Should Pleasant Street Be One Way? Recommendation Goes To Select Board

In a rare joint meeting with the Nantucket Planning & Economic Development Commission, the Select Board on Tuesday will consider a series of proposed changes to mid-island streets, including the possibility of making a significant portion of Pleasant Street one-way.

The goal of the proposed changes - focused on Pleasant Street and Williams Lane - is to provide "better connections" for pedestrians and bicyclists between the public schools, Nantucket Cottage Hospital, and other mid-island destinations. The town's transportation program manager, Mike Burns, has cited gaps and substandard sidewalks along these streets, making them treacherous for those on foot and on bicycles.

During Tuesday's joint meeting, the Select Board will consider the following unanimous recommendation from the town's Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee (BPAC):

"Conduct a pilot of the one-way alternatives for Pleasant St and Williams Ln and, if deemed not viable, then pursue the design alternatives with two-way traffic flow on Pleasant St and Williams Ln." 

Under this "pilot" option, Pleasant Street would become one-way headed north from the Sparks Avenue roundabout to the Five Corners intersection. Williams Lane would become one-way from Pleasant Street headed west toward the high school. Ultimately, the concept calls for shared use paths for bicyclists and pedestrians along the sections of those two roads that would be converted from two-way to one-way streets.

The BPAC acknowledged the one-way option restricts traffic flow and adds an "additional delay to the overburdened Four Corners (high school) intersection, but believes it would provide accommodation for both bicyclists and pedestrians, have minimal to no impact on abutting properties and utilities, and is the least costly alternative.

The recommendation is the result of an extensive analysis of two alternatives and a series of options assembled by the consultant Beta Group, Inc., a transportation and traffic engineering firm.

See BPAC's full recommendation and alternatives presentation by clicking here.

The joint Select Board and NP&EDC meeting is set for Tuesday at 6 p.m. See the full agenda by clicking here.