Use Queen St. As A Prototype

For Newtown’s Traffic Problems

To the Editor:

Here’s my “squeak” in response to last week’s Ink Drops column, “Queen Street’s Squeaky Wheels.”

I think to imply that residents are doing something wrong when they persistently voice their concerns to public officials is extremely misguided, and frankly, un-American!

In my case, for eight years, I’ve been periodically going to selectmen and Police Commission meetings pleading for speed control and pedestrian safety measures for Queen Street. From the outset, the selectman’s office informed me that the Police Commission is the proper channel through which to voice these concerns, and I have complied, as have many of my neighbors.

As a matter of fact, I would love to see residents of Route 25, Glover, Toddy Hill, Boggs Hill, Huntingtown, The Boulevard, Currituck, and many, many others at these meetings, consistently requesting help with traffic and speeding problems. If that happened, maybe concerns would be addressed in a more organized, structured, timely fashion.

I believe the last sentence of your column gets to the heart of the matter: “town and borough officials in conjunction with the Police Commission need to spend more time thinking outside this particular toolbox.”

Up until now, there has not been an overwhelming public outcry to fix our traffic issues. Now that the Queen Street Area Study has raised many issues, people are paying attention, which is great. I think the consultants came up with a number of interesting ideas, some good, and some not, but let’s not “throw the baby out with the bath water.”

Why can’t the Queen Street area be used as a prototype area for the other traffic hot spots in town? Why, just because some of the ideas are controversial, do people want to dismiss it in its entirety?

I have never seen this as a Queen Street vs Glover vs Main Street issue. Personally, I don’t think there is anything anyone can do to control the volume of traffic on our streets aside from halting development. But we have to slow traffic down. Safety is paramount! We need traffic calming measures and a safe sidewalk with safe crossings on Queen Street. It’s common sense. I don’t believe anyone wants to see another Middle School student maimed or killed crossing the street. The Glover intersection needs to be made more user-friendly and safer. The same goes for the flagpole.

We have momentum now to address our traffic issues. Please attend the next Police Commission meeting (they are held the first Tuesday of the month) and voice your own concerns. See you there.

Lisa Floros

32 Queen Street, Newtown                                          January 9, 2007