On June 24, 2020

Road changes seem to be progressively insidious

Dear Editor,

I was really peeved to see this proposal “…to eliminate the ‘slip lane’ at the intersection of West Hill Road and replace the intersection with a roundabout,”  rehashed in the Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, Inc. (VHB) “Killington Road Master Plan” as reported last week.

Creating a “roundabout” or “rotary” has been proposed before with the expressed desire to “calm” traffic which, in laymen’s terms, means create a traffic jam. Yet somehow VHB walks this concept back in the presentation, “Most traffic is on Killington Road … so the roundabout would essentially be a straight-through … and not a bottleneck.”

If it’s “a straight-through,” then why create it, at significant expense, to begin with.

I am fervently against the elimination of the slip lane as it keeps traffic moving smoothly at that intersection. It’s bad enough there’s a traffic light there which is only effective during winter weekends that otherwise just wastes people’s time sitting there waiting for it to change. The town should have bit the bullet and kept the capability to change the light to a blinking red in the off season but chose instead to make it a permanent traffic stop light. Now they want to put in a “roundabout.”

These changes seem to progress insidiously: first change the light to a more inconvenient system then build a roundabout to create further congestion. And for what reason?

To slow down traffic so people will impulsively pull into roadside businesses instead of sitting in traffic.

Not long ago, when this was first proposed, I canvased the West Hill Road neighborhood including Weathervane Drive and presented a petition to the Select board, signed by virtually every full-time resident in that neighborhood, which requested no further consideration of eliminating the slip lane be undertaken. And yet here we go again.

Vito Rasenas, Killington

Do you want to submit feedback to the editor?

Send Us An Email!

Related Posts

Gov. Phil Scott, we’ve never needed you more, where are you?

July 2, 2025
Dear Editor, I was scheduled to be the final speaker at the “No Kings” rally in Burlington last week. Unfortunately, the event ran longer than anticipated, and I was not able to address the crowd. Here’s what I had planned to say:  Good afternoon. My name is Larry Satcowitz. I’m a state representative from Randolph.…

H.454 passed but not a done deal

July 2, 2025
By Rep. Peter Conlon Editor’s note: Rep. Peter Conlon, D-Cornwall, is chair of the House Education Committee. The passage of the education bill, H. 454, in the General Assembly, and presumably gaining the governor’s signature into law, marks the start of efforts to transform Vermont’s education system into one that recognizes the incredible demographic changes…

The worst bill in modern U.S. history

July 2, 2025
By U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders Editor’s note: Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) gave the following remarks Sunday, June 29, on the floor of the U.S. Senate opposing President Trump’s “Big, Beautiful Bill.” Mr. President: President Trump’s so-called “Big, Beautiful Bill,” now on the floor of the Senate, is the most dangerous piece of legislation in the modern history…

Protecting SNAP protects farmers

July 2, 2025
Dear Editor, As the director of the Burlington Farmers Market I am deeply concerned about what’s happening in Congress right now and the potential to gut Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Medicaid, two of the most essential programs that help people put food on the table and get the healthcare they need. At our…