Letter to the Editor

Dear Editor,

One of my favorite things about living in the town of Niwot is how safe it is - in more ways than one. But especially, growing up here, I always felt so safe with the rules of traffic and how friendly everyone is.

When I was living in Florida for six months on my Disney College Program, I didn’t have my car and had to rely either on buses or walking to the nearby Target. It was incredibly eye-opening how less friendly and more aggressive drivers are in other areas than they are in Niwot (and its surrounding areas).

Whether I am driving or riding my bike or making a pedestrian of myself, I always feel safe navigating traffic and (almost) always can give/receive a friendly wave - even from total strangers. It’s incredible. You don’t get that many other places in the U.S. and I think it is a testament to how special and welcoming this community is in terms of personality. Fiscally it’s very hard for young people to be in this area, but I digress.

However, as friendly as the traffic is and cars waving on pedestrians and cyclists at crosswalks (most of the time), I think it’s also worth a reminder of some of the basic rules of traffic just to help continue the safety and assurance of travelers in the area:

According to when I was in Boy Scouts and did merit badges (many moons ago) and when I took my driver’s test, when you’re a pedestrian on the road, you should walk against the traffic and ride your bike with the traffic.

It’s also important when driving to stop before the white lines at stop signs/lights so as to ensure other people at intersections that you don’t intend to go and are paying attention. I know many people do, but there are some occasions where I’ve felt like someone was going to run into me because they continued past the line and/or started their turn preemptively. And this isn’t to be aggressive or say those people are bad drivers, but it’s good to make sure you are predictable and other people can know what your intentions are.

Overall, Niwot is such a great and friendly community, I wish I could fiscally afford to continue to live here the rest of my life.

Scott Barto