Pittsfield-Lenox Route 7 Petition Sparks Commuter Outrage

Traffic calming measures are very trendy at the moment in Pittsfield and the Berkshires, but this one would take the cake, I believe. Route 7 in Lenox has seen some transformation of the last couple of years - Starbucks, Lipton Car Wash, hotels, Amazing Pho, Urgent Care, Mazda, BMW, VW, Audi, the razing of Lua Hale, and just recently the Wagon Wheel Inn fire - just to name a few - but...

Your morning commute through Lenox is about to get a lot longer if 137 petition signers get their way. A citizens' petition submitted to MassDOT proposes slashing the speed limit on Route 7/20 from 45 mph to 25 mph and reducing the four-lane Pittsfield Road to just one lane in each direction for nearly three miles.

Let's do the math: That 3-mile stretch from East Dugway Road to South Street in Pittsfield currently takes about four minutes at the posted 45 mph speed limit. At 25 mph? That same drive balloons to more than seven minutes, and that's if traffic flows smoothly.

But here's the kicker: Route 7/20 is the busiest state highway in Berkshire County, averaging 24,000 vehicles per day. During summer and fall foliage season, that number surges past 30,000. Cutting four lanes down to two on the county's most congested road?

Local officials aren't buying it. "Such modifications restricting capacity will likely result in shifting traffic onto streets in dense residential neighborhoods," Lenox Town Manager Jay Green said, adding that the town is "unlikely to support" the proposal. -berkshireeagle.com

The petition also fails federal guidelines for so-called "road diets," which recommend the traffic-calming measure only for roads carrying 20,000 vehicles per day or less. Route 7/20 exceeds that threshold by nearly 4,000 cars daily. Even local business owners are skeptical.

Matt Masiero, co-founder of Guido's Fresh Marketplace, called the 25 mph limit impractical. "Three miles at 25 miles per hour? I think you would have a lot of angry drivers," he said. The 137-signature petition calls for the changes to improve safety and accommodate bicyclists and pedestrians with protected bike lanes and ADA-compliant sidewalks.

MassDOT has forwarded the petition to Lenox and Pittsfield officials but has not indicated whether it plans to study the proposal. The road remains under state jurisdiction, meaning any changes would require MassDOT approval.