-----Original Message-----
From: <vcolantonio@comcast.net>
Sent: Thursday, August 13, 2009 7:42 PM
To: selectmen@edgartown-ma.us
Subject: 2 more against the Chappy Bikepath

Please count my wife Dawn, a registered voter, and I as two more taxpayers and residents of Chappy who are against any futherance of the shared use path on Chappy. We see no benefit to this proposal when so many more less expensive and less disruptive options are available to keep Chappy's roads safe for everyone. 

Please let your common sense prevail and first be sure a throrough needs assesment is in hand that sets out the parameters of the public safety issues, if any. Next, look at a range of potential solutions if the assessment data supports critical public safety need. Third, ask whether Chappy residents prefer one solution over others. It makes no sense to us to have a silver-bullit solution, a mixed use bike path, plucked from thin air and then to frame a set of problems that supports the solution chosen. This is 
not planning process. 

We believe the solution for safe, efficient mulit-use traffic flow on the one paved road on Chappy can be found by looking at Main Street, South Water Street, North Water Street and Circuit Ave in OB; literally, let everyone have access to the roadbed. This works well all over the world and it takes the car out of the top dog status on the pavement.

There is a new national movement in the US that is changing the paradign in transportation and traffic engineering and is developing a wide range of new practices that work to improve safety, traffic flow and even civility. 

Small Italian villages, the Irish countryside, the Cotswald section of England and rural areas from Australia to China, Russia to South Africa operate on a basic traffic theory of planned chaos. Trucks, cars, motorcycles, sooters, minibikes, ox carts, bicycles, walkers and even an occasional flock of sheep all share the roadway. When they all do, there is a 'psychological traffic calming' of otherwise aggressive behaviors. Users of the roadway negotiate the right of way with eye contact, a nod, or other personal interaction. Cyclists look after pedestrians, drivers look after cyclists and everyone looks after themselves. 

Sharing the road in this way, with everyone on it, works especiall well if the road is made to seem dangerous, the more dangerous the road seems, the safer it becomes. Yes, its counterintutive, but yes it works. In Florida and at the New Jersey DOT engineers are diminishing the width of the travel lanes, removing road signs, removing curbs, painting away the center stripe, planting flowers and letting the sight lines get shorter by allowing roadside vegatation to grow to the road shoulder. 

Without the signs, curbs and center stripe, traffic has slowed down and accidents have been reduced by as much as 35%. 

Can Chappy accomplish a safe and efficient traffic plan without new infrastructure? You bet we can!
The more effective yet, albeit, counterintutive approach that works across the country and around the world is one we should adopt for our model. 

We hope the selectmen will take the lead in putting an end to enabling the shared path to gain traction when, the very proven, very inexpensive, and very efficient road sharing option can be more effective.

Much engineering work has been done in road sharing, in particular, by Hans Monderman from Holland. Google him or read about his traffic management theories. They are changing the way modern Amrrican planners are designing our transportation networks. Developing road sharing methodolgies on Chappy is, we believe, the key to keeping our roads safe and fullfilling the minimal infrastructure lifestyle that we seek here.

Victor & Dawn Colantonio
55 Lighthouse road
Edgartown