Many of us bought our homes a while ago, probably in part because of their rural location. In many cases trees kept the house from full display to the road, and the road itself was often a winding country byway.
But Southern New Hampshire towns have grown in population since then, and those rural byways have in many instances become alternative routes to get to the highway, or back-road speedways for drivers seeking to avoid daily traffic jams.
The population of our towns is headed only one way, and that’s up. It’s not just single-family homes that we’re seeing under construction, but multi-story buildings housing apartments and condos. And with the new residents come multiple vehicles, adding up to more and more traffic.
Intersections that were once easily traversed using a stop sign – think Tsienneto Road and Route 102 in Derry – turn into nightmares at certain times of day and require drivers to exercise patience and self-control, two qualities that are often in short supply these days.
With the renewed emphasis on economic development and high density housing – think Londonderry’s residential neighborhoods here – the situation can only get worse.
Towns have Traffic Safety Committees to address residents’ and businesses’ concerns, and as we’ve reported, they are seeing plenty of action. Residents regularly ask for stop signs or reduced speed limits or “no parking” regulations, and while they often don’t get what they are seeking – the towns, for example, can’t regulate state roads, many of which traverse our communities – they point out traffic concerns serious enough to get people off their couches and seeking help from public officials.
As our towns grow, we can rest assured that traffic – and traffic concerns – will grow as well. Check out Sandown, where a school bus stop on a narrow road has upset parents and occupied town officials and Timberlane Regional School District leaders.
Now, before much of the construction is in place, is the time to start a public discussion about our roads – can they accommodate the growth that multi-family housing in former farmland will bring, for example? Are stop signs sufficient to regulate traffic from residential neighborhoods into larger and higher speed roads? Are traffic studies taking into account the questions – and costs – of residential and business growth in neighboring areas? Are we now the suburbs many of us chose to leave behind?
We shouldn’t have to start amassing fatalities to make the point.