three seasons, will have phases of intense activity followed by quieter periods. This cyclical nature offers both challenges and windows of opportunity. To navigate this, we're in close collaboration with the business community and Toole Design to strategize ways to mitigate the impact and maximize business benefits. Our city's economic development team is also actively brainstorming events, exhibits, and special programming to draw people downtown and support businesses during the construction phases.

We've heard questions and concerns about the project's impact on accessibility. It's crucial to set the record straight: improving accessibility is one of the core goals of the Picture Main Street redesign. Whether you're navigating public spaces or accessing private buildings, the new design aims to make life easier, especially for those facing mobility challenges or age-related issues.

Main Street currently faces multiple accessibility challenges—narrow and uneven sidewalks, as well as curb ramps and signals that fail to meet national accessibility standards. These issues restrict the mobility and independence of residents and visitors alike. The new design aims to fix this by shortening crosswalks, dedicating separate lanes for different modes of transportation, ensuring at least five feet of clear sidewalk space, and increasing the number of accessible parking spots. There will be two more accessible parking spaces than what we have now, many of which will be angled for those who find that to be easier access.

Our partner, Toole Design, has incorporated numerous public comments into their plans. Supported by current engineering best practices, their design includes several key changes that will improve both mobility and access on Main Street.

Specific ways the Picture Main Street project improves access:

1. The plan narrows traffic lanes and shrinks the curb-to-curb distance, making it easier and quicker to cross the street. The narrowing varies between 10 and 20 feet depending on the section.
2. Curb extensions at all nine Main Street crosswalks and intersecting side streets will reduce pedestrian exposure to traffic. For example, the rainbow crosswalk will go from 90' to 41', and the City Hall crosswalk from 65' to 31'.
3. Wider sidewalks will accommodate side-by-side walking and make it easier for wheelchairs and strollers to pass without obstruction from street furniture like light poles or trash bins.
4. A designated "furnishing zone" will house benches, trash bins, and other amenities, allowing people to rest or eat without blocking the walkway.
5. Traffic lights will feature a "leading pedestrian phase," giving pedestrians a head start before cars move. This is especially beneficial for wheelchair users who may be less visible to drivers.
6. Changes in the curb line, particularly on the south side of Main Street, will shift crosswalks to more level ground, meeting ADA slope requirements and improving safety at tricky intersections like Crafts Avenue and Old South Street.
7. Relocating crosswalks at Main/State/New South and West/Elm/Main will offer safer, shorter distances—40' instead of 62'.
8. New gravel bases and landscaping belts will support level sidewalks less prone to heaving, reducing tripping hazards.
9. Where possible, sidewalk grades will align with business entrances to improve wheelchair accessibility. Notable opportunities exist at the corner of Center and Main.
10. Besides the recently added accessible parking, we'll add two more spaces, offering both angled and parallel options based on user feedback.

Currently, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is picking up $21.7 million to make Main Street safer, accessible, vibrant, and environmentally friendly. At the same time, Mayor Sciarra has set aside $3 million worth of American Rescue Plan Act funds to upgrade all of the city’s 100+ year-old water, sewer, and drainage infrastructure while construction is underway. That project is decades overdue, and we’ll never have a better opportunity. Without Picture Main Street/DOT covering street excavation, the city would be paying substantially more than $3M for the water and sewer upgrades as we would bear the full cost of excavation.

These things have to happen. There are laws and regulations about how they have to happen.  The Picture Main Street project is the result of years of careful planning, community discussion, and compromise that drove a solution that will ensure our downtown continues to be a place where people want to live, work, and play in the future.