The transportation and parking study results presented at the Waterville City Council chambers on Dec. 5 provided a good sense of how two-way traffic could be established in downtown Waterville. I must give credit to the presenters. I like and support the two-way traffic plan.

It is a large endeavor for a financially strapped city to undertake. With many unanswered questions and stakeholders, such as the federal and state departments of transportation, holding some of those answers, the first and foremost question is what to do next, if indeed anything.

The first thing that can be done to pave the way for success in this endeavor is to establish the Front Street-Chaplin Street-College Avenue traffic light intersection and corridor. Even without making Front Street two-way, including this connection would be of civic and commercial importance by reducing isolation of the police department and providing another entrance way to upper Main Street more directly from Front Street.

This could turn focus to the next step of making Front Street two-way to Temple St. with a light intersection at Temple-Front-Head-of-Falls to ease access for pedestrians and vehicles in that rather tight intersection.

I believe these two steps can be done with minimum impact and moderate cost while in that same timeframe the kinks of re-routing U.S. Route 201 can be worked out, setting the next stage for establishing a working two-way traffic solution.

“Parking?” you say? One can save $5,000 a year by leaving the car at home and taking KVCAP’s public transportation. That and enjoy riding a bike or moped when weather permits.

Or walk the urban sidewalks.

Robert Sezak

Fairfield