Thursday, August 26, 1999 Older Editions

Gridlock on traffic debate

By Neil Fater

Talk about road rage. It appears that when selectmen tried to appease some residents by closing off certain turns on Ballardvale streets during certain times, they opened a new can of worms.

Since selectmen voted Aug. 9 to install limited, peak-hour no-turn signs on Andover and River streets, they've been getting an earful from other angry residents, business owners and industrial employees. These people say that if the signs are installed it could ruin their businesses, their neighborhoods or their daily commutes.

As a result, some selectmen have now indicated they may prefer not to install the signs at all.

But the suggestion that the signs may not be installed has drawn the ire of many Ballardvale residents, including the group that sued Andover's Planning Board and Genetics Institute to try to prevent a Genetics expansion project.

"We want to try to keep as many people happy as possible," says Selectman Larry Larsen.

So selectmen say they expect to again hear from the Ballardvale traffic task force Sept. 13 about what they should do to improve the traffic situation.

"The immediate task for the task force is to reconsider all of the information (from) both before and after the meeting Aug. 9," says Selectman Mary French. She says the task force may present several different options for selectmen to consider.

Lawsuit dropped

Many Ballardvale residents believe the expansion of Genetics will lead to more traffic on residential streets, as new employees take short cuts to avoid highway traffic.

Bill Pennington, a Clark Road resident and member of the group that sued the town and Genetics, says that the group believes its suit helped force people to improve the traffic situation. Genetics offered to pay for safety officers to ease traffic problems, the state government seemed more willing to become involved, and selectmen voted to install the traffic signs, he says.

But Pennington also says it was because of these efforts that the citizen group agreed to drop its suit. He is now upset that selectmen might change their mind.

"We all signed off on it. But as soon as the ink was dry, we hear (selectmen might change their mind)," says Pennington. "By chance, we settle our differences with Genetics and now (the town) is going to take down the signs.

"It doesn't look good. This is why people don't trust government. There are going to be some hard feelings here," says Pennington. "It kind of puts some sour taste in your mouth."

But Brian Major and Larry Larsen, the two selectmen who seem most inclined to change their opinion, say their change of heart had nothing to do with the lawsuit.

"The lawsuit itself was between two private entities. It was not something we as a board make our decisions around," says Major.

"I don't think the selectmen are quite that Machiavellian. The reports of intrigue have been greatly exaggerated," says Larsen. "They don't have to deal with all the voices. We do."

Business concerns

Some of these voices brought bodies with them to Monday's meeting.

Younja Gibson, resident and owner of Sunday's General Store, spoke at length about how the loss of traffic flow would hurt small businesses in the Andover Street area.

"We are upset because (residents) knew when they moved in that there was all this traffic," said Gibson. "These (motorists) are our lifelines.

"We can't survive without the industrial employees over there. We have a very small business. Without volume we cannot survive," she told the board.

Gibson presented selectmen with a letter signed by other small business owners in the area, and a petition signed by more than 1,000 people. However, residents who support the installation of signs asked selectmen to check how many of the signatures were by Andover residents, as opposed to people who use Andover streets as short cuts.

"This wasn't decided lightly on the task force's part. We came up with dozens of options over the months," says Douglas White, River Street resident and task force member.

However, other residents say they are bothered by how the traffic change will affect kids walking to South School, or their daily commute.

"You're going to send me out to 93 and 125?" asked Charlotte Basile, of Waverly Drive. "I took this job in Andover precisely so I didn't have to take those roads."

Changing minds?

While some selectmen say they will rethink their positions, Mary French says she will not disclose her opinion, because she is still serving as the task force moderator.

Lori Becker says she still supports the signs, although she may consider scaling back the hours where turns are forbidden.

Larry Larsen says it's time to put more pressure on state and federal officials to create new access to nearby highways, and he's willing to support other ideas rather than posting signs.

"I can't say that my wisdom is flawless. What I thought I was responding to was what I thought the task force wanted. But it turns out the task force is far more split than I thought," says Larsen. "I'm not sure signs are the best way to go. Let's let the task force do some more (work) and see where it goes."

During the past two weeks, Brian Major has collected four single-spaced pages full of opinions on the Ballardvale traffic problem. Most of these are against the installation of signs.

"My personal feeling is I'm against the signage," says Major. "Basically, I've done a 180-degree turnaround. Since our meeting two weeks ago, I've been taking a look (at the area)."

Major says the town should wait until businesses in the area form a Traffic Management Organization to jointly address the problem before selectmen begin changing things.

Both Major and Larsen say they believe they made a somewhat uninformed decision.

"As a decision-making body, you always have to define how much information can you really collect," says Major. "In this case, in my eye, I see there was a lot of information that was still out there.

"This board is willing to look at the issue, re-look at the issue. We're just trying to do the right thing."

But, don't ask Chairman John Hess about whether he still believes installing signs is "the right thing to do."

"It's not a right or a wrong thing," he says. "It's what can we do to ease the problem for residents."

When pushed on whether he still supports installing signs Hess says "I'm open to changing it. I think there might be some benefit from an experiment."