The Town Plan and Zoning Commission have initiated the process to update the Plan of Conservation and Development (POCD) and will be publishing a revised plan for the years 2017 – 2027. BWG President Jeff Stein submitted the following input on behalf of BWG:

I am writing on behalf of Bike/Walk Glastonbury (BWG) in my capacity as president.

BWG is a volunteer organization of people living or working in Glastonbury. Our mission is to create and implement a comprehensive plan to provide safe and scenic walking and cycling experiences for the community. The purpose of this letter is to provide BWG recommendations relating to the Plan of Conservation and Development 2017-2027 (POCD) section entitled “Town-Wide Transportation and Traffic Circulation– Planning area Seven”.

We have reviewed an early draft of this section. Item 12 certainly supports BWG’s mission and should be retained. Also we strongly recommend that the “Complete Streets’ policy which was formally adopted by the town in February, 2015, be given a prominent place in this Transportation section. In addition, a definition of “Complete Streets” should be included because some readers may not be familiar with this terminology.

This addition of “Complete Streets” to POCD will make it clear that Glastonbury is committed to an approach that requires streets to be planned, designed, operated, and maintained to enable safe, convenient and comfortable travel and access for users of all ages and abilities regardless of their mode of transportation. Complete Streets allows for safe travel by those walking, cycling, riding public transportation, driving automobiles, or delivering goods.

I understand that this POCD section will be up for discussion at 6:00 May 9 in meeting room A. We will plan to be present at that meeting to support these recommendations.

Jeff Stein, President BWG