Why community input matters

In consideration of a stop sign on the Comm. Ave. carriage at Robinhood St., the Traffic Council seemed poised to recommend removing a stop sign on Robinhood St. and putting a stop sign on the carriage road until a nearby resident pointed out that pedestrian and bicycle traffic from the bridge over the Turnpike is blocked from view of motorists on Robinhood St. approaching the intersection.

This simple point killed the move-the-stop-sign solution, as it should have.

This kind of contribution to the conversation is critical to proper resolution of traffic issues, and can only be made by the people who are intimately aware of the complexities of the particular situation.

It is no insult to the vastly more experienced members of Traffic Council to say that there is a particular form of expertise that comes only from living in a neighborhood.

Fortunately, the Traffic Council members seem to get this important point.