Canton St. Sidewalk
I have had many conversations with residents about this issue and look forward to having many more.
I believe that there needs to be a LOT more community discussion before any decisions are made.
The town has a lot of work to do to understand - by sharing information and collecting data - exactly what Westwood residents want, and what is best for the town. Although Canton St. is currently being discussed, Gay St. and Nahatan St. have also had to address the tension between these competing interests, and I can think of many more similar streets in Westwood.
Walking outdoors is good for your physical and mental health, and safe public sidewalks encourage this. Safe public sidewalks can connect people to other neighbors, and neighborhoods, in their community. It is obviously good for our environment when people choose to walk, instead of drive, to their local destination.
I am a daily walker. I like to meet other people out walking dogs, pushing strollers, and riding bikes.
I plan my route based on safety, and, because there are no sidewalks on my stretch of Nahatan Street, I mostly walk in Norwood. I have spoken with other Westwood residents who similarly plan their routes to avoid dangerous busy streets with a lot of car traffic and no sidewalks. I have often wished that Westwood had sidewalks on every busy street in town.
At the same time, Westwood is a beautiful old New England town with winding and meandering country roads lined with historic homes, stone walls, wetlands, scenic meadows, and mature trees. This is very much a part of its charm and its character.
I support getting state or federal funding for town projects whenever we can. However, it should not be the primary driver of any project. Even if the state offered to fund 100% of a project, I would not support moving forward if the residents don’t want it, or if it’s just not the right project for Westwood. We can’t let the tail wag the dog.
I am aware that over 600 residents of the Canton Street neighborhoods signed a petition opposing the original plan. I am also aware that there is some flexibility in the DOT program, and that the design originally proposed has been scaled down in response to community feedback.
Canton St. residents, and other town residents, need to understand the exact details, and costs to the town, of the current proposal. Similarly, the town needs to understand what Canton St. residents, and other town residents, want, and which aspects of the proposal, specifically, they object to, and which ones they support. We all need to decide whether we can afford to take on this project at this time, in light of other community priorities.
Ideally, we will arrive at a compromise solution, through a transparent public process, which can also be applied to other streets in town when future public funding opportunities arise.