As we look toward the completion of Phase 2 of the Waitsfield west village sidewalk project it is important we make wise choices to achieve the best possible outcome for all users. The Waitsfield Select Board voted to commit the town to the project in April 2014 – implementing the last piece of a pedestrian network that’s been studied numerous times over the past 20 years. The design work is now in front of us. We need to consider how best to see the project through, not to question its merits.
The village is more than a parking area and thoroughfare for vehicles; it is a shared community space. It is a nexus of which the sidewalks are a key connecting element. I like to think of sidewalks as "roads for walkers," which means sidewalk layout needs to make sense in the same way roads do. A sidewalk that leads nowhere or doesn't have a crosswalk at a logical location creates impediments, danger and confusion. Sidewalks are how pedestrians travel amid this intersection of networks. We all use the sidewalks – walkers, shoppers, children, joggers, the wheelchair-bound and the elderly alike – and completing this project well will increase safety for all users and predictability for drivers. It is worth noting: A pedestrian count showed that between August 2014 and June 2015 a daily average of 110 people use the sidewalk in front of the Joslin Library.
The more inviting the village is, the better the draw for businesses. We flock to lively, accessible spaces. Sidewalks invite and facilitate community, for everyone.
The sidewalk design has three significant features that link together as a system: the sidewalk, crosswalks and curb extensions (also called bump outs). Crosswalks create visible, acknowledged crossing points at logical points along the street and they calm traffic by encouraging drivers to slow down as they pass through the village. Curb extensions narrow the streetscape for drivers both physically and visually, again encouraging calmer, slower passage through town. This makes cycling through the village safer as well. Speed is the number one factor in cycling-related crashes; so calming and slowing traffic is in everyone’s best interest. Last, curb extensions make the distance to cross the street shorter – a real benefit for everyone, particularly kids and the elderly, because they have less distance to travel and can cross more quickly, which then allows cars to begin moving again sooner.
Parking is always a concern. Here's the deal: The better we do with our sidewalk plan the better we solve the parking issues. Sure, the plan calls for eliminating five informal (and, technically, illegal) parking spaces along the west side of Main Street. We now have ample parking at Waitsfield School, the General Wait House, the health center, the future town office building and the area behind Bridge Street Marketplace in addition to the east side of Main Street. The sidewalk and crosswalks are the links and the conduit to those locations. The plan as presented facilitates and encourages using the sidewalks as the routes we take from the various parking places to where we go to in the village: the church, the shops, the Valley Players, town meeting. The truth is, the occasional times when parking is tight means something is going right. People are in town at an event. A great example is the Round Ups on Bridge Street this summer. We want to encourage more of this! Sensible sidewalk design only helps. The sidewalk design presented to the select board showed a crosswalk near the Joslin Library, in front of the church and in front of the Valley Players. These crosswalks make sense and create visual as well as functional invitations to our significant village institutions.
Sometimes what seems like a loss in the immediate leads to a gain over the long term. Think of Church Street in Burlington. The village has made amazing progress getting back on its feet since Tropical Storm Irene and we need to build on this momentum. Losing a few parking spots along Main Street will be rewarded with an even more vibrant and livable village for everyone: businesses, homeowners, vacationers and daily users – young and old. I encourage us all to look at the big picture and what we can gain with some thoughtful decisions. We have a great opportunity in front of us to make our village the friendly, accessible and livable place we all want it to be.
Cain lives in Waitsfield.
