TOWN OF IPSWICH

Department of Planning & Development

TO: Board of Selectmen

Date: July 6, 2016

FROM: Glenn C. Gibbs, Planning Director

Copies To: Town Manager

Working Group

SUBJECT: Argilla Road Summer Weekend Traffic Management

REFERENCE: Your Request
______________________________________________________________________________
At your meeting on June 20th, you asked me to establish and oversee a working group comprised of town
staff and key stakeholders to: (1) review current traffic management practices during high demand traffic
days for Crane Beach, and (2) to make recommendations on modified, different or alternative methods of
managing heavy beach traffic on Argilla Road. You further asked for an update on these efforts for your
July 11th meeting. The update is provided below.
Initial Meeting of Working Group
On June 28th I met with Police Chief Paul Nikas, Castle Hill General Manager Peter Pinciaro, Miranda
Russell of Russell Orchards, and Argilla Road residents Anne Hezzey and Chub Whitten. The discussion
focused on traffic data collection methodology and strategies for optimizing the management of traffic on
Argilla Road on summer weekends.
Relative to data collection, it was agreed that the general approach would be as follows:
Beginning on the weekend of July 1st, and continuing through the Labor Day weekend, a mechanical
traffic counter would be placed on Argilla Road between its intersection with Northgate Road and the
entrance to Russell Orchards. The counter records each passing vehicle, the time of day, and the vehicle
speed. (The counter is only capable of counting traffic in one direction, so the direction measurement will
shift, each weekend, between in-going and outgoing traffic).
During parking lot closures on these survey days, the two policemen working at the Argilla/Northgate
intersection will record the number of cars that are turned away at the checkpoint, both those queuing on
Northgate Road, and those queuing on Argilla Road. In addition, on particularly heavy traffic days which
are expected result in beach closures for a substantial time period, a TTOR employee will be stationed at
the end of each queue to recording vehicles turning around prior to reaching the check point.
On at least one of these high demand traffic days, observers will be stationed at Russell Orchards' access
drive at certain peak periods between approximately 9 am and 7 pm. These persons will record all traffic
entering Russell Orchards, from both directions, noting the time and the direction of each movement.
Relative to traffic management, the working group discussed a number of traffic control measures that
might mitigate the impacts of the heavy traffic. This included the possible relocation of the police
checkpoint to a point closer to the Crane Beach, the possibility of providing additional parking at the
Crane Estate, the installation of electronic signs at identified remote locations in Ipswich that would
advise motorists of beach closures, and the creation of a third, informal travel lane along Northgate and
Argilla Roads leading up to police checkpoint, which would allow non-beach traffic, during beach
closures, to proceed down Argilla Road more quickly, and enable compliance monitoring by
repositioning one of the officers to a location near Russell Orchards.

July 6, 2016 Memo to Board of Selectmen

Argilla Road Summer Weekend Traffic Management
Page 2

At the meetings conclusion, the working group scheduled a follow-up meeting for July 5th, and requested
Chief Nikas, in conjunction with DPW Director Rick Clarke, to evaluate the feasibility of adding a third
traffic lane at the approaches to the Argilla/Northgate intersection, and report his findings at that meeting.
Follow-up Meeting of Working Group
On July 5th I met with Police Chief Paul Nikas, Castle Hill General Manager Peter Pinciaro, and Miranda
and Doug Russell of Russell Orchards. Argilla Road residents Anne Hezzey and Chub Whitten, as well
as Kat Kenney from Ascot Farm, were also invited to attend but were unable to do so. They all remain
interested and plan to continue their participation with the Working Group.
Chief Nikas presented the data that was collected by the traffic counter for each day of the four day
holiday weekend. The counter was set to measure east-bound traffic on Argilla Road. As listed on the
attached, the total number of vehicles on Friday the 1st, over a 24 hour period, was 1,250, and just under
1,400 for Saturday the 2nd. (Note: Sunday the 3rd and Monday the 4th were counted as one data period,
which accounts for the higher total of the third data sheet.) Although each day experienced beach
closures, the overall length of the closures over the weekend was relatively short.
Chief Nikas also reported that he and Rick Clarke had evaluated the Argilla/Northgate intersection and
concluded that adding a third lane during beach closures was not feasible, due to lack of sufficient land
area. The working group accepted their findings, and agreed not to consider this option any further.
Discussion then shifted to other measures that could be taken by TTOR, with a focus on alternative
checkpoint locations, remote signing, and improving the beach gates to allow for faster intake. At the end
of the discussion, the working group made the following initial recommendations to the Selectmen:
(1) Sometime this month, on a weekend day that is expected to draw a sizeable crowd with some period
of beach closure, but not an overwhelming crowd with significant periods of beach closure, TTOR
should be directed, on an experimental basis and in conjunction with the Ipswich Police, to relocate
the checkpoint from Argilla/Northgate to a point shortly before the main entrance to the Castle.
TTOR should then ask the police officers to divert backed-up beach gate traffic to the gatehouse at
the main entrance, at which point they will be directed around the barn buildings and back to Argilla
Road heading west. The effectiveness of this approach should then then be carefully evaluated.
(2) Beginning this summer, TTOR should develop a plan to remove the existing gate houses at the
entrance to Crane Beach, and replace them with updated traffic control structures that not only are
more time-efficient that the present buildings, but will also enhance the safety of TTOR employees.
As part of this undertaking, TTOR should utilize the latest technology, and deploy a sufficient
number of employees to ensure rapid intake of beach customers.
(3) In connection with recommendation 2, the Town should develop, for implementation in 2017, a beach
sticker that can be electronically scanned. This should speed up the intake process and thus contribute
to efforts to reduce traffic queues at the entrance gates.
(4) TTOR and the Town should work cooperatively on the installation of remote signs that alert drivers
to impending beach closures. Sign options that should be considered are electronic signs that can be
instantly updated, and permanent signs that inform motorists that they can employ social media to
determine the status of the beach parking lot.
I will be present at your meeting on Monday night should you have any questions about this memo.