I returned home from a week of business travel and, the next morning, ventured out on my six-mile walk. Heading south on Magee Street from Hubbard, I was disappointed to see the barricade reset at the intersection of Magee and Somerset.
Living off the delta of Hubbard, Moses and Magee, no one is more aware of the lunatic behavior of drivers, who think that finding faster ways off County Road 39 to get to east of the village is like some kind of a driving labyrinth game.
That being said, if the village thinks that this blockade is needed, does it have to be 150 feet wide to block a 25-foot entry and exit point? Are we expecting the need for crowd control? Do we think that if just the mouth of the street is blocked, drivers will decide to jump curbs and drive across lawns if they think they can pick up 45 seconds?
How about a little consideration for the walkers or bicycle riders? There is no way for us to break through this fortress, unless we walk across 50 feet of bumpy, wet, muddy terrain on one side, or walk through sticks and leaves (and ticks) on the other. Must the village be so draconian to protect Somerset from aggressive walkers, runners or bicyclists?
Stopping vehicle traffic from the maze and web of streets that flow from the town to the village, and then back, may be a futile goal. What needs to be done, and in a hurry, is to make it uncomfortable and more difficult for folks who think they are driving in a Le Mans race.
Get the traffic calming rumble strips and speed bumps put down. Police the folks who speed and those who tap the brakes as they blow through stop signs. Grab those who exit off County Road 39 onto Hubbard on two wheels, slow down to 30 mph at the stop sign by Southampton Commons, and then challenge themselves to see how quickly they can get to 60 mph before they roll through the triangle of Hubbard, Moses and Magee.
Wait, I have a better idea: Let’s add an aquatic center. That’ll slow them down.
We need action now throughout this entire area, before we have a fatality. We live in a very beautiful and walkable area. Let’s keep it safe.
Neil Schamus
Southampton
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