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The Bigger Issue

When the Transportation Planning Committee of 2003 conducted its assessment of Guilford’s transportation needs, it identified many of the issues that have arisen in the discussion of the Shoreline Greenway Trail (SGT). In fact, the SGT committee came before us to give a presentation. It’s notable that the level of plan development for the SGT has not advanced significantly from what was presented to us 13 years ago.

Within the broader scope of our study, we identified many of the issues that have been raised in this recent episode, but we did not resolve them, recognizing their difficulty and the need for a more focused public input to form appropriate policy. Thirteen years later, that task remains to be done.

In the matter of the 0.7 miles of proposed pathway that has been suggested as a part of the SGT, if we choose to ignore its relevance to the SGT and considered it on its own merits, it would probably not be the next segment of pathway or concrete that should be considered as a priority in a logical program of sidewalk expansion. For example, before we built the proposed 0.7 miles, we should build the 0.4 miles that would extend the existing sidewalks on the north side of Boston Street to the western most point of the 0.7 mile segment. If the logic of doing the 0.7 miles is to connect people in that area to the Green, then logically we should first try to connect people on Boston Street who are closer and more likely to use the 0.4 mile segment.

But the bigger issue is: The town has yet to devise a coherent policy on sidewalks and pathways with adequate public input. This needs to be done before the next linear foot is laid—anywhere.

Sidney F. Gale

Guilford

Sidney F. Gale served as chair of the Transportation Planning Committee of 2003.