I received several letters from Village Officials following last week's exchange on the proposed narrowing of Wilson Drive (
Original Post, Letter from a Reader). As I side note, I greatly appreciate it when any government official takes the time to speak directly to voters about issues of concern. Thank you to Dawn Anderson, Margaret Hickey, and Chris Swartz for taking the time to address this issue.
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Village Manager Chris Swartz
Steve; good concerns; but narrowing the streets will allow the same traffic volume as it is a wide two land road; we would just make it a narrower two lane road. The state has standards that we have to meet; narrowing the road maintains those standards. I have had many comments on this good and bad; so keep the dialogue up.
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Trustee Margaret Hickey
Hi Steve,
I think that the very brief coverage of this in the News may be leading to some misunderstandings. Although I have not seen drawings, it is my understanding that one reason to narrow Wilson is to ADD parking. There have been discussions of angle parking along Wilson which would alleviate some of the renters' concerns. Another objective is to slow down traffic on Wilson. Although cost is an issue on whether or not we can actually do the project, it is not my perception that cost is driving this change. Let's see how this develops as we will certainly have public meetings on it and plenty of chance to comment.
Margaret
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Trustee Dawn Anderson
Hi Steve - my first response is that I'm not sure that anyone said this was being done because Wilson is NOT a busy street. I too drive it every day to my office - and sometimes, if I want a more peaceful route, I do take Estabrook Parkway. (In probably more disrepair than Wilson, but more peaceful to drive)
I don't believe the narrowing will have a "congestive" effect - but it will definately slow down traffic - nothing wrong with that. I'm routinely passed - on the right - by faster moving traffic. This to me seems a hazard to bikers in that lane - and to anyone planning a right turn!. A couple of notes from research I've done:
"People tend to drive faster on wider roads and in wider lanes, and more slowly on narrower roads. Wide roads are more difficult for pedestrians and bicyclists to cross because traffic is faster and the distance to cross is greater..... recent research suggests that widening roads just triggers more traffic and congestion."
Of course cost is a consideration. We were turned down for the last grant request to the state to help repave the road because the cost of repaving a 56 ft wide stretch of concrete for nearly a mile was so huge. We have to look at maintenance costs for that road - not just now for the initial repaving, but in the long haul. Residents do not want to pay what it will cost the village to maintain it properly forever at the current width - and we have to maintain our roads.
Here's another consideration. The UW extension reports that streets account for 40-50% of the impervious cover in residential areas. Narrower streets and more green space will help reduce stormwater runoff, which we all know is a problem with the combined sewer system, not to mention that it's an environmentally good thing to do. The EPA recommends reducing road surfaces. They also note that several real estate studies concluded that low traffic volume, slow traffic speeds and minimal noise were preferred elements in home selections.
I have to disagree with your reader that this is a "campaign friendly" or "feel good" move by the village. And it was not proposed as a way to increase the park's square footage. Anyone who drives Wilson regularly knows it is a terrible mess - a mine field of pot holes and irresponsible drivers. This is a practical matter and it will help solve a number of issues. I'm in full support.
Thanks, Dawn Anderson
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