New Traffic Pattern for Amethyst Brook Elementary School This Fall
Architect's rendering of the new Amethyst Brook Elementary School. South drop off. Photo: amherstma.gov
Transportation and Parking Commission Recommends Crosswalk at Mt. Holyoke Drive
Report on the meeting of the Transportation and Parking Commission, Aug. 12, 2026
This meeting was held via Zoom and was recorded.
Present
Andy Steinberg (Chair), Guilford Mooring (Superintendent of DPW), George Ryan (Town Councilor, District 3), Sam MacLeod (Town Councilor, District 5), Ian Rhodewalt (Commission for Persons with Disabilities), Jeff Bagg (Planning and Economic Development Director), and Kim Tremblay. Absent: Gabe Ting (Police Chief) and Grisha Leyfer.
New Entrance at Amethyst Brook Elementary School
DPW Superintendent Guilford Mooring announced a plan to handle traffic around the new Amethyst Brook Elementary School at drop-off and pickup times this fall. For the first six months or so of the school year, construction vehicles will still be on-site to demolish the old school and complete site work. To separate construction vehicles from resident and staff cars, a new entrance is being built just south of the north entrance to allow cars into the parking lot for drop-off and pickup. School buses will use the south driveway.
No construction vehicles will enter the site during drop-off and pickup times. A police officer will be present at the busiest times for at least two or three weeks.
Because half of the school parking lot will be unavailable while construction vehicles are present, the town has designated remote areas for staff parking: the on-street spaces in front of the East Street School and the town-owned vacant lot on the northeast corner of the intersection with Main Street.
Commission Recommends New Crosswalk Across West Street at Mt. Holyoke Drive
In response to a request from residents of the Mt. Holyoke Drive neighborhood, the DPW designed a crosswalk across West Street to the sidewalk on the west side of the street. The Transportation and Parking Commission (TPC) is required to hold a public meeting for such requests, and six neighborhood residents voiced strong support.
The DPW design calls for concrete pads on both curbs with accessible ramps. The sidewalk along Mt. Holyoke Drive would be extended to the first driveway, which would require enlarging the existing storm drain to avoid increasing flooding on that property. A stop sign and stop bar would be added at the intersection of Mt. Holyoke Drive and West Street, and signage from both the south and north would announce the crosswalk. The estimated cost was $95,000.
TPC members and most of the public present saw no reason to extend the sidewalk along Mt. Holyoke Drive. Eliminating the sidewalk and storm drain would reduce the cost to about $40,000. The consensus was that adding rapid flashing pedestrian-activated beacons was preferable and would likely contribute more to safety than the sidewalk. The beacons cost $24,000 a pair. Ian Rhodewalt said the Commission for Persons with Disabilities felt strongly that the beacons were needed.
Mooring said the area has clear sight lines, and that a flashing light at Crocker Farm School slightly to the north and flashing beacons at the Pomeroy Roundabout should already alert drivers to pedestrians in the area. The speed limit in the area is 40 mph.
Commission members were not convinced, however, and unanimously recommended a shorter sidewalk of no more than 20 feet along Mt. Holyoke Drive along with the installation of flashing beacons at the crosswalk. The recommendation will be forwarded to the town manager. Mooring said there is no money for additional roadwork in this year’s budget, but the project will be put on the list of possible work for next year.
Web Portal for Submitting Requests Nearing Completion
TPC member Kim Tremblay expressed misgivings about recommending the Mt. Holyoke Drive crosswalk before the commission had set priorities. Other similar requests have not been discussed, such as one for a crosswalk across West Street from Dennis Drive, which residents have also requested. Tremblay has been working with Communications Manager Samantha Giffen and Catherine Anderson, administrative assistant to the police chief, to create an online portal for submitting requests to the TPC. Some glitches remain, but Tremblay is hopeful it will be operational soon, allowing the commission to review and prioritize submitted requests.
Planning and Economic Development Director Jeff Bagg said it would be difficult to prioritize projects if new requests kept coming in. He suggested the commission set a period to accept requests, then evaluate them as a group.
I am all for these crosswalks as pedestrian safety is a priority. And while we are talking about South Amherst safety for pedestrians, I will take the opportunity to note that I lived on the west end of Shays St for almost 50 years. During that time we requested (several times) a sidewalk for that end of Shays St up to the entrance to Crocker Farm School. Never, to my knowledge, did we get so much as a response much less any action. Cars come flying off of West St. and don’t pay attention to speed limits. As a dog walker for 22 of those years, I was out there several times daily and came close to being hit numerous times. Prior to that I had children on foot and on bikes trying to get around to areas with walkways. Super dangerous 50 years ago and much worse now. What does it take to get anything done by the town?
The town is looking at a major traffic problem with the Northeast St. entrance to the new school. With more students attending the new school than the former Fort River school and the increased volume of traffic from Umass,the current road is too narrow to handle all of the excess cars,busses and trucks. Two solutions could solve this problem. The first would be widening the section of East Pleasant street across from the school complex by taking a portion of the nearby common. The second would be for the town to aquire the former Sunoco gas station on Northampton road and the land behind it,either by purchase or eminent domain. This would allow for the construction of a separate driveway into the school complex and help funnel school traffic away from East Pleasant street . These solutions require some effort on the part of the Council and the other town departments,but it would solve a lot of headaches that are heading toward the town.
“Super dangerous 50 years ago and much worse now. What does it take to get anything done by the town?”
……..Sabine Cray
Well, certainly not a village, just speak with any long-time resident of Cushman.
Perhaps it takes a library, or better, people in Town Hall with the political clout of those who ensured the debockelman, which we now refer to as the Jones Folly.
If congestion gets bad, drivers will seek alternatives. UMass can help by setting up effective carpooling for the hundreds of employees that stream in from and out to Route 9 every work day. A commuter parking lot near a Route 9 bus stop would help. Fewer parents dropping off and picking up will reduce traffic. I won’t suggest kids biking to school since South East Street is so dangerous with no protected bike lanes anywhere. Kids will walk in from nearby apartments so the crossing guards will be very needed.