Plans made for Bay Road improvements

Over the past five years, Shelburne has seen 11 bicycle or pedestrian crashes that have resulted in fatalities, injuries, or property damage, according to a recent draft report from the town’s bike and pedestrian path committee.

Among the report’s findings: of the 3,000 working people in Shelburne, only 4 percent used walking or biking as modes of transportation to work, which the committee says could be due to a lack of interconnectedness in town and to neighboring cities.

This year, the committee is focusing on expanding Shelburne’s integrated network of sidewalks, paths, bike lanes, and trails to accommodate walkers, cyclists, and other active travel modes that link parks and recreation facilities to residential neighborhoods, other gathering points, and adjacent communities.

The committee’s three-year plan, still in draft form, features data compiled by Chittenden County Regional Planning and Local Motion showing where Shelburne’s problematic intersections and roads are located. It covers the span between 2018 and now. To read the draft plan, go to shelburnevt.org/DocumentCenter/View/5905/Strategic-Plan-May-23-2023.

“The data is low in volume,” committee member Charlie Jones said. “It doesn’t tell us that there’s technically a major problem, but it does point out that there are problematic intersections right in our community which we need to be thoughtful about, whether it’s improving crossways or improving sightlines or improving signage. We need to be using that data to inform decision-making.”

One major problematic section, not just for walkers and bikers, is the four-way stop at Falls Road crossing Mount Philo Road, according to the report.

“Oftentimes there are fender benders, and people crossing the road have been hit because drivers are not totally attentive.”

The Shelburne selectboard last week approved matching up to $75,000 of the town’s American Rescue Plan Act funds to widen the Bay Road shoulder from the Ti Haul Trail to Harbor Road, a project that is anticipated to cost in at least $130,000. The project has also been submitted to the VTrans Bike and Pedestrian grant program, which encourages safe and convenient facilities for Vermonters who desire alternative transportation opportunities. Should it be accepted, the project will begin as soon as October and extend until fall of next year.

Jones said Bay Road is a key corridor between the Ti-Haul Trail to Shelburne Farms.

“Our committee last year developed a map of treasured places within the town of Shelburne, and this project helps link the village via the Ti-Haul trail to Shelburne farms for both pedestrians, cyclists and other sorts of non-motorized vehicles,” he explained.

The work would widen the existing roadway, with a six-foot asphalt shoulder on the south side of the segment that stretches to the intersection of Harbor Road at the main entrance to the farms.

“Shelburne Farms has been gracious to open up their trail network for free,” Jones said. “People drive and walk there on a regular basis, particularly since the pandemic and the increase in the use of trail systems, just for improving their health and also peace of mind because it’s such a beautiful place. We think that by giving some additional space for cyclists and walkers to walk from town, it’ll open up more increased opportunities to reduce the volume of cars that go to the farm.”

In addition, this builds out a segment that could, in the longer-term, create a triangle of interconnected pathways along the east side of Harbor Road that could be used for events like 5k races.

“I think from the past committee’s standpoint, this (project) has been one of the highest priority items on the list for years,” selectboard member Andrew Everett said.

Jones said the goals and objectives currently being drafted should be supported by sound data in addition to community input. As the committee finalizes changes to the draft plan, residents are encouraged to attend a series of listening sessions — July 12 from 10 a.m. noon at the Pierson Library Community Room and Aug. 13 from 10 a.m-noon at the Shelburne Farmers Market.

“We’re continuing and have received some additional data points that I’ll be adding to an updated version of that draft over the summer to reinforce our message around safety and interconnectedness of neighborhoods,” said Jones. “We’ve got more population-specific data that we’ve been provided. It talks a little bit about growth and where our denser housing stock is. So we’re trying to just marry data with our goals and objectives to ultimately come up with a focus plan for the next three years.”