Mark Hamelin and David Saladino of VHB consultants will join members of the Warren Select Board and local residents on Saturday, November 6, on a site visit of the Warren Village to discuss parking, speeding and traffic.
Residents of Brook Road and surrounding areas came before the Warren Select
Board this summer to address speeding on their roads. A traffic survey was conducted in August at no cost to the town. It showed 20-31% of vehicles traveling at speeds of 30 mph or more in a 25-mile-per-hour zone, over a period of three days in August. Six vehicles were clocked at more than double the speed limit.
“We said, ‘we’ve got a problem, how are we going to fix it?’ We got the feeling that maybe we need professionals to help us,” select board member Bob Ackland said. The select board submitted an RFP to three consulting firms to seek help in addressing both speeding and parking in and around the village. They selected VHB, a national company with offices in South Burlington and Montpelier, which handles all aspects of land design and transportation.
The site visit is “so we can walk through the village and people can share their frustrations and concerns,” Ackland said. “So VHB can hear their concerns, and we’re going to go from there ... there’s no guarantee we’re going to be able to do something,” he added. He noted the select board was trying to keep to a tight budget for this project.
Ackland said potential solutions may include law enforcement to enforce speed limits, education such as signage and community conversations, and design, such as placing speed inhibitors in busy roads to curb vehicles’ speeds. VHB will assemble recommendations based on their observations and community feedback.
Community members are welcome to attend the walk-through of the village. The group will meet at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, November 6, at the municipal parking lot behind the fire station in Warren.
