I spoke earlier this week with Sue Clippinger, the traffic planner in Cambridge.
She said that she was working on getting the application together for a truck ban on Blanchard Road. She said that she had all the necessary data at this stage. She said that she foresaw little objection in Cambridge since most of the surrounding area and likely alternative routes are already very heavily traveled.
She foresees the real objections as more likely to come from Belmont. Even if Bright Road is also protected, people may have concerns about Common and other potential cut throughs. Truck traffic seems to be going from and to a variety of destinations without an obvious pattern, so it will be difficult to forecast where it will shift to. The uncertainty will make it more difficult for Belmont to decide to support a ban. Belmont’s support is necessary under the relevant state rules.
She was more encouraging about the possibility of lowering the speed limit. Although the 85th percentile is a little above 30, a five mile lowering may be doable in her experience.