Antrim residents asked to comment on road safety
Antrim residents have begun weighing in on traffic concerns using an interactive map and survey from the Antrim Planning Board as part of Antrim’s Complete Streets Implementation Grant. COURTESY IMAGE ANTRIM PLANNING BOARD
| Published: 05-28-2024 12:05 PM |
The Antrim Planning Board is asking residents to weigh in on road safety and accessibility issues in town using a survey developed as part of a Complete Streets Implementation grant.
Antrim residents recently received online surveys, and fliers with QR codes and links are posted in multiple locations around town.
The survey, which was funded by the Keene-based Monadnock Alliance for Sustainable Transportation and supported by the Southwestern Regional Planning Committee, is available to Antrim residents at surveymonkey.com/r/ZSJ9SRH. The survey can be found on the town website and will be live until June 16.
“We are looking at all forms of traffic in Antrim, all the ways people get from one location to another. Not just cars, but children walking to school, bicycles, and pedestrian traffic,” Mark Murdough, chair of the Antrim Planning Board, said.
Murdough encouraged all residents to take the survey and weigh in with ideas and concerns.
“There is an interactive map where people can indicate areas of concern,” Murdough said. “We know there are a lot of concerns about safety in the downtown area, in particular, with pedestrian safety and speed. We have six crosswalks downtown and historically, that has been a concern.”
After receiving a Complete Streets Implementation grant in fall 2023, the Antrim Planning Board created a seven-member Complete Streets subcommittee, which will meet five times over five months. According to Murdough, the goal of the committee is to get a “holistic view” of traffic safety concerns in town, with particular focus in the downtown area.
“We have heard from a lot of people about lighting, both at the Planning Board and through community input, ” Murdough said.
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After gathering and analyzing data, the committee will create a Complete Streets policy for Antrim, making recommendations to the Select Board on best practices for traffic safety improvements. The Select Board will then weigh the committee’s recommendations and decide which initiatives to implement.
“Once we have presented a policy to the Select Board, it becomes similar to a master plan,” Murdough said.
Serving on the committee with Murdough are John Anderson of the Planning Board, Antrim Police Chief John Blake, Antrim Planning Board consultant Carol Ogilvie, Antrim Select Board member Bob Edwards, Antrim Road Agent Tyler Tommila, Antrim Elementary School Principal Beth Gibney and Great Brook Middle School Principal Adam Caragher.
“By August or September, we should have the Complete Streets policy together. Then we’ll move forward to the next step, which will be looking at how to correct the safety issues we have,” Murdaugh said. “Once we have the policy in place, we will start looking at what improvements the town could do internally, and which recommendations we might need additional funding for. It could include sidewalks; it could include bike lanes, lightning, traffic calming or other measures.”
Murdough noted that funding for recommended safety initiatives could include additional Complete Streets funding as well as other grant sources for accessibility and transportation safety.
Information about the Antrim Planning Board Complete Streets Grant is available at antrimnh.org/sites/g/files/vyhlif2736/f/news/complete_streets_survey.pdf.
