Four-way Stop Approved For Pleasant Street

HARWICH – Residents in the Pleasant Street area have been seeking a way to slow speeding vehicles that use the public way to avoid traffic along Route 28 in Harwich Port. Last week they got their way after the select board approved installation of a four-way stop at the intersection with Cross Street.

Nearly a year ago, 36 residents presented a petition to the traffic safety committee calling for the placement of a four-way stop at the intersection of Pleasant Street and Cross Street as a means of reducing vehicle speeds. Many of those petitioners were before the traffic safety committee again last month pushing for the installation of a four-way stop.

Residents say Pleasant St. is used as a cut-through between Route 28 and Bank St., and partly as a result of this, they frequently see vehicles traveling at excessive speeds. The sense is that the street has become increasingly unsafe. 

“The intersection at Cross St is about halfway between South and Bank streets, and we believe that placing stop signs there will go a long way to slowing down traffic on Pleasant St. and making the neighborhood safer,” reads the petition.

The traffic safety committee agreed with the resident. The committee made a request last week to the select board to install two additional stop signs on Pleasant Street. Cross Street already has stop signs.

Police Department Lt. Aram Goshgarian, a member of the committee, said residents were before the committee on Sept. 24 expressing their concerns again and calling for the four-way stop. Goshgarian said four-way stops are not normally used as a speed abatement tool, but it doesn’t violate state law. 

“The Cape Cod Commission doesn’t like using stop signs as traffic calming, but that doesn’t say you can’t use it. We don’t always go along with the Cape Cod Commission,” Goshgarian said.

He said he did not think the four-way stop will cause backups and he hoped it will address residents’ concerns.

Select Board member Michael MacAskill asked if there was a board or police department policy governing stop signs. He was not against the recommendation but was concerned approval would open the door to requests from people in other neighborhoods to slow vehicles.

Town Administrator Joseph Powers said he was unaware of a policy.

Police Chief Kevin Considine also was not aware of a department policy, adding that former Police Chief John Raneo in the 1970s put a number of signs in place before there was a traffic safety committee.

Select Board member Donald Howell said signs that do not have the executive board’s approval get thrown out in the court setting.   

“I’m not convinced it’s going to solve the issues, but I hope it helps,” said Select Board member Peter Piekarski. “Aram got my support as soon as he  said the commission doesn’t approve of anything.”  

The board voted to approve the installation of a four-way stop at Pleasant and Cross streets.