HOULTON, Maine — Prompted by numerous complaints, the practice of closing one lane of traffic in downtown Houlton on Saturday mornings for the Community Market has been scrapped.
Houlton Police Chief Joe McKenna informed the council Monday evening that while he still thinks the concept is valid from a pedestrian safety standpoint, closing one side of Market Square to vehicle traffic simply created too many additional problems to continue the practice.
For the past three weekends, the northern side of Market Square was closed to vehicle traffic. All three weekends, however, saw complaints from residents and business owners in the downtown. Numerous vehicles, when they saw one side of the road was closed, simply went down the other side and into the path of oncoming traffic, the chief said.
“Again this weekend some issues came up,” McKenna said. “So what we are now proposing is to move the vendors into the parking spaces along the center aisle.”
Starting this Saturday, June 13, vendors will set up booths in the parking spaces along the northern side of Market Square (the side facing Key Bank and the Temple Theatre). Vehicle traffic will again be allowed to flow through the downtown normally, the chief said.
If the number of vendors outgrows a level where the parking spaces on that side of the street, the spaces on the opposite side of the median will also be cordoned off, the chief said. A line of traffic cones will be placed along the edge of the parking spaces to provide a small buffer for the vendors, whose backs will be to the traffic.
“I think this will put an end to any issues regarding the traffic flow pattern,” McKenna said. “I think this meets what everyone’s issue has been in the past.”
The idea to close a section of Market Square was first brought up at a May 11 council meeting. At that time, McKenna stated he had serious concerns with the risk of pedestrians being struck by moving vehicles.
Rob Lawless, president of the Houlton Community Market Association, stated he was not in favor of the plan and preferred to see the road stay closed.
“The original reason for closing the street was safety for the market customers,” Lawless said. “I am still of the mind that having the street open (creates) a possibility of someone getting hit by a car. People walk around and sometimes don’t pay attention. I would hate to see anyone hit by a car and that was the primary reason for this.”
Lawless added a secondary reason was the association wanted to create a festival atmosphere in the downtown, featuring music, in the hopes that it would draw more people.
“We want people to come down and spend some time,” he said. “By re-opening the street, that will be a difficult task to accomplish.”
Lawless added the association board has not ruled out the idea of relocating the Community Market to a different part of town, but would prefer to remain in the downtown.
The Community Market is held every Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. from Memorial Day weekend to Columbus Day.
