To the editor:

I read Josh Bickford’s column about his pledge to drive slower and more carefully around bicyclists, and it reminded how grateful I am that Barrington village has new sidewalks to help pedestrians walk to the YMCA safely.  

As residents of the Barrington Village neighborhood, we are thrilled that the village is truly becoming walker-friendly through the addition of new sidewalks. Although it is true that this project is taking some time to complete, all of the businesses in the area will benefit from the practical and attractive nature of the new sidewalks and parking areas.  

As a family of four, we walk to the YMCA as much as we can, and the new sidewalks on West street are absolutely wonderful. In the past, we were nervous about walking with our children because people drove really fast, but now we feel much safer and walk even more often as a result.  

As far as the complaints about traffic delays on Maple Avenue, if you ask anyone who lives in the area, they are likely to agree that people drive much too fast on Maple Avenue, which is partially a residential area. Perhaps speeding drivers may feel obliged to slow down a bit. Hey, maybe they will even be more likely to notice all the nice little businesses we have in our community.  

The upgrades to the community will definitely attract people who like the idea of walking to local businesses — a feature of Barrington that is missing throughout the majority of Rhode Island towns — particularly ones with excellent school districts. 

This project shows that our town planner, Philip Hervey, has the foresight to help attract future businesses and residents to this town. 

Thank you. As current residents, we really appreciate this project. 

Lisa Narcisi Stewart 

Barrington