To The Editor:
We all agree that we want a thriving, safe, attractive Waitsfield Village and want to maintain the characteristics of the village we all value. We need to reconcile this desire with the realities of today’s car traffic. The west side sidewalk project plan currently in front of the Waitsfield Select Board will do this.
Over the past few decades vehicle trips per day through the village have increased many times over and while vehicle travel through the village continues to increase, children still need to cross the street to get to school, shoppers still need to get to shops, visitors still want to walk around and the elderly still need to move about. Crossing the street has become an increasing dangerous proposition, although this is rarely obvious from behind the wheel of a vehicle. Just like drivers rely on orderly roads and signage, so to do people on foot. Safe sidewalks and crosswalks with curb extensions are important for pedestrians and drivers alike; people know where to cross and drivers know where to anticipate people crossing.
We can dig in and resist the changes our sidewalk plan will bring or we can seize the opportunity to shape a village that accommodates all of our needs while maintaining the characteristics we all cherish.
We have a solution in hand that carefully addresses the needs of all village users, be it shop owners, tourists, daily drivers, cyclists or schoolchildren. The sidewalks will be separated from the road by 5- to 8-foot of green space and provide marked crosswalks and curb extensions to delineate the appropriate places for people to safely cross. The voters committed to this project, the issues have been worked through and we are at the threshold of making our village a safer, calmer and more welcoming place to be. Let's not wait until a preventable tragedy occurs to do this right.
As a community we need to focus on an optimistic vision for all users of our village and let the select board know that we want to create a safe, useable village for our future. Plan to attend the select board meeting on October 11 to show your support for this critical community project. We owe it to each other and our community to see the project through.
Dave Cain
Waitsfield
