Hyannis is hard to get around by foot, car, and bicycle. But not for much longer.
Town planners on Wednesday night unveiled their vision of a downtown that will eliminate traffic lights and one-way travel along Main Street and nearby roads.
About 100 people attended the meeting during which town planners presented next steps for a more walkable and safer downtown.
The plan, known as Hyannis Great Streets, will replace traffic lights with stop signs and expand sidewalks and bicycle lanes, with most of the work involving the repainting of road stripes.
"We're using the pavement that we have today; we're not fully reconstructing any streets," Elizabeth Jenkins, Barnstable's director of planning and development, told CAI.
"When you have two-way travel, people are often trying to jockey around the car in front of them or they're thinking about how fast they can move. They're not thinking about a bicyclist or a pedestrian crossing the street."
Three one-way streets converge between Hyannis Harbor and Old Colony Road. That intersection, known as Six Points, presents what town planners call "a hurdle" in the restoration of two-way traffic to Hyannis’ one-way streets. Barnstable will install a temporary rotary as the town works on a long-term solution.
Jenkins said Hyannis Great Streets work is expected to be completed by fall of next year.
