Wendy Oellers-Fulmer: It takes a village to get safer roads for community

To The Daily Sun,

Young Road is a narrow, mile-long dead-end road — shared daily by walkers, cyclists, and even horseback riders (we have 33 horses on this road). It’s part of what makes our community so special.

But over time, many neighbors and visitors became increasingly concerned about the volume of traffic — especially commercial vehicles — and the tendency for drivers to speed. Together, these issues made the road feel unsafe.

So … we came together.

A petition was organized, supported by 45 residents. We gathered data on state and town regulations, along with traffic data provided by the police department that clearly highlighted the safety concerns.

We presented our findings at the selectboard meeting two weeks ago, and for review at the public hearing ... 

It was approved. 

The selectboard shared how impressed they were with the strong, unified support from our community — and it truly made a difference.

What this means:

• The speed limit has been reduced to 25 mph
• New signs to notify about bicyclists, riders and walkers have been installed
• A speed display device will soon be in place to help drivers stay aware

We are thankful for the support provided by Gilford Police Department, Department of Public Works, Planning Office, Selectboard and Town Manager Scott Dunn, for guiding us through the correct and legal process.

This is what happens when a community works together. Thank you to everyone who signed, supported, and showed up.

Safer roads start with all of us.

Wendy Oellers-Fulmer

Gilford