Gary and Miriam Hedderson shared this photo of a Main Street in a small town near Boston.
Similar designs can be seen in small (and not wealthy) towns in Vermont and New Hampshire. This one we thought was the best. They have parallel parking on the main street with additional parking behind the stores. This allows for a wider boulevard on one side. They have installed lockblock space in front of the businesses there. It is wide and pedestrian friendly, with the addition of benches and trees. All of this could have been done in stages with a long range plan in place.
An idea would be to do this on our main street on the south side of Opeongo Line from Madawaska Outdoors to the Cat Nap & Lazy Dog. We haven’t the width of street as shown in the picture, but could even eliminate parking on that side to give extra width. There is lots of additional parking behind the Post office. Again, it doesn’t have to all happen next week – plan long range, do the infrastructure. Benches, trees, raised beds etc. could be donated!
We think that both residents and visitors would appreciate an attractive streetscape and a reason to spend time and to do business in the downtown area.
Thank-you for sharing!