My friend and fellow EETC and CAC (East End Transportation Council and Citizens Advisory Committee) member, Ken Dorph has been traveling hither and yon trying to stir up interest in a very fine program called Safe Routes to School, which is sponsored by the federal Department of Transportation. I promise to write about that program in more detail at a later date. However, I was reminded of it today when reading part of the final report of the Community Library Committee, which is available in its entirety online here. It's in the form of a blog, so anyone can read it chapter by chapter and leave comments at the end of each chapter.

The extremely well conceived section on "Site Access and Traffic Calming" directly refers to Ken's efforts to move this program forward, in addition to putting forward a few ideas of its own. Today I found a comment in that section by Sag Harborite Jonas Hagen who has apparently put in some time reading the report. In a nutshell, he praised the traffic calming ideas put forth by the committee, and suggests that those ideas get implemented immediately. Reading his comment, I had one of those moments where you just marvel at how clearly the path is marked once someone shows it to you. Jonas, I agree, and I know Ken Dorph would too. Rather than reiterate all the points the CLC makes, I'm giving you a link to the orignal. Just click here. Jonas' comment is down at the bottom of the page.

These are really sound ideas, in line with similar ideas previously put forth by CONPOSH, (Coalition of Neighborhoods for the Preservation of Sag Harbor), The EETC (East End Transportation Council),
the NYS Department of Transportation, and the Safe Routes to School Program, mentioned above. There's absolutely no need to wait for work to commence on the library (old or new) before making it safer to walk, drive and bike in our community.

Why isn't there a sidewalk along the Main Street side of Mashashimuet Park? Why do the Village and Park Board still allow that dangerous head-in parking next to the children's playground? Why aren't there more crosswalks, and "yield to pedestrian" signs in the historic triangle area? That area also cries out for such traffic calming devices as bump-outs, designated parking spots, and better road striping. Why not a bike lane down Main Street that goes right into and through Mashashimuet Park connecting the old library and the new one? There's absolutely no reason why work can't begin on some or all of these projects right now.

By the way, Jonas, you're wrong about the library. Let's talk.