After a summer of crashes, neighbors of Melrose's Lynn Fells Parkway plead for help
Mike Sullivan, WBZ-TV News
MELROSE - A summer of crashes on Lynn Fells Parkway in Melrose has neighbors pleading with the city for help.
"For us, it's scary, but for some people, it's fatal," says Kim Giles, a neighbor who had an accident crash through her backyard last year. "We don't want to rush out to fatal car accidents."
The incidents began a few years ago; however, neighbors say this summer has been especially difficult. A crash on Sunday took a man's life when he hit a tree. In May, the same tree was struck in another accident.
"So you hear the hit, and then you just hear a horn," recounts Giles, talking about the crash in May, "It's 2:30 in the morning. You're disoriented."
Recently, a group of neighbors issued a letter to the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR). They want to see changes made to slow down drivers. The Melrose town council says Mayor Paul Brodeur has been meeting with DCR regarding the growing concerns.
"The real goal, the way you get there, is by reducing speed," says Town Council Member Ryan Williams, "I think that there is more energy around this incident than I have seen in a long time. The residents have really been leading the charge on this."
"For us, as neighbors, we have thrown out ideas. Could there be a rotary right there? Could there be more lights?" questions Giles.
"For whatever reason, the crash rate seems to be going up in this neighborhood," says Finn McSweeney with the Melrose Bike and Pedestrian Committee. His group sent the letter to DCR on behalf of the neighborhood, "Neighbors want to make this look less like a highway, and that is something the state can do tomorrow with speed bumps. Maybe you need to try a center median in this area? Maybe you need to try guardrails?"
The city and DCR have been meeting to discuss issues at a nearby school. The building is located along the parkway, and neighbors are concerned children may be in danger.
"There are now kids that are crossing Lynn Fells Parkway in the morning to get to school," says Williams. "You got this very wide road, and you got this high rate of speed coming in from Saugus."
