Transportation

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Transportation is a vital and necessary part of the larger planning landscape in the Windham Region. Our transportation infrastructure provides the mechanism for residents and visitors to move about the region and is a fundamental component of social, cultural and economic life.  Ensuring that all residents are able to travel to work, school, healthcare, recreation, and social activities as safely and efficiently as possible is one of the primary goals of this plan.

The rural character of Vermont creates unique transportation challenges. Much of our region is dispersed in rural areas with relatively little commercial, industrial, educational and healthcare infrastructure. This necessitates that residents travel further to access such services than those in more heavily developed areas. For someone living in Jamaica, their commute to work, a visit to the doctor, or a trip to the grocery store can mean an hour and a half round trip to Brattleboro. 

As such, most Vermonters are dependent on access to a personal vehicle to meet the majority of their transportation needs. Ensuring that our roads and bridges are built and maintained to a standard sufficient to safely and efficiently handle the region’s commercial and personal vehicle traffic is critical. This includes being properly maintained during winter and as resilient as possible to the increasingly frequent flood events that we have experienced in the Windham Region over the past decade.

The car dependent nature of the region brings its own challenges. Average annual CO2 emissions are significantly higher in Vermont than New England as a whole. Additionally, transportation is a major challenge for those without access to a personal vehicle and limited alternative transportation options can create substantial barriers to employment, education, and healthcare access. Expanded access to public transit as well as improved infrastructure for bicyclists and pedestrians is critical to reducing the environmental impact of the transportation system as well as ensuring all residents are to get where they need to go to lead happy, healthy, productive lives.

This section outlines the existing conditions and major challenges of the transportation system as well as regional goals for improvements that will benefit the social, cultural, environmental, and economic character of the Windham Region. The plan identifies local and regional implementation strategies to help meet these goals and outline the role the Windham Regional Commission in working with our state and local partners to maintain and improve transportation infrastructure in the Region.