In the article, “Overlay Discussion Pushed to Winter Town Meeting,” published Sept. 25, referring to a new traffic study that will be undertaken as part of the Belmont Center rezoning project, Select Board member Elizabeth Dionne is quoted as saying, “I don’t think traffic is as bad as people are claiming it is or will be.” I have lived a block from Belmont Center for four decades and traverse it almost daily. What I have experienced and continue to experience is very heavy traffic that travels entirely too fast, both through the center, on Pleasant Street, and up Concord Avenue. Crossing Leonard Street at a crosswalk requires being on high alert at all times, waving at drivers to stop or at least slow down, and short-leashing my dogs to make sure they are safe until we reach the other side. Traffic in and around the center is and has been bad for years. I find Ms. Dionne’s comment utterly puzzling. Anyone who has ever walked or driven near or through the center knows this quite well.
Evanthia K. Mallris, Pleasant Street