To the Editor:

The subject of the shared-use path (SUP) on Beach Road is a topic that I have written about, drawn diagrams of, and made paintings and photographs of to illustrate my point, and now it seems as though the SUP will be approved as the choice for Beach Road.

If that happens, my prediction is that over time, as the SUP gets crowded, that there inevitably will be accidents, and that this can be avoided. Obviously, the Tisbury boards that have reviewed the plan disagree, and we must abide by their decisions. If the SUP is installed, we can live with it, but I believe that there is a better solution.

If the Tisbury boards agree with the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (DOT) that the first section of the road should be sidewalks, shoulders, and travel lanes, then we are assured, because this is the normal way a highway or road is constructed, and they have considered traffic calming and Complete Streets, a national program that incorporates safe bicycling and walking design, this will be safe and secure.

Since the segment from Five Corners to the Tisbury Marketplace is the most problematic and dangerous part of Beach Road to navigate by bicycle, then if the second segment were done in this manner, it should also be safe. And I make the strong suggestion that this would be optimal.

If a symmetrical road, with the same standards throughout, is implemented, or would be if the boards change their mind, then there would be the following benefits to the residents of Tisbury.

A sidewalk along the harbor instead of nothing there would be a tremendous asset to the town. It would encourage walking, it would also allow the 4.5-foot-wide shoulders to continue all the way to the Martha’s Vineyard Shipyard, and cycling would be immensely improved.

A sidewalk, if you can envision this, could essentially turn Beach Road into more of a boulevard, with slow-moving traffic, and trees on both sides, shade over the road, the sidewalk, and the bike lanes. This would be, in my opinion as an artist and designer, a far more appropriate configuration for the town of Tisbury and provide a graceful and safe entry to the town, and to the Island.

That is my argument.

Frank Brunelle

Vineyard Haven