The Rockland intersection at McDonalds and the old Burger King (Maverick and Camden Streets, Route 17 and Route 1) is getting attention from the Maine Department of Transportation. In summary, Rockland is getting crosswalks, losing a sidewalk at McDonalds and getting flashing signs telling cars to slow down. Is that good enough? A young mom who bikes with her child to school through this intersection told me she does not think so and she wrote to MDOT.

You have until December 21 to write to them also. The design and comment site is: https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/1ac999e5ae9a47c5a53872805b28f799

This intersection is active with people who often struggle to safely drive, walk and bike to work, school, restaurants, laundry, gymnasiums, grocery stores, and doctors’ offices. This area is developing as a mixed use neighborhood. It is important to recognize there will be more housing, businesses, bikes, foot traffic, and walking elderly in Rockland’s future.

New housing units for the elderly are being built on Maverick Street specifically to offer walking to services to encourages active lives.

Rockland deserves streets and intersection that are enjoyable and safe with very slow traffic, wide sidewalks, safe bike lanes, tree esplanades, benches, easy crosswalks, bump-outs and beauty. What I would like is a roundabout at this intersection. (This is NOT a rotary with confusing lanes.) A roundabout would be ideal for this intersection because it:

Offers a gateway to Rockland that is calming and signals community;

Keeps traffic flowing but at reduced speeds;

Eliminates wasted gas and pollution at stop lights;

Prioritizes pedestrians over vehicles;

Allows large trucks to use a ramped part of a roundabout but keeps the overall diameter neighborhood-scaled;

Encourages an intersection to be a neighborhood street feeder and not a highway;

Offers a physical structure that insists on a slower passage;

Does not use electricity or large poles for flashing signs that creates visual urban clutter; and

Encourages new businesses and housing to add to the tax base of an attractive neighborhood.

Rockland’s Comprehensive Plan says walkability, safety, and attractive neighborhoods are high priorities. MDOT needs to reconsider this design with a broader scope and gather funding that fits a broader scope.

Connie Hayes lives in Rockland