CAPTION Charles Circle

Drivers coming from Storrow Drive eastbound might interpret these identical signs as giving them permission to use lanes on either side of the pedestrian island. This is only one of the confusing aspects of signage in the circle.





Real estate broker Ivy A. Turner recently drove along Storrow Drive from the Back Bay toward Charles Circle. She noticed a sign. “It was directing me to get into the right lane to go downtown,” she said. “That’s not right. I should be in the right lane to turn onto Charles Street and the left lane to go downtown.”

The sign confusion doesn’t end there. When drivers coming from Storrow Drive eastbound stop at the red light in the circle, they see two signs, one on each side of the pedestrian island, directing them to the hospitals, Government Center and downtown. The signs imply that drivers can use the roadways on either side of the median.

“At eight a.m. it gets very interesting,” observed Jim Wood, who arrives by Red Line at the Charles/MGH T station for work at the Church of the Advent. “Drivers are doing what they used to do, which is switching from the extreme right on Storrow into the inner lane.”

But Wood points out that pedestrians have the white walk light on the north side of the island when cars coming from Storrow Drive are given a green light. If the cars choose to take the lanes at the north of the island they could run into pedestrians who think they are safe.

Compounding the problem is that turning from the lane from Storrow Drive to Charles Street is harder now since the sidewalk protrudes into the circle to a greater extent than it did. While that gives pedestrians a shorter walk across Charles Street, it often forces cars turning right onto Charles Street to back up. Hence the attraction of taking the lanes on the north side of the island where the sign implies they should go.

“This part isn’t working,” said Wood. “The good news is I’m alive to report on it.”

Turner said she thinks one problem is that there is no overhead sign showing how to get to Charles Street.

Mysteriously, there is a sign hanging from the T station over a closed road. Although that sign is still covered up, one can make out the words underneath the cover. It says “Longfellow Bridge to Kendall Square, Cambridge, left lanes.”

That sign is logical in that drivers eventually will find their way to Cambridge through the lanes on that underpass, but they won’t see the sign until they have already turned left and are committed to that direction.

The Department of Conservation and Recreation, which owns the roads, said they have had no complaints about the signs. “We’re going to have to look at those signs and figure out what to do,” said DCR spokesperson Wendy Cox.

The atmosphere at Suffolk University in the wake of the Virginia Tech tragedy was one of mourning and sadness, but not fear.

“It has touched all of us,” said Rosemarie Sansone, director of public affairs. “There is an air of sensitivity and a lump in everyone’s throats. The expressions on everyone’s faces are incredible.”

John S. Forrester, an editor of the Suffolk Journal, said the tragedy was a huge topic of discussion in the classrooms. “I don’t think students are concerned about a copy cat incident here because this is a small environment,” he said. “But they’re in a state of questioning, of wondering how this could have happened.”

Violence in school settings is an issue today’s students have had to deal with. “We are the Columbine generation,” he continued. “It’s engrained in our conscience, and students are talking in classes about the changes that have occurred since then.”

As is true all over the nation, many Suffolk students have set up groups on Internet social network services, such as Facebook. “Every time something like this happens, students form a group to bounce their ideas off,” said Forrester. “It is a way to deal with and respond to this tragedy.”

“I am not getting the feeling students are frightened,” said Suffolk Police Chief John Pagliarulo. “They are mourning and feeling pain. This is a time to grieve.”

Immediately after the tragedy, Pagliaruo increased some police presence on the campus, which is often done when incidents occur, and sent flyers to remind students of the police presence. “However, and I say this respectfully in the light of this terrible tragedy, we’re not going into a ‘lock down,’ he said. “Because, if we do, then the bad guy wins.”

Pagliaruo said his department has consistently given a high level of security and would continue to do so. “I think at all times we need to be vigilant.” Police officers are on duty around the clock, and police and security officers staff residence hall entrance areas 24 hours a day.

Students were notified Tuesday morning that staff members of the Suffolk Counseling Center and Dean of Students Office were available to talk to students about their feelings and concerns. “Students are invited to use counseling services to help them cope with any reactions they may have to the unfolding tragedy at VTU,” said Dean of Students Nancy C. Stoll. Walk-in hours were extended to allow individual or groups of students to take advantage of the offer.

Also on Tuesday, Suffolk President David J. Sargent emailed all students and faculty to assure them that community safety is a continuing priority on campus, particularly since the September 11 terrorist attacks. “We have in place an Incident Command System Committee that meets weekly and is on the vanguard of emergency campus planning,” he wrote.

Highlights of Suffolk’s safety procedures has included training key people across the university in the emergency response program adopted by Homeland Security. Those individuals have been certified by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and are prepared to make prompt and appropriate decisions in times of crisis.

Currently the university is able to send voicemail messages to on-campus offices and e-mail alerts to all members of the community, and is in the process of acquiring a new emergency communication system that will expand communication capabilities.

Forrester said he expects the issue about whether or not university police should carry firearms to resurface again. Currently, Suffolk police do not have guns.

The decision of whether or not to carry guns is up to the university’s administration, said Pagliarulo, who declined to comment on whether he believed his force should be allowed to do so. “It has its good points and it has its bad points. I would respect the decision of the higher-ups,” he said.

In the meantime, Pagliaruo said he feels good about the relationship between the Boston Police Department and Suffolk University. “We work closely with BPD and will continue to do so.”

CREDIT: Courtesy photo
CAPTION:
Two-and-a-half-year-old Dixon McClintock of Myrtle Street and seven-month-old Tillie Fischoeder of West Cedar Street couldn’t wait to try on their costumes for the Duckling Day Parade, sponsored by the Friends of the Public Garden. Due to a scheduling conflict, the parade has been moved back to its traditional date, Mother’s Day. Registration begins at 11:00 a.m., directly across from the State House, and the parade begins at 12 noon. The cost is $25 per family.

Based on the book Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey, children and their families will retrace the steps of Mr. and Mrs. Mallard and their family of eight ducklings, led by the Harvard University Marching Band. Participants are encouraged to dress as one of their favorite characters from the book.

Please call 617-723-8144 or check out www.friendsofthepublicgarden.org for more information.

The Beacon Hill Times gets its information from John Lepore, Mass. Highway’s project manager, and from direct observation.

Plantings: The irrigation system went in on April 14 and was due to be tested yesterday. If everything works, soil and trees should arrive by the end of this week.

Traffic lights: Workmen pulled a few wires, but little else took place. Electricity and rain and high winds don’t mix, said Lepore.

Brick patching: nothing yet. Maybe this week.

Rooftop materials dominated last week’s Beacon Hill Architectural Meeting.

Any part of a Beacon Hill building visible from a public way is under the commission’s watchful eye, and roofs are no exception, as officials from the Advent School, Babak Bina, owner of Bin 26 Enoteca, and one long time Hill resident are now well aware.

While roofdecks are typically front and center for the commission as the summer months approach and clearer weather allows for ideal construction conditions, only one deck was under review last week. But the applicant was ready.

Brad Sharp who lives on Ridgeway Lane had a plan B ready to go when commissioners vetoed his original proposal for a deck they deemed too visible from the street. In response to Commissioner Joel Pierce’s request to scale the deck down in size, Sharp produced an alternate plan for a deck reduced by five feet.

“We just want some outdoor space, whatever you think is appropriate,” Sharp told the commission.

The group deemed the second plan acceptable and approved the deck on the condition that its visible rail be fashioned of black iron rods.

“I think you’ve worked hard to get to something that works for everybody,” said Commissioner Kenneth Taylor.

Gearing up for renovations during the summer months when students are away, officials from The Advent School appeared at the hearing to discuss the installation of two air conditioning/heating units atop their building at 15-17 Brimmer Street. But while an existing dormer would hide the unit at number 17, the unit planned for 15 Brimmer would be seen from The Esplanade.

“The visibility of these rooftop structures…is sort of a sensitive issue for us,” said Pierce.

School officials agreed to erect a mock up of the second vent for the commissioners who could then review it in person to assess its visual impact.

The ongoing issue of exhaust vents above both The Upper Crust and Bin 26 Enoteca was again before the commission. Owner Babak Bina, representatives of Raymond Properties, the building’s developer, an architect and mechanical engineer from the firm Jacobs, Edwards and Kelcey appeared to discuss ways of lessening the impact of the vent systems for both Charles Street restaurants.

Bina appeared before the commission at last month’s hearing with plans for a large stone parapet designed to hide the vents from view, but the commission rejected it, calling it too “massive” in scale, and requested he develop alternative solutions. Bina obliged and returned with four other options, which included a mesh-type fencing, a plan for more plantings on the roof, a bar-type grating and the option of painting the vents the color of the building’s surrounding brick.

The commission requested that Bina go forward with the option of painting the vents.

“Paint it out, [then] let’s go back and take a look,” said Pierce.

“I am happy that we can at least start trying a couple of things to see if we can please them,” said Bina. “We want to make sure we can work with the commission to come up with a permanent solution.”

In other business, not even former commissioners are spared the strict review from the eight-member panel. Former commissioner Frank McGuire appeared at the hearing as the architect for two separate Hill projects, admitting he was there with a mixture of trepidation and compassion. And while much of his proposed work was approved, the commission denied his request to repaint the brownstone lintels, sills and over door at 100 Mount Vernon Street a light masonry color.

“I think it would significantly change the character,” said Taylor.

In an effort to update the commission’s current guidelines, the group has decided to ask for some outside help.

“We just think they could use some updating,” said Pierce, “I think in terms of technologies…new approaches to things, some of the things that are outmoded.”

Pierce, who welcomed public input, said anyone interested in commenting on the current guidelines or suggesting updates should attend the commission’s next meeting in May. At some point in the future Pierce said the commission would “come up with some concrete proposal and then have a [public] comment period on that.”

Challenges at Charles Circle

Charles Circle is almost done and some problems have emerged.

It’s the signs, for one thing. They’re not all up yet, but they are confusing. (See the article on page 1.)

It’s the striping on the pavement. It works only for the drivers coming off the Storrow Drive ramp from the north.

It’s the fact that no sign directs drivers to Charles Street, which must be a frequent destination of drivers because of the street’s shops. Cars back up turning right onto Charles because the sidewalk protrudes into the circle, protecting pedestrians.

Finally, it’s the strange blocked-off lane that runs from Storrow Drive to the circle in front of the John Jeffries.

That lane was closed more than 15 years ago, according to neighborhood traffic watchdogs Tony Pangaro and Peter Thomson, at the neighborhood’s request. The signs on Storrow Drive caused confusion — drivers would get off at either the now-closed lane or the one that is still open, but once they were at the circle, they turned every which way. Moreover, the wait times at the circle were long, since there were four entrances, and therefore four green light phases. Drivers had to wait through the other roadways’ phases before they got their turn.

Eliminating one of the entrances into the circle also eliminated one of the green light phases, so drivers had less times to wait.

But now some Charles Street business owners are questioning why the lane is closed, since it could provide a more direct access to the street on which businesses are located.

Some neighbors think opening the lane would also benefit them, since the Jersey barriers that block the lane on the Storrow Drive side collect debris that no one cleans up.

If the lane were reopened, some neighbors think the land surrounding it would be kept up better by the Department of Conservation and Recreation, which owns it. Now the land is being used as a parking lot for workers at the Charles/MGH T station reconstruction.

There are losers, however. The closed lane has become a driveway for the John Jeffries House. It is important to that facility, which often has handicapped guests. It is hard to remember how the inn got by when the lane was open.

The signs, the wait times, the striping — all of these seem intractable problems at this point. There are probably several ways to solve the problems that we’ve not yet tried. But one wonders if maybe the best idea for the Charles Circle is in its history. Roundabouts or rotaries, which ever term you use, have a proud function in Massachusetts road design. If Charles Circle became a true circle once again, it would solve all these problems and slow traffic besides.

With the Storrow Drive tunnel and the Longfellow Bridge construction looming over us in the next decade, it would be a good time to re-think the whole traffic pattern in this section of the city. It certainly doesn’t work well now.