NORWICH — A plan to improve crosswalks in the heart of town has drawn the ire of some residents who worry the addition of blinking lights to alert drivers to pedestrians will detract from the village’s charm.
Opponents argue there are plenty of places already for people to cross the street safely, and too many signs dotting the roadway.
They worry the pedestrian-activated lights, which are similar to those deployed at some Hanover crosswalks, would further clutter roadsides.
“It’s astonishing how much the village has changed in my short 30 years living here, little by little. One small things after another,” Carpenter Street resident Anne Marie Smith wrote to Selectboard Chairman John Pepper last month. “As disturbing as it is to me, I simply cannot imagine how multigenerational Norwichians feel.”
Town officials counter that steps are needed to improve safety on Main Street, which sees about 1,800 cars a day, according to the Vermont Agency of Transportation. For example, elementary school students could use the crosswalks to access the Marion Cross School and other public buildings.
“There’s been a concern about the need for some traffic calming in town for some locations,” Selectboard member John Langhus said on Monday. “The town decided to do speed bumps and that was vigorously opposed by some people.”
The flashing signs, which are scheduled to be installed this summer, are funded by two grants the town obtained from VTrans.
A 2017 grant would pay for crosswalk upgrades in front of Tracy Hall and the town green, and a 2018 grant would pay for improvements in front of Norwich Inn and Norwich Congregational Church, according to Town Manager Herb Durfee.
Each crossing would be equipped with a pair of “solar-powered rectangular rapid flashing beacons,” flashing lights that are activated by a button.
The lights are similar to those used on West Wheelock Street in neighboring Hanover, Durfee said.
The VTrans grant will cover 50% of the costs, which were estimated to total $8,000 per crossing in 2017.
Smith said on Monday that she walks through the village frequently, and her children trekked daily to attend the Marion Cross School.
“If I don’t feel the need for (the crosswalks) myself or for my children, I’m curious what is suddenly prompting the need for it?” she asked, adding that Norwich doesn’t see the constant traffic that downtown Hanover does.
Durfee said he’s not aware of any accidents that prompted the effort to enhance the crosswalks. Though he said he’s experienced near misses while attempting to cross the street.
Debate over the crosswalks has been front and center in the town’s Listserv, and Smith’s was one of three people who emailed concerns to Pepper, the Selectboard chairman.
Ernie Ciccotelli, a Norwich attorney, said he’s heard from about three dozen people opposed to the crosswalk plans since he began posting messages in recent weeks.
“I’m not actually as concerned about the lights in and of themselves so much as what is the constant and incessant upgrading of infrastructure in ways that don’t make a lot of sense in a small community,” he said in a phone interview.
The town has several times taken grant money to upgrade roads that either don’t need it or traditionally required little maintenance, Ciccotelli said.
By contrast, Langhus said he’s only heard about the crosswalks from one resident.
While opposition doesn’t appear to be unreasonable, he said, people should have been engaged when the grant application was submitted.
“The point to disagree with that was two years ago,” Langhus said. “I certainly have no interest in revisiting that.”
The Selectboard is scheduled to discuss the crosswalk effots when it next meets at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday at Tracy Hall.
Tim Camerato can be reached at tcamerato@vnews.com or 603-727-3223.