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A Woodstock committee coordinating with Vermont’s wider “Safe RoutesVT” program has put together a “Safe Routes to School Travel Plan” that is now ripe for local feedback.
The Safe Routes committee will be holding a public meeting for this purpose, on Wednesday, April 4 at 7 p.m. in the upstairs meeting room at Town Hall. It precedes the normal Woodstock Planning Commission meeting at 7:30pm.
The overall purpose is to make pedestrian and bicycling routes as safe as possible for local students and the community. The plan includes suggestions ranging from additional crosswalks to technology to teach students about bicycle and pedestrian safety, among other ideas.
The lack of safe crossing areas and apparent speed of vehicles in some parts of Woodstock Village was one of the major concerns of Woodstock community member Hasse Halley who spoke of her concern to Village officials only weeks before she died last Fall after crossing the street in the area of the Rec Center Bridge and being hit by a pick-up truck.
After the tragedy, Village Trustee Bob Pear picked up the call for better safety measures as Woodstock Elementary School’s Karen White independently began coordinating the Safe Routes program.
The Town of Woodstock in recent years completed a review of safety measures, speeds and accident statistics which Police Chief Robbie Blish alluded to in a meeting last Fall. However, at that time, the executive summary of findings was not provided.
Parents and other community members are encouraged to read the new plan, which is posted on the Woodstock Town Website: http://www.townofwoodstock.org. Click on “Safe Routes to School Report” on the left of the page.
The report was compiled with the help of the Vermont Safe Routes to School Resource Center, which has a website: http://www.SafeRoutesVT.org.
For more information, please contact Woodstock Elementary School Principal Karen White at (802) 457-2522 or kwhite@wcsu.net.
Julia Carlisle
Woodstock Early Bird 