The controversial issue of autonomous vehicle usage was one among many topics covered by the city’s Pedestrian and Transit Advisory Committee at its recent meeting.

By Jordan Pagkalinawan

On October 16, the Pedestrian and Transit Advisory Committee met to discuss autonomous vehicles from MassDOT’s perspective, review the updated design proposal for the Western Pearl Street project, hear an update on improvements to the Community Path, and nominate members to one-year officer terms.

MassDOT autonomous vehicles discussion

MassDOT’s Chief Possibility Officer, Kristopher Carter, began the meeting with a presentation on autonomous vehicles, which have been authorized for testing by MassDOT since 2016, but have not been officially deployed. The conversation came to light after Waymo, the self-driving rideshare service, was seen mapping Boston’s roads for eight weeks this past summer. Despite its presence in other major cities, plans to bring Waymo to Boston have not materialized, in part due to major opposition from city officials.

Carter noted that Motional, another autonomous vehicle company, is the only one authorized to drive in Massachusetts. Their cars haven’t driven on state roads this year, though their headquarters are located in the Seaport District.

After explaining the various classifications of autonomous vehicles, Carter discussed several of their promises, focusing on safety benefits, efficiency opportunities, and a reduction in vehicle ownership, the latter of which could lead to investments in infrastructure elsewhere.

However, he cautioned that “the opposite could also be true,” adding: “We could find ourselves in a scenario where we don’t accrue those benefits and we still have [AVs], and that’s where good public policy, those perspectives, could play a role.”

MassDOT has learned plenty about the regulation of autonomous vehicles from other states, namely California, Texas, and Arizona. Responding to a clarifying question by committee chair Alessandra Seiter, Carter said bills to legalize AVs have been held up because of a lack of prioritization.

“You had fewer dollars going into investing in AVs, because you have less pressure maybe on state legislature to move things,” he added. “And so we found ourselves in a spot where we’re still operating under an executive order without the legislation that moved it into something else.”

Vice chair Vitor Pamplona asked whether a similar program would be installed on public buses. Carter replied that although RIPTA tested an autonomous bus route several years ago, there are no plans to put the same technology on MBTA buses. And in response to a community member’s query over machine-readable signs, Carter said, “it’s not something [companies] are asking for at this time.”

Review of Western Pearl Street (80%) design

The committee then heard from Mobility Division Senior Planner Justin Schreiber, who discussed the 80% updated design of the Western Pearl Street Reconstruction Project. The Mobility Division opted for a detailed version of Option Design 1, which includes a two-way protected bike lane from Medford Street to Skilton Avenue, a one-way protected bike lane eastbound between Skilton Avenue and McGrath Highway, various raised crosswalks and intersections—including near Pearl Street Park—four in-lane/floating bus stops, and “approximately 16 new trees.” Schreiber said some of those trees would be placed between raised car and bike lanes at Skilton Avenue, which he called a “rarity.”

Questions were also raised about chipped tactile delineators between Wigglesworth Street and Wellesley Street, which are elevated surfaces to separate the street from the sidewalk. Schreiber said the damaged delineators would need to be repaired before they are installed near a bike lane. Committee members also sought clarification around tactical markers before the crosswalks at Walnut Street. Schreiber replied that those markers should be at the edge of the intersection and are not meant to indicate a direction of travel.

An Updated Design Feedback Survey is available on the City of Somerville’s website until October 31.

Officer nominations

The committee briefly held nominations for one-year officer positions before moving onto the final agenda item. Seiter was nominated to retain her position as committee chair, as was Pamploma for his vice chair position, and Brenda Marvin for secretary. No members were nominated to replace Digital Communications Officer Satoko Hirai. Elections for these positions will be held in November.

Community Path safety improvements discussion

Finally, the committee discussed improvements made to and future considerations for safety on the Community Path. Seiter noted that meetings and complaints to the 3-1-1 line have led to several safety concerns, causing the committee to search for near-term and long-term solutions. Proposed improvements include four-way stop control, an increase in speed humps and raised crosswalks, various types of signage, as well as bollards and barriers to prevent vehicles from accessing the path. A survey that closed on October 21 received more than 800 responses.

Some committee members were concerned about the negative impacts of bollards and barriers, citing how cyclists or pedestrians could easily run into them. Preston Gutelius suggested flex posts as a safer alternative. Others advocated for signage near the Gilman Square T stop, warning cyclists to slow down for pedestrians exiting the station, and for diagrams to include icons of pedestrians and allowable modes of motor vehicles, such as electronic bikes or scooters.