As a new resident on Cottage Road, we are very much enjoying what South Portland has to offer. The one concern that we have is the traffic on Cottage Road – particularly Portland inbound traffic.

I believe there have been community meetings intended to discuss the mitigation of the volume of traffic, as well as the speed at which drivers navigate the hill coming down toward Broadway. As we are new to the area and missed the meetings, I thought I would submit my ideas here.

It seems to me that it would make sense to put in place an additional traffic signal at the crest of the hill where Hobbs Funeral Home is located. If Hobbs Funeral Home were granted some level of control over the traffic signal to allow them to control traffic during funeral events, perhaps they could assist in the funding for the installation.

The traffic signal at the top of the hill could also be timed with the traffic signal at the base of the hill in order to create greater gaps in traffic. Lastly, illuminated speed limit signs could be installed on telephone poles, similar to the ones used in Portland, as well as additional crosswalks.

With numerous children in the area and residents who have to navigate Cottage Road, this is a growing safety concern. I believe the above actions would help to further control the volume and speed of traffic in the area.

Conrad Novack

South Portland

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