This commentary is by Ron Krupp, a resident of South Burlington.
I don’t know about you, but I’ve been circling the new roundabout on Shelburne Road in Burlington — with ease. Other folks say the same.
Wouldn’t it make sense if we had more roundabouts like the ones around Montpelier? Studies have shown that roundabouts are safer than traditional stop sign or traffic signal-controlled intersections. They also reduce delays and improve traffic flow.
Contrary to many people’s perceptions, roundabouts actually move traffic through an intersection more quickly, and with less congestion on approaching roads, than traditional intersections do. And finally, they are credited with reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Champlain Rightway has proposed three roundabouts along the Champlain Parkway, plus wider bike lanes and walking paths. One of these roundabouts would occur just before Curtis Lumber on Pine Street, sending cars over to Battery Street on the waterfront. It’s called the Railyard Enterprise Project and has been in the works for years.
This route would steer cars away from the densely settled King and Maple neighborhood. Current plans would disproportionately harm low-income residents and people of color. This is one of the most dense, racially diverse communities in the state. The current project will result in a 37% increase in traffic in the Maple/King community.
Plus, heavier traffic means higher risk to pedestrian safety. The Racial Justice Alliance opposes the current route through the King/Maple neighborhood.
Another roundabout would be located in the south end of Burlington, where City Market and Flynn Avenue meet. The third roundabout would be located where Pine Street ends at Queen City Park Road. This “dead end” will have a major impact on people traveling to and from Burlington.
Last summer, I, along with a group of residents who live in Queen City Park of South Burlington, stood at the corner of Pine Street and Queen City Park Road with a road sign that read “Pine Street Dead-Ends Here.” We passed out flyers, informing motorists about the plan to dead-end Pine in order to make way for the Champlain Parkway. The drivers said it would be a major disruption. Some didn’t know about the Champlain Parkway and others said, “What’s wrong with the city?”
The Pine Street Coalition supports the Champlain Rightway. It is opposed to the Champlain Parkway because of increased traffic congestion, speed, noise, light pollution, increased air pollution and multiple traffic lights.
Tony Redington was the mover and shaker behind the Pine Street Coalition. Years earlier, Tony worked to stop plans for a 100-acre highway interchange in Keene, New Hampshire, by using roundabouts as an alternative, and his organization won the battle.
Tony Redington passed away this past year, but his battle for safer highways continues. The Racial Justice Alliance and the Pine Street Coalition need to continue to fight the good fight to make the Parkway a safer and saner alternative.
Unfortunately, the federal judge, Judge Geoffrey Crawford, recently gave the go-ahead for construction to continue on the Champlain Parkway for a project that has been in the works for five decades. I’m angry that we are building a highway to “nowhere,” where we’ve already cut down a forest, losing carbon in the process, and plan to run a highway through a poor neighborhood in a time when we should know better.
Our city leaders are complicit in allowing the current design of the parkway to proceed. It’s as if we are living in the past, rather than imagining what the future could bring.
What can you do? Get involved and support the Champlain Rightway.
