Hi,
 
I'm sorry for this very late email in regards to my concerns about increased
traffic due to the proposed Riverside development. I am a Lower Falls
resident and I commute to Newton North. Grove Street between Lower Falls and
Commonwealth Ave has become increasingly congested in the last few years. A
back-up all the way into Lower Falls from Riverside is not uncommon in the
morning rush hour period. Traffic past Riverside heading towards
Commonwealth Ave is always awful from 8:15 to 8:45 am. It's worst around
Williams School but stays backed up all the way to Woodland Ave. Going
towards Commonwealth Ave from Lower Falls in the evenings is awful. I've
developed a circuitous route down Woodland and through side streets off Comm
Ave to avoid the light at Auburn and Grove. From there it's backed up all
the way over the bridge and to Comm Ave. The reverse direction is also bad
in the evenings (I don't notice it in the mornings because I'm not driving
that way). In short, the stretch between Comm Ave and Riverside has not had
much attention in Riverside discussions, which are focused on 128-generated
traffic, but this road is now at capacity too and should be carefully
considered. Likewise, traffic on Grove St in Lower Falls has gotten much
worse. Not everyone travels on 128, and many commuters have discovered Grove
St as a convenient shortcut to route 16 west. It's hard to imagine how any
business and residential development at Riverside could be built without
straining the already strained traffic in these neighborhoods. I hope that
any traffic studies done to address possible traffic impacts on these
neighborhoods can include these areas as well, especially during the busiest
times of day.
 
Thanks,
Lisa Rucinski