Letter to the Editor | Prioritize pedestrians in the Loveliest Village

While walking our dogs in downtown Auburn, my partner and I were struck by something. In a very literal sense, we were doused by a cup of water that had been thrown out of a speeding pickup truck. In the more abstract sense, we were stunned by the realization that our downtown — from street to sidewalk — belongs to automobiles, not to people. 

Auburn, Alabama takes pride in being “The Loveliest Village on the Plains.” Lovely villages like ours are meant to be enjoyed by people. People enjoy the village because they can feel safe, be comfortable and have fun. But cars and trucks are indifferent to those lovely qualities. So why is it that they are given preferential treatment over real-life people? 

Many elements of modern streets and roads are built in the name of efficiency. 

Let’s imagine your “ideal village.” Maybe it looks like Andy Taylor’s Mayberry. Maybe it looks like a holiday town in a Hallmark movie. Maybe it looks like Belle’s village in which everyone sings “Bonjour!” No matter what you imagine, it is likely that it has a few distinct differences from our modern streets and roads. 

In a traditional village, people are able to work, shop, exercise, and relax close to their homes. In most cases, all of those activities are possible without ever getting into a vehicle. But what truly makes a village special is the fact that all of those activities can be done with one’s friends, family, and neighbors. Barriers to social interactions are absent from the traditional village because they are counterproductive. 

Can we have our loveliest village on the plains and drive through it, too? The answer, it seems, is “no.” If Auburn continues to move away from being a village, it will certainly lose what makes it lovely. 

What can you do? Tell your city council members to prioritize pedestrians. Look for places where traffic calming would be effective and share with city officials. In the meantime, reach out to the people around you as a neighbor and a villager.