Editor, The Smithfield Times:

This may seem early, but each year on Oct. 31, Downtown Smithfield opens its arms to thousands of joyful and excited children and their families. The exuberance of Halloween flows into the parallel streets of Grace and Thomas. I am writing this letter to protect those children as they trip along in masks and costumes, darting in their excitement to collect goodies on Thomas Street.

Each year Main and Grace streets are closed to traffic during the festival. Thomas Street has never been closed during my 10 years as a resident. I have in the past, to protect the children, asked the street to be closed to cars and was told “no” by various town and police agencies. So this year I am asking for a simpler solution in plenty of time for voting, planning and implementation.

Here is the problem: Cars driving down Church Street turn onto Thomas Street and have no warning of the hundreds of children who are on Thomas Street trick-or-treating, and it is only by God’s grace that no one has been hit by a car. Unknowing drivers have to dodge super heroes and princesses as they traverse house to house and back and forth to and from Main and Grace. Less than a hundred yards away when the vehicle is driving down on Thomas Street and approaching Grace Street (as the two streets, Thomas and Grace, are contiguous) and gets to the corner of Grace and Mason they will see warnings by large reflective paint signs, a patrol car, policemen, lights and a notice that Grace Street is closed. That warning is too late if a child is struck 50 yards earlier on Thomas.

I propose, to prevent any tragedy, that at the very least this year a policeman with safety gear, flashlight and a sign “Careful of Children at Play” be placed at the corner of Church and Thomas streets to slow turning cars. This would still allow traffic on Thomas and warn the drivers of the turning cars of the impending danger of darting children on Thomas. This would also be helpful to the visiting families who park in The Smithfield Center parking lot to safely cross the intersection on Church Street. I believe that other holidays downtown, like July 4th, etc., the town has posted a policeman at that same intersection for the safety of all.

 

Vicky Adams

Smithfield