To the editor:
I read with great interest the Current article on the Rail Trail and the significant amount of money being spent by the town to improve the Rail Trail and other enhancements for the biking community. While I applaud these efforts I often wonder as I drive through town why our roads are worse than some third world countries and are certainly worse than some in other towns and cities in the states surrounding us here in New England. Antidotally, it’s likely that ½ of our roads in town would be deemed to be in poor condition. I use Humphrey Street, Pleasant Street, Washington Street, Village Street and most particularly West Road as prime examples of this neglect.
Our streets are more like scarred pathways with uneven patchworks of tar than regularly serviced roads of asphalt. You spend most of your time driving seeking to avoid holes and divots versus being in a relaxed state. It is certainly not a pleasurable experience to drive in our town.
On average in town, we are paying a very high property tax price of $8,652 for the enjoyment of this driving experience. This is three times the national average and approximately the same as a single family home in San Francisco where I know they have better roads and bridges than we do.
Conversely, in other states that I often travel to, such as New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine, less than 5% of their roads are deemed to be in poor condition. These states face the same challenges we do here in Massachusetts (harsh winters, freeze-thaw cycles, high traffic volume, heavy vehicles, aging infrastructure, colonial era roads, cost of modernization) yet they are able to properly allocate the time and resources to insure that their citizens are driving on newer or well-maintained roadways that are safe to drive and somewhat pleasurable to be on. I often wonder why places like New Hampshire with no state income tax and no sales tax can have significantly better roads than we do here in Marblehead with more extreme temperatures than we do in the winter. Other cold weather states like Indiana also have great roads because with focus and investment they enable communities to invest in infrastructure.
Our poor infrastructure is costing us every day negatively impacting our economy, creating significant traffic congestion and most certainly doing unnecessary damage to our vehicles particularly on the tires and shocks of our cars.
Again, I applaud the effort on the Rail Trail but why doesn’t the same type of community effort be made on our roads? For every dollar we spend on the Rail Trail, should we not spend $2 or $3 on our road system that all our citizens actually use every day? I see all the investment made for bikers in towns like Lynn and Salem, but I rarely see anyone fully utilizing it particularly on the Lynnway where major dollars were spent creating that pathway.
So, in places where there are great roads what is happening to create that?
Cities and towns that prioritize and maintain their road networks, rather than letting them deteriorate, tend to have higher quality roads.
Robust and stable funding streams, sometimes through dedicated road taxes and/or grants, are crucial for ongoing maintenance and improvement projects. We see lots of road construction in town for the gas piping, but the work done to repair the roads creates an uneven network of patchwork.
Cities and towns serving as major tourist centers, logistical areas or transportation hubs often have well-maintained extensive road networks, such as my example Indiana, with their ”Crossroads of America” program. Can we charge visitors to our town more to enhance our infrastructure?
Cities and towns that implement proactive maintenance, especially in areas with harsh winters or high traffic volumes, are able to keep their roads in good condition.
To me this all comes down to focus and investment. Why not here in our lovely town?
John Phillips
Seaview Avenue
