The Tisbury Vision Council wants “complete streets” in Vineyard Haven. A representative of Howard Stein Hudson, a Boston-based traffic engineering firm, hired by Tisbury in December, knows how to achieve that goal, and he encouraged participants at a Feb. 23 workshop to think big and small as they consider projects that might qualify for funding from the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) Complete Streets Program.
According to Carol Salguero, a frequent workshop participant, the program may provide up to $400,000 annually to towns eager to rework their roads in order to better accommodate the various ways people navigate through their communities.
Melinda Loberg, chairman of the Tisbury selectmen, who was on hand at the meeting at the Tisbury Senior Center, told The Times on Tuesday that she was impressed by the number of people who attended, and who offered a creative notion of what complete streets might mean in Tisbury. The challenge, Ms. Loberg said, will be how to prioritize the projects.
“The meeting was meaty and provided a great deal of data and information to the planning board and their consultants,” Ms. Loberg said.
Nearly 50 participants discussed multiple uses of roads by cars, cyclists, and pedestrians in work groups, and recommended a list of improvements, such as increasing the number and size of sidewalks and bike routes to allow folks to escape heavily congested commercial areas and connect quickly to other parts of the Island. Crosswalks at major intersections such as Five Corners and the intersection of Edgartown–Vineyard Haven Road and State Road and nearby Look Street were at the top on the list. Making Lagoon Pond Road safe for pedestrians and cyclists was another, as was a suggestion to link Union Street, Beach Street, and Veterans Memorial Park. Participants said there is a need for clear signs at the Steamship Authority to direct people to Main Street, and they urged the expansion of the cultural district along Beach Road.
MassDOT must have the town’s recommendations by May 1. Projects presented this year will be only those that are already designed and ready to execute. Projects still in need of design will remain on the list, and may be presented to MassDOT later. Those that exceed the $400,000 maximum will require more than one funding source.
