The Not-So-Open Road

Today is going to be one of those good news, bad news entries.

I feel inclined to start this on the good side:  Today we finally got to ride the rescheduled Tour de Newton, and it was a fabulous experience.  The delay from last week helped me a little as I was able to get promoted from greeter (in Waban) to rider.  While I’d ridden the route before, the experience today had the additional benefit of something I truly love about this city:  Each village coming forth and presenting just a little of its own character.

My group started from Waban, and I had the role of sweeper – taking up the back and making sure that the group got through the tougher intersections with little trouble.  I also kept track of the small number of riders who doubled back or dropped out early. 

We finished the full 20 miles after about three hours, and we still had about a dozen riders of all ages who’d done the full distance.  The Tour was a great success and all of the villages gave a great showing of their history and what makes them unique.  We’ll be looking forward to next year and maybe even getting more riders in the mix.

Now for the bad news:  These same City streets that we rode through today have been getting increasingly dangerous.  Work continues on the add-a-lane project on Rt 128, and construction is also occurring along Rt 9.  New lights have been installed at Parker Street as it crosses over Rt 9, but the lights are not yet operational.  Also, we’re getting our roads fixed, but the construction itself is causing delays and traffic.

The worse news is that our City’s drivers, and those outside drivers who traverse our city are driving frustrated, confused, and occasionally distracted.  

According to one unscientific poll, conducted while I was walking door to door, many have seen an increase in the number of cars hurtling through their neighborhoods at increased speed while trying to avoid a backup someplace else.

This behavior has had incredibly horrible consequences.  Over the past week and a half, Newton Highlands alone has seen two car-on-pedestrian incidents.  One involved an elderly man trying to cross Walnut, and the other involved a child trying to cross Lincoln.

We must do more in the city to enforce the traffic and speeding regulations we have in place.  We also need to do more to improve pedestrians’ ability to see and be seen as they attempt to cross our streets.  Furthermore, we really do have to do something as drivers to spend more of our mental energy focusing on the task of driving.  In our hurried lives, we need to make sure that the minute or two we’re trying to make up on the road does not come at a dearer price. 

Chris Steele is running for the city-wide office of Alderman at Large, Ward 5.  You can learn more at www.steele4newton.org or by contacting him at steelch@yahoo.com