The Town Council will decide at its meeting next Tuesday whether to go ahead with plans for downtown traffic lights at the the intersections of Main and Portland streets and Main Street and Route 236, and is seeking additional citizen input by Monday.
About 15 people, including those on zoom, attended Tuesday’s public hearing on a study of downtown traffic by Sebago Technics. Council Chair Mallory Cook gave a slide presentation on the history of traffic studies – 17 of them – done by the town over the decades; the timeline of the current study; and a summary of Sebago’s recommendations.
The overall sentiment of the five citizens who spoke at the hearing was that traffic has gotten much worse and something must be done, and it may be time to accept lights.
However, David Bradley, a 50-year resident, suggested the town consider a trial run of portable traffic lights.
“A lot of things look good in print or on a computer,” he said. “Until you actually test it, you really don’t know. Many people move to South Berwick for that small town feel. A rotary or lights will change that forever.”
Cliff Cleary, a seventh generation resident of town, said he recognizes that traffic is a big problem but he hopes parking and town businesses will not be harmed.
“South Berwick is the gateway to Maine,” he said. “I don’t know if this traffic light will work, but if we have it, I just hope to God it works.”
Another speaker, Brett Cropp, said he is a proponent of traffic lights but is concerned that they wouldn’t solve the problem of vehicles cutting through on neighborhood side streets such as Norton and Young to avoid traffic lights, the same way they now do to avoid the congested Portland Street intersection.
Given that South Berwick’s traffic issues go beyond just the downtown, he said, it might be wise to have a traffic advisory committee.
According to Sebago, the hoped-for improvements resulting from traffic lights will be optimized traffic flow, increased visibility for pedestrians, reduction of traffic through local neighborhoods, improved response times for emergency vehicles, and the ability to retain wide sidewalks.
A round-about option included in the Sebago study was not pursued because there is room for only a one-lane roundabout that would be insufficient in the long run, and that traffic pattern does not easily accommodate safe pedestrian crossings.
If the council affirms the traffic light project on Tuesday, which the presentation suggests is its intention, at least one more public hearing will be held as the design develops.
https://cms6.revize.com/…/Traffic%20PH%20Presentation…
South Berwick has rejected various traffic measures since 1985 because citizens voiced strong opposition, saying traffic lights would change the character of the town and downtown parking spaces would be lost.
The Maine Department of Transportation is eager to work with South Berwick but has been frustrated by the town’s history of going only so far without choosing a solution, according to Councilor John James. The state wants to see action taken this time around.
Councilors expressed surprise that so few people showed up for the hearing, and Cook urged townspeople to write to the council with their thoughts. The council will accept letters through Monday, Sept. 25, the day before the council meeting at which the vote will be taken.
