WORCESTER, MA — The City of Worcester is proposing a 90-day trial of a “no-parking-anytime” zone along a section of Grafton Street near Roosevelt School in an effort to address traffic congestion and safety concerns.
The proposed zone would be located on the southwest side of Grafton Street, extending from Enid Street to the main entrance of Roosevelt School across from Pine Hill, according to a communication from Stephen Rolle, the city’s commissioner of transportation and mobility. The Worcester City Council is scheduled to consider the proposal Tuesday night.
If approved, the trial would likely begin in early January, according to Tom Matthews, a spokesperson for City Manager Eric D. Batista.
Rolle said the proposal is a response to an increase in parents using personal vehicles to drop off and pick up students. That shift, he wrote, has contributed to traffic congestion, illegal parking, and heightened safety risks for children who walk or bike to school.
One location where these concerns are ongoing is Roosevelt School on Grafton Street, Rolle noted.
“The recently completed upper parking lot at Roosevelt School is helpful in that it provides more capacity for drivers to wait for students during dismissal,” Rolle wrote, “but queueing and parking continue to be a problem on Grafton Street.”
According to Rolle, the issue is especially pronounced before dismissal, when some drivers arrive more than 30 minutes early and park along the street. Vehicles also use the shoulder of the road as a secondary travel lane, creating additional hazards.
“When this happens, vehicles block driveways and weave in and out of traffic,” Rolle wrote.
To address the ongoing issues and reduce safety risks, the administration is asking the City Council to approve the temporary no-parking zone. City officials are also requesting that the Traffic and Parking Committee hold a public hearing on a proposed ordinance that would make the restriction permanent.
A spokesperson for Worcester Public Schools declined to comment Monday.
