DEAR EDITOR:

The subject of traffic has come up in various discussions and letters to the editor about the development of Enterprise Park in Howland. I travel quite a distance to go to the mall to shop, for dental appointments and to eat or meet at various locations in and around the mall. I always take into account the traffic getting to state Route 46 and the traffic there.

Therefore, I am surprised that the developer and the hospital seem not to have seriously taken this into account when considering the placement of a hospital there. I have seen the nightmare of ambulances trying to maneuver through rush hour and / or holiday traffic in various urban areas, and can only imagine how difficult it would be for ill patients to try to get though such traffic on a regular basis.

I believe an access road off of state Route 46 is planned or being built to the facilities. However, getting to that road entails fighting the often very congested Route 46 traffic.

Since we have shown a willingness to endure travel difficulties to do business in the mall, it is to the developer’s advantage to keep that traffic flow high and as unimpeded as possible. In the long run — and the developer and the hospital are in it for the long haul — the traffic alone should make them think long and hard about building a hospital there. What is possible is not always in the best interests for any side, including the customers, potential patients and visitors, based exclusively on traffic and access situations alone.

Please, don’t build a hospital in that location.

L.K. WILLIAMS

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