main street research project - Academic Technology Center ...

Because of these factors, accessibility is an important part of Main Street‘s economic climate
that should not be overlooked.
CURRENT TRAFFIC CONDITIONS
Waltham‘s Main Street is only a small section of U.S. Route 20. While there are many signs that
identify the street as Route 20 while leading into the downtown area, there are relatively few that
identify it as Waltham‘s Main Street. The upcoming city project that involves a $200,000 budget
for signs in Waltham should include these types of signs in order to attract more people to Main
Street businesses.
Since the street is a major highway, traffic flows at a high volume through Waltham‘s Main
Street. Traffic conditions on the street can be seen on the map in Figure 2–10 17 .
Figure 2-10: Mid-day Main Street Traffic Conditions
The majority of Main Street, with the exception of one block, falls in to the mid-range of traffic
congestion. This could be attributed to the amount of traffic lights, which create stop-and-go
traffic conditions along the street. The locations of the nine traffic lights in our area of study are
shown by the red dots along Main Street in Figure 2–11 18 .
Figure 2-11: Location of Main Street Traffic Lights
Business Owner Perspective
The traffic conditions on Main Street create both advantages and disadvantages for businesses
located on the street. The stop-and-go traffic conditions on Main Street give drivers a chance to
notice businesses along the road while they are stopped at a traffic light potentially making more
17 From Google Maps‘ traffic feature
18 From Google Maps
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