Addressing Concerns about Traffic, Safety and a Possible Egress

I am a WSC member and live on the west side about midway between the two stores. I work on the east side and routinely shop at the Willy St store. I commute by bike during the ice- and snow-free months, but must otherwise drive due to my work schedule. When I do drive, I anticipate and deal with the hassles of parking. I'm grateful to soon have an option in the west side location. While I understand the need for access from Jenifer St while Willy St is torn up, I do not support it becoming a permanent feature. Jenifer St is fairly narrow and adding an element of commercial traffic would only cause headaches for motorists, pedestrians, and residents alike. I've been told by your neighbors that the Coop made assurances to them that there would be no driveway on Jenifer St. I would hope that promise is honored. If a patron chooses to access the store by driving, he or she should expect and accept the challenges associated with that choice or simply visit the west side location. Shoppers should otherwise be encouraged to use alternate/public transportation.

As a co-op member and resident of Middleton I think Middleton would greatly appreciate and support a satellite (Willy Street Co-op) store in Middleton Springs Shopping center on Allen Blvd - which has several vacant stores and has plenty of parking. Middleton is seeking greater sustainability as evidenced by it's newly approved organic community garden and sustainability committee.

A Willy Street satellite store would serve the people who live in this high density area as well as Madisonians who need easy access during the Williamson Street Road construction. I agree it's too bad to have to drive for groceries BUT when you're feeding a family and want to eat healthy your shopping usually entails 2-4 big and heavy bags. I think people who can bike and walk will continue to do so. I hope to get back to it one day for the purpose of grocery shopping. Thank you.

I live on Jenifer Street less than one block from the co-op and I think an egress is a great idea and should be a PERMANENT change. It just makes sense. It will increase safety and ease the burden of the upcoming Willy St. construction. Those neighbors who oppose the egress are displaying typical NIMBY (not in my back yard) selfish reactions. Think of the greater good people!

The exit onto Williamson St is dangerous for the simple reason that there is too much car traffic on Williamson, and it has increased dramatically over the 10 years that I've lived here. People are impatient and feel frustrated by the traffic, and there is bound to be an accident sooner or later. But to conclude that because there is too much car traffic on Williamson means that we need another car exit on Jenifer is a really slippery slope. No matter how you look at, too many cars are the main problem. I don't think this is being snide to people who drive to the Co-op because they don't live in the neighborhood, but just admitting a fact about driving to the Co-op: as a driver in less-than-ideal conditions, you need to be even more responsible, and more patient, than you would be under other circumstances. People in other places deal with this, and so can you.

I want to see the Co-op thrive, but I'm also concerned about jumping to the conclusion that we always need to make traveling to the Co-op by car (or traveling anywhere by car) easier. This is what most cities, including Madison, have done, and the results are not encouraging and ultimately not sustainable. When you make it easier to travel by car, more people travel by car. If you make it easier and convenient to travel by foot or bus or bike, then more people will do that. I don't think this is rocket science!

As far as the specific proposal to open another car exit onto Jenifer goes, many of us who do live in the neighborhood and walk or bike to the Co-op come in from the Jenifer side, and turning that walkway/bikeway into a car exit would not exactly be welcome to us. Again, I don't think this is snide to drivers, just matter-of-fact.

I understand the concerns about traffic in a residential neighborhood, but the reality is that there IS a business on that block of Jenifer Street -- the Co-op! Just because you're looking at the back of it, doesn't mean it isn't there! Aren't a fair share of the houses on that block multi-flat rentals? I have noticed a tendency for Co-op neighborhood residents to consider it THEIR neighborhood store, with snide comments made about people who drive to the Co-op. Not everyone can bike to the Co-op, or walk, every time. Not all Co-op shoppers can afford a house in the neighborhood. There IS just this one Co-op right now, there isn't likely to be a THIRD Co-op anytime soon after the Middleton store is built. The egress (gosh I LOVE that word, it's sooo P.T. Barnum!) onto Willy Street is DANGEROUS. I suspect that it is only a matter of time before there is a serious/fatal accident there, even with no left turn onto Willy Street. So PLEASE put safety first and add an egress (tee hee) on Jenifer St. By the way, the same situation exists at the Jenifer Street Market; has it been a problem for the residents there?

There is enough traffic on Jennifer St. without adding an access to the Coop from there. It's a residential area and keeping this atmosphere should be maintained, and a commercial influence should be avoided. Left hand turns onto Willy St. from the Coop shouldn't occur at any time. It's obvious that you need to open up another store centrally, not just one in Middleton.