Dear Editor:

Boothbay voters, please vote yes on items 2, 3, & 4 to improve safety for bicycle, pedestrian and automobiles.

This as not a referendum on developer Paul Coulombe.  It is a traffic safety problem that will only get worse with the growing popularity of the botanical gardens and other attractions bringing more cars to our peninsula.

 We look to Sweden where in 1997 the parliament wrote into law a “Vision Zero" plan, promising to eliminate road fatalities and injuries altogether.  Hans Berg of the national transport agency stated that, “We simply do not accept any deaths or injuries on our roads," and 20 years later are now proving that Sweden can have mobility and safety at the same time.  Example:  road deaths of children under seven have plummeted — from 58 in 1970 to just one in 2012, making Sweden one of the road — safe countries in the world. Sweden has almost 10,000,000 people, many who ride bikes and walk to school and work every day.

Planning and attitude adjustment played the biggest part in reducing accidents. Roads in Sweden were built to prioritize safety over speed or convenience. Low urban speed limits enforced by roundabouts, chicanes and other traffic calming areas have all helped. Safer crossings, including pedestrian bridges/tunnels and zebra stripes flanked by flashing lights and protected with actibumps.

We in Boothbay are fortunate to approve safety measures to lower accident statistics through the proposed roundabout and the bicycle path from the school to Adams Pond Road. The roundabout will strengthen the road safety infrastructure to increase the safety of pedestrians and cyclists by engineered enforced speed reduction in this high pedestrian area and it will encourage increased physical activity, which in turn can help address obesity and raise fitness levels.

Jeannie and Carl Hamrin

Boothbay