I would like to weigh in regarding the proposed redesign of Main Street in Northampton. Don’t misunderstand me. I am totally in favor of more and more people walking or riding their bicycles downtown, and driving their cars there less, to burn less gasoline and help slow global warming.

That said, I’d like to make a list of why a person cannot ride a bicycle to town: It’s raining, it’s snowing or there’s sleet or freezing rain. It’s winter, and just too cold or windy, and the streets are icy. They live too far from downtown for a round-trip bike ride. They are from out of the area and drove to Northampton. They are getting up in years and don’t have the balance or strength to ride a bike. They want to pick up a few large packages. They don’t have the time for a bike trip. They need to give others a ride. They don’t own a bike.

Clearly, for the large majority of shoppers and restaurant patrons, we all need to use our cars to go downtown. Reducing parking places downtown is a bad idea. This will not encourage people to ride bikes. It means less people will be inclined to come downtown, knowing it will be more difficult to find a parking place.

Regarding the plan to reduce the number of lanes on our Main Street from the current four lanes (two each way), to two (one each way), with a center lane for left turners — I understand there is some research that supports this arrangement in certain situations, but I’m not sure it applies to Northampton.

Right now, with two lanes each way, we often experience heavy traffic, with cars backed up sometimes for blocks. This happens frequently during weekends, busy shopping periods, and when the schools and colleges have events with lots of out-of-town visitors, etc.

Can two lanes handle as much traffic as four lanes? Of course not! Fewer cars can move through two lanes than through four lanes. One lane each way (with a center lane for left turners) is not a good idea. Traffic will be worse than it is now.

Another question. The design calls for the creation of two bike lanes on Main Street, one on each side. But there’s a bike path from Florence that comes into Northampton, the Northampton Bikeway, and one that comes from Easthampton, the Manhan Rail Trial, and guess where they meet at Main Street! They cross the railroad bridge near Fitzwilly’s.

Why do we need to take space from Main Street itself for two bike lanes?! Keep the parking places instead.

I’m usually someone who supports new and exciting projects; I don’t like to be a wet blanket. But in this case, the old saying “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” comes to mind.

I do favor several, not-too-expensive improvements, such as adding blinking signage at the crosswalks, white lines defining the lanes in the road on Main Street, and perhaps extending the curbs as was done along Elm Street by Smith College, and maybe more trees and shrubs. But let’s not spend so much money, wherever it comes from, on this Main Street redesign as it now stands.

Stephen Herrell

Florence

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