The following submission is a letter from Sierra Club Transportation Team member David Ellenbogen in response to the Seven Days article, "Activists Want to Remake Shelburne Road After Cyclist is Killed." This article references the urgent need to modify the infrastructure of Vermont’s roads to make them safer for pedestrians and cyclists.
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Kudos to Jonathon Weber and Local Motion for keeping a spotlight on this. We in the Sierra Club of Vermont’s Transportation Committee endorse Mr Weber’s recommendations for the stretch of Route 7 that has become an absolute horror show.
It is essential for our government — and this includes both our towns and our state — to protect us all, to accommodate everyone who travels without using cars, and to encourage healthy lifestyle choices. Toward that end, we urge the public to contact Joe Flynn, Vermont’s Secretary of Transportation, your state representatives, and your state senators. Their contact information can be found at https://legislature.vermont.gov/people/
We also urge the public to contact town officials, especially those in Shelburne, South Burlington, and Burlington, to see to it that Route 7 (Shelburne Road), south of Burlington gets immediate attention.
Additionally, Vermont's Agency of Transportation is holding a Zoom information meeting on Wednesday, December 11th, at noon, to discuss their effort to develop new Roadway and Multimodal Guidance for planners and designers. The public can participate via zoom:
Join the Cloud HD Video Meeting: https://bit.ly/vt-multimodalguide-4
Finally, we encourage concerned citizens to represent their town at their regional Transportation Advisory Committee (TAC). These committees make recommendations to their Regional Planning Commissions, as well as the state. See if the representative position is filled for your town and, if so, by whom. All TAC meetings are open to the public.
Best regards,
David Ellenbogen, on behalf of the Sierra Club of Vermont’s Transportation Committee