By DAN TOMASELLO

LYNNFIELD — The Select Board voted to form the Traffic Safety Advisory Committee (TSAC) during a July 22 meeting.

Select Board Chair Dick Dalton recalled that Spring Town Meeting voted to create the TSAC in late April. Upper Main Street resident Tom Manning submitted the citizens’ petition for Spring Town Meeting.

“The safety committee is an advisory committee reporting to the Select Board,” said Dalton. “The purpose of the TSAC will be to evaluate public safety and nuisance issues involving traffic, roads and related infrastructure in the town. A monthly meeting forum will allow townspeople to bring forward issues that will be heard and reviewed by the committee and conduct any business related to its function.”

Dalton said the TSAC will be giving a monthly report to the Select Board about traffic-related issues and recommendations for “solving each issue.” He also said the TSAC will be giving a quarterly report about traffic issues and recommendations to the Select Board.

The Select Board voted to appoint Manning, Salem Street resident Anthony Guerriero, Village Row resident Christina Hayman and upper Main Street resident Lauren Hurton to the TSAC.

Guerriero said he was interested in serving on the TSAC for “selfish reasons.”

“After living on Salem Street for the last 15 years, I have seen traffic and speeding increase,” said Guerriero. “We are dealing with traffic at the intersection of Salem Street and Walnut Street due to MarketStreet, particularly around the holiday season. Speed has become a very big concern, both going east towards Route 1 and going west where I live. There are a lot of young children who live in our neighborhood. Mr. Dalton and I have talked a couple of times about some possible solutions not only within town, but working with the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) and elsewhere.”

Guerriero works as the community relations and federal affairs deputy director for the Massachusetts Port Authority, and said he previously worked on the Martin A. Coughlin Bypass Road in East Boston and the Butler Bypass Road in South Boston. He said both projects redirected traffic off of neighborhood streets and “alleviated traffic congestion.”

“I think there are solutions,” said Guerriero about the town’s traffic challenges. “I think we can work together to look at this.”

Select Board member Alexis Leahy said working for the Massachusetts Port Authority requires a “heavy time commitment.” She asked Guerriero how he will “balance” his professional and volunteer responsibilities if he is appointed to the TSAC.

Guerriero said he is currently balancing his professional and family responsibilities, and noted that his “most important job is being a parent.” As a member of the TSAC, he said he would work with the other members and would make sure different responsibilities get delegated.

Hayman, whose husband Jamie serves on the School Committee, said she and her family have lived in town for the past 12 years.

“I appreciate the consideration,” said Hayman. “We are very invested in helping make Lynnfield the best community that it can be. I care deeply about our town. My husband and I walk through town all the time, and my kids enjoy riding their bikes, running and walking through town. I particularly care about vulnerable road users. I think this committee can target vulnerable road users as well as come with up with some traffic calming ways to really solve the traffic issues we have in town.”   

Hayman said she works as the senior manager of government affairs for AAA Northeast.

“I sit on the Massachusetts Traffic Safety Coalition,” said Hayman. “I do a lot of work every day on traffic safety issues. I attend all sorts of MassDOT conferences. At a recent MassDOT conference, I learned about the Shared Streets and Spaces Grant Program. That is something we should think about in town when we talk about coming up with appropriate measures to really curb traffic safety issues.”

Select Board member Phil Crawford said Hayman did a “wonderful job” leading the Serving Lynnfield Committee that raised funds for the new Lynnfield High School tennis courts and organized the Craig Stone Gala last year.

“Thank you,” said Hayman.

Hurton said her 1066 Main St. home is located near the Main and Lowell streets Four Corners intersection.

“I have reached out to many of you many times over the years, mainly about the safety of the Four Corners intersection,” said Hurton. “It has been a huge problem and it continues to be a problem as we have cars cutting through with people using Waze and Google Maps.”

Hurton said the Four Corners intersection is “really, really busy.”

“I have a lot of good ideas about ways we can fix it,” said Hurton. “When I heard about this committee, I was thrilled because I feel like it will help improve our town.”

Crawford asked Hurton if she has enough time to serve on the TSAC “schedule wise.”

Hurton said yes.

“I would love to be a part of it,” said Hurton.

Manning said he has been a lifelong resident, and met his wife at Lynnfield High School.

“We are very fond of our town,” said Manning. “I am the original petitioner for the article that was discussed at Town Meeting and led to the formation of this committee. The reason why I did so is because I saw a great opportunity in the town of Lynnfield to improve the livability and safety of our neighborhoods through the work of this committee. The work of this committee that I am referring to is the ability to do a lot of research into bylaws, statutes and interfacing with MassDOT and other communities that have traffic safety advisory committees like the one we are forming here, and understanding what the best practices are for the needs that we have in our community. I feel that the most important criteria for being a member of this committee is the willingness to do that work and having the passion to meet those objectives.”

While Manning was crafting the citizens’ petition, he learned that a number of communities have traffic advisory committees.

“There is a lot out there that we can interface with and make requests of in order to put together great recommendations for Lynnfield,” said Manning. “I have an MBA and my undergraduate degree is in Finance. I deliver management consulting services to large brand name companies. The work of a management consultant is similar to the work of a member of this committee. I have no authority over my clients, and the value of my work is the recommendations I make to them. The value of this committee is the recommendations we make to the Select Board. They need to be actionable and they need to be fact-based. In the end, they need to meet the objectives of better livability and safety for the neighborhoods in our town.”

After the interviews concluded, Dalton and Crawford voted to appoint Guerriero to the Traffic Safety Advisory Committee. All three Select Board members voted to appoint Hayman, Hurton and Manning to the TSAC. The four new committee members were appointed in a series of round robin votes.

“Congratulations to the four applicants who will become members of this committee,” said Dalton.

The Select Board unanimously voted to appoint Town Administrator Rob Dolan, Police Chief Nick Secatore and Department of Public Works (DPW) Director John Scenna to the Traffic Safety Advisory Committee.

Dalton and Crawford voted to appoint Guerriero as the TSAC’s chair. Leahy abstained.

“The reason why I abstained was that I felt as though the appointed group should have convened and discussed who should be chair along with other responsibilities and roles, and then come back to the Select Board with a recommended chair versus the Select Board just choosing,” said Leahy in an interview with the Villager.

Historical Society Treasurer Bob Gillon, 300 Main St., and Conservation Commission/Historical Commission member Erin Hohmann, 171 Salem St., were also interviewed to be on the TSAC.

“I would like to thank all of the applicants for coming forward and offering their services to the community,” said Dalton during the meeting.