Proposal to Edgartown Selectmen						Aug. 7, 2009

We urge the Edgartown Selectmen to set up an ad hoc committee to assess the capacity/capability of Chappaquiddick transportation venues to meet the needs of residents and seasonal visitors.

Rationale: A group has proposed constructing a mixed use bike path on Chappaquiddick, claiming majority public support for the project, and planning on bringing a proposal to Town Meeting in 2009 and/or 2010. This is a radical and aggressive change proposed for Chappy. We consider this specific project to be pre-mature and oppose any further action in that direction without the information requested in this committee’s charge. 

The charge to the committee could include:
·	Assemble and map a complete inventory of Chappy roads, trails and pathways, together with their characteristics
·	Research applicable accident and/or other safety related data with respect to Chappy. Evaluate this information to determine if there are patterns which might indicate safety problems. If problem areas are identified, suggest methodology, both procedural and physical, by which such problems could be managed.
·	Examine existing traffic data for pedestrian, motor vehicles, bicycles, motorcycles, mopeds and other means of transportation on Chappy. If insufficient data exists, suggest information which would be important to an assessment of the island’s needs.

Suggested composition of the committee:

	4 Chappaquiddick residents representing different initial views of a bike path
	1 Member of the Edgartown Planning Board
	1 Member of the Martha’s Vineyard Commission
	1 Member of the Conservation Commission
	Chair to be elected by the committee itself

Prepared by the Sharing Chappy Roads Committee,
Geoff Kontje, Chair

SharingChappyRoads@GMail.com
ChappyBikePath.com