Editorial

It's more than traffic

Over the last few weeks of August's hot weather and now into the fall, it's obvious that the traffic problems of Sisters have become more than "just a few weekends in summer." It is often difficult to get across Cascade Avenue, either from the north side of town east toward Bend or Redmond, or from the south side of town west toward the Santiam Pass.

We have long believed that the community of Sisters needs to devise our own plan to solve this problem, or the Oregon Department of Transportation would impose a solution on us.

The city is attempting to do this with the "couplet refinement plan" process. It is not too soon. Construction on any solution is many years away. But planning takes time.

We don't see this as simply a traffic issue, however.

We have an opportunity here to create a city environment that will benefit generations of Sisters residents. If we can get some of the heavy traffic off of Cascade Avenue, it will make it a more pleasant place. If we widen the sidewalks and give crosswalks a brick-like texture, they will be more pedestrian (shopper) friendly. If we develop better parking on our north/south side streets, we can offer tourists, as well as residents, a more pleasant experience.

There will be benefits to the entire community that will be to the advantage of business owners on Hood and Main avenues as well, even those who oppose the couplet.

Sisters in 10 years, in 20 years, will be as different from today as today's Sisters is different from the small mountain town we arrived in 20 years ago. We have an opportunity now to plan for that future, to help Sisters grow into a place that people will still want to visit, as well as a wonderful place to live.

To get there, we need to start to solve our traffic problems, but this is about more than just traffic.