In December 2020 Newburyport Livable Streets submitted to the City a list of potential projects to enhance safety for pedestrians and cyclists. We encourage the City administration to consider these ideas for funding through the State’s Shared Streets and Spaces grant program or through other sources.
Our recommended projects include (in no particular order):
- High Street at March’s Hill: Upgrade the pedestrian signals at March’s Hill and install temporary treatments along that wide part of High Street to pilot the concept plan that was presented in September 2019.
- Low Street at North Atkinson Street/Colby Farm Lane: Address traffic and pedestrian safety issues at this intersection to support increased use stemming from new residential development as well as users of the recycling center, yard waste facility, and trails.
- Merrimac Street at Route 1: Improve pedestrian and bike safety on Merrimac Street at Summer and Winter Streets.
- Hale Street: Pilot traffic-calming measures and bicycle/pedestrian accommodations, using flex posts and paint to test improvements before making them permanent.
- Temporary pedestrian/bike paths: Install temporary pedestrian/bike paths (delineated with flex posts) along wide streets that lack sidewalks and bike lanes including Ferry Road and Moseley Avenue.
- Crosswalk upgrades:
- Signals and curb extensions: Install pedestrian-activated signals and/or curb extensions at crosswalks on Merrimac Street at the bottom of Kent Street, on Water Street near The Poynt and at the Tannery, and on High Street.
- Merrimac Street at Merrimack Landing/Market Landing Park: Improve the visibility and safety of the crosswalk next to the Green Street parking lot driveway.
- Crosswalk lighting: Provide better lighting at crosswalks generally, such as motion- or thermal-detection lights. (Lighting of crosswalks is a general safety concern particularly in the winter in areas throughout the City.)
- Harris Street bicycle contraflow: Implement a “contraflow” route on Harris Street enabling cyclists to ride from State Street back to Washington Street. This would allow cyclists to avoid the busier downtown streets and could be a pilot for other one-way streets.
- Downtown bike corrals: Install on-street bike corrals in select downtown locations.
Are there other projects out there that we should be thinking about? Let us know!
Newburyport Livable Streets 
I’m glad to see thought is being given to biking and walking, I posted my comment on Calming Traffic before I saw this but the fact remains, more is needed. Figuring out how to make biking to and from downtown safer would be a great improvement, especially since vehicle parking can be so difficult. And biking to and from the shopping centers on Story Avenue is very challenging, I’m not sure what solution is possible to create bike lanes but they’re badly needed. Finally bike stations are woefully lacking throughout the city.
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