By Taryn Plumb
Turley Publications Reporter
STURBRIDGE – Early afternoon on a weekday: Route 131 whirs and hums, a blur of SUVs, compacts, trucks, service vehicles and school buses. In a constant parade, they rattle and whiz by. The lulls – when there are any – last mere seconds, silence abruptly overtaken by a growing rumble.
Want to cross? Wait…wait…wait…Now! Go! Dash!
No doubt, officials and residents say, Sturbridge isn’t the most pedestrian-friendly place.
But, as the town moves forward on several planning projects and a major overhaul of one of its busiest roads, the hope is that pedestrians can soon roam free.
“We really want to raise awareness of walkability,” said Town Planner Jean Bubon. “How walkable are our sidewalks?”
Right now? Not very.
Among the issues discovered during a recent walkability workshop hosted by the Central Massachusetts Regional Planning Commission: Too few sidewalks, crosswalks and benches throughout town; too-narrow sidewalks; not enough public parking.
But ultimately, the hope is to eventually have a system in which people of all abilities (able-bodied, elderly, disabled, moms and dads pushing baby carriages and strollers) can walk around, poke in shops, and also sit when they want to.
Officials stressed that there is nothing in the works right now in terms of seeking grants or reconfiguring infrastructure to improve walkability. However, the goal is to incorporate pedestrian-friendly measures into several planning projects now in the works, including the master plan and the commercial tourist district revitalization plan, as well as the Burgess Elementary School project and the Route 131 reconstruction.
On the part of the planning board, it also means being cognizant of incorporating sidewalks and walk-throughs into new housing developments, which often (and inadvertently) discourage walking with cul-de-sacs and dead-ends, Bubon said.
Similarly, noted Jonathan Church, principal planner with CMRPC, parking lot entrances throughout town should be addressed – hardly any are oriented toward the pedestrian.
“When you go to cross them on they’re sidewalk, they’re designed to give the vehicles right-of-way, ” he explained, whereas they should be constructed to force cars to slow down and first allow pedestrians to pass.
CMRPC, which has explored walkability in Spencer, Hopedale and West Boylston, among other area towns, suggests sidewalks a minimum of five feet wide and crosswalks every 150 feet in the most heavily trafficked areas.
Another thing to keep in mind, Church said, is incorporating pedestrian traffic into urban design by linking sidewalks and crosswalks with trails and parks; Sturbridge might also consider capitalizing on its main tourist destination, Old Sturbridge Village, by directing sidewalks to its entrance.
All told, increasing walkability can help people to slow down and actually enjoy what’s out there, from shops to restaurants, Church explained. And, ultimately, it can help to increase tourism – something officials are constantly striving for. Similarly, amidst increased concerns about carbon footprints, it’s a positive way to promote green energy, he said.
“It’s really just coming up with a plan that allows people to circulate around town without the need of a motorized vehicle, ” said Church.
But, he and others noted, there are some issues to overcome before the town is privy to more foot traffic.
For instance, there’s the quandary of Route 20, which is a state-maintained road, explained Sandra Gibson-Quigley, vice chair of the town’s planning board.
If the town does indeed intend to make it more walkable, they would have to take back control of it, she explained. It’s an idea that’s been “kicked around” in the past, she explained, but there’s no plan in the works to actually move forward on it.
Ultimately, “we would like to see (Route 20) as a road where people can stop and shop, or get out of their cars and do things, ” she said.
But there’s also a question of destination.
“Where are you going to go?” said Gibson-Quigley, who described “nodes” of areas along the main roadways in town with big lapses of activity in between.
Clearly, the issue isn’t just as simple as laying down concrete or painting lines across the street.
“Creating a walkable community isn’t something you can just do,” she said. However, the different routes (both figural and literal) to walkability are now “percolating” as the town moves forward on its overarching projects.
“This is the perfect time to be bringing in these ideas,” she said.
