BRATTLEBORO — Gary Snyder serves on the town ADA Advisory Committee and is a board member for the Vermont Center for Independent Living, a nonprofit advocacy organization designed to “promote the dignity, independence, and civil rights of Vermonters with disabilities,” according to the organization's website.
He noted that while people were walking on Aug. 28 to raise awareness around safety, the physical terrain of downtown can stymie people with mobility issues all year long.
Objects on sidewalks like sandwich boards and seating areas are obstacles for people who use a walker, a wheelchair, or other assistive device, he said.
“Wintertime is terrible,” Snyder continued, pointing out that crosswalks are not shoveled, so people with chairs often end up traveling in the road.
“It's generally hard to get around this town,” he said.
Transportation policy for all
Rep. Mollie Burke, P/D-Brattleboro, serves on the House Committee on Transportation where, in 2011, she co-sponsored a bill commonly referred to as “Complete Streets,” which was enacted into law that same year.
Complete Streets requires transportation planners and other working on road improvements to consider all forms of transportation: feet, bikes, and cars.
According to a Vermont Agency of Transportation guidance document, the law “requires that the needs of all transportation users, regardless of their age, ability, or preferred mode of transportation be considered, regardless of the project's funding source in state and municipal transportation projects and project phases including but not limited to: planning, design, construction, and maintenance.”
Burke said planning that includes all forms of transportation in a compact downtown like Brattleboro “is complicated” and requires a lot of logistics.
One approach is to first test a transportation feature or concept temporarily to test it. Once it is working smoothly and people become used to it, the feature can become permanent.
One example: as part of the Better Block Grant, the town recently awarded funding to the Brattleboro Coalition for Active Transportation to create pop-up bike lanes on Flat Street.
The more people who bike, Burke said, the more infrastructure that will be built around biking. And such infrastructure will conversely inspire more people to use bicycles.
“There's safety in numbers - reclaim the streets for everybody,” Burke said.
One of the biggest changes to make streets more complete, in Burke's opinion, is for communities to shift their mindset that roads are only for cars.
“It's challenging, but not impossible,” Burke said.