‘Yes for Safety’: Vote to approve funding for road improvements
Safer and well-maintained bikeways and walkways are good policy for good health, as well as promoting “sustainability.”
Please vote “Yes for Safety” on Question 1 at the town election on (or before) August 19. I write on my own behalf, but many know me as a member of Acton’s Transportation Advisory Committee (TAC) or as the local advocate for the Safe Routes to School (SRTS) Program. In each role, I’ve personally observed and heard from many residents about their desire to improve road and sidewalk safety conditions to encourage “active transportation” for their children and themselves.
Safer and well-maintained bikeways and walkways are good policy for good health, as well as promoting “sustainability” and greenhouse gas reduction.
In the absence of adequate funding, improvements have come slowly and sometimes only as a result of grant money from the commonwealth. The recently awarded $500,000 MassDOT and $16,000 SRTS grants funded two important projects — but two projects are not enough.
Article 1 will provide the town and its staff with the budget and longer-term planning opportunities to pursue safety and transportation projects, including sidewalk repair, pedestrian crossings, intersection modifications, and bicycle safety facilities. Article 1 passed by a large majority at Town Meeting — but a second vote is necessary to authorize this long-term financing.
The public should know that the TAC, the Public Works Commission, Acton Public Works, and the Planning Division have committed to working together to make our road and sidewalk networks safer for people of all ages and abilities and to use the funding provided by a “Yes for Safety” vote in a cost-effective and impactful manner.
Please vote “Yes for Safety.”
Philip Posner
Laws Brook Road
