Peabody Traffic Is Bad: How Would City Council Candidates Fix It?

PEABODY, MA — When candidates and incumbents for Peabody City Council met in a debate Wednesday night, traffic was a hot topic. Any voter can tell you traffic in and around the city is bad and getting worse, and the problem is compounded by the lack of public transit options for Peabody commuters.

But a debate only gives candidates a few minutes of face time to push out a sound bite or two, so we followed up the debate by asking each candidate in contested city council races to offer specific plans or proposals to make traffic in Peabody a little more bearable.

Here's what they told us:

At-Large City Council Candidates

There are four incumbents, one sitting Ward City Councilor and two challengers running in a seven-way race for the five at-large seats on City Council that are up for reelection on Nov. 5.

Incumbent Thomas Rossignoll said City Council has been working with the state to identify areas where infrastructure improvements could ease congestion, including the Route 128 corridor, Lowell Street, the entrance to Goodwin Circle and Central street, which is getting an $11 million upgrade. "We as a council have been working hard with the State to improve the traffic situation, but it is an ongoing challenge that we will always have to vigilant in addressing," he said.

Incumbent Ryan Melville warns that public transportation can be "costly and unreliable," and Peabody would need more state support. But he supports a shuttle linking Peabody to Salem Station.

"Such a service will stimulate business and has the potential to take vehicles off the road," he said. Melville also said continued investment in roads and encouraging rides haring with pick-up and drop-off locations for services like Uber and Lyft would also help ease traffic.

Related story: Peabody City Council Candidates Offer Ideas On Housing Costs

For incumbent Anne Manning, transportation and traffic fall into the broader category of quality of life issues.

"Many residents feel their needs and concerns regarding their quality of life have taken a back seat to developers who are able to get a seat at the table while residents are ignored. I will continue to field all calls for help from constituents, be their voice and help them protect their quality of life whenever and wherever I can," Manning said. "I have a track record of asking questions, researching all projects and developments with an eye on balancing quality reasonable development with maintaining the character of neighborhoods and the quality of life of the residents affected."

School committee member Jarrod Hochman, who is running for an at-large city council seat, said on-ramps to the major highways running through Peabody need to be easier to navigate and safer. He supports working with state officials and, at the local level, he thinks the city could be syncing traffic lights and adding turning lanes to increase traffic flow.

"Peabody is the hub of the North Shore, we should be a leader in transportation and provide opportunities for ride shares into Boston and other regional business centers," Hochman said. "We as a City should use or geographical advantages to our favor and work towards attracting transportation business to provide these services to commuters."

Peabody Police Capt. John DeRosa Jr. also supports a regional approach to solving traffic problems. He noted his experience of running the Peabody police traffic division, where he sat on a regional group to ease traffic from Salem's annual celebration of Halloween each October.

"This committee involved several local cities and towns, MBTA, DOT, MASS HWY, State Police, and other state level regional planning organizations and worked very well with reducing traffic issues, utilizing electronic signage, education to drivers with alternate routes and working to reduce chokepoints," DeRosa said. "We need to invite as many of our surrounding communities to sit at the table to plan changes to deal with the increase in traffic and what we can do collectively to improve the flow of traffic since it impacts all our communities."

Ultimately, DeRosa said, the war against traffic will need to be fought on multiple fronts. At the local level, officials can look for ways to redesign roadways. The city should also work with MassDOT on ramp design for the highways cutting through Peabody and work with the MBTA to link the city to Salem Station with a shuttle bus. "I know this is lengthy, but there needs to be several approaches to reduce traffic in Peabody," DeRosa said.

The other candidates in the race — incumbent Tom Gould, and Ward 1 Councilor Jon Turco — did not respond to requests for comment for this article. In last week's debate, DeRosa said Peabody should work on developing a regional transportation plan. Gould also said the city needed to look at transportation from a regional perspective. Turco voiced support for a trolley linking Peabody to Salem Station.

Ward 1

Craig Welton, who is running against Russell Donovan for the Ward 1 City Council seat, suggested expanding the ability to turn right on red at certain intersections and finding ways to link Peabody to existing mass transitt, such as a dedicated shuttle to Salem Station. He also supports a dedicated bike path linking downtown Peabody to Salem and creating designated rideshare zones in highly-congested areas.

Donovan did not respond to requests for comment for this article. In last week's debate, Donovan said traffic is the top issue in Peabody. He blamed the problem on housing developments approved by the city in recent years.

Ward 2

Challenger Jaclyn Corriveau said incumbent Peter McGinn has not kept his promise in his first campaign to work on addressing traffic in Peabody.

"I haven’t seen it done and neighbors are still asking, to no avail. I’m tired of residents like myself being misled by absentee leadership," Corriveau said. "As councilor, I will address all issues brought to me. I will not leave residents high and dry to fight against threats to their quality of life."

McGinn supports efforts to re-engineer major corridors, like the $11 million Central Street overhaul that will be funded under the State’s TIP program.

"I also support other connections that will make it easier to get around without a car such as the bike path expansion and proposed River Walk. I am a proponent of brining a rail connection to Peabody which may offer some relief in the longer term," McGinn said. "In the short term, I have worked with residents and the Police Department to address safety concerns associated with neighborhood ‘cut through’ traffic, a byproduct of increased regional traffic volume."

Ward 4

Incumbent Edward Charest said Peabody should offer shuttle service from multiple locations in Peabody to Salem Station. Challenger John W. Salisbury-Roswell has not responded to a request for comment for this article.

Ward 6

Keith Doucette, who is challenging incumbent Mark O'Neill for the Ward 6 City Council seat, said short of a long-term fix that will likely require a regional effort, the city should look to making small improvements at the local level. And, for Doucette, the obvious place to star is the "No Turn On Red" signs at traffic lights in Peabody.

"I would start with a study at all traffic lights with a no turn on red sign and determine if those could be changed to right on red after stop," Doucette said. "I think that would help a lot in the short term and I think determining of a sign is appropriate for that area would be an easy decision by if we work with the PPD on that solution."

O'Neill did not respond to requests for comment for this article. In last week's debate, O'Neill said upgrading Peabody's infrastructure would be one of his top priorities if he is re-elected.

Note: Ward Three City Councilor James Moutsoulas and Ward Five City Councilor Joel Saslaw are running unopposed for reelection.

Dave Copeland covers Peabody and other North Shore communities for Patch. He can be reached at dave.copeland@patch.com or by calling 617-433-7851. Follow him on Twitter (@CopeWrites) and Facebook (/copewrites).