Not many years ago, residents who thrived on small-town life could playfully boast that traffic gridlock in the Wood River Valley meant four cars backed up at a traffic signal.
Oh, how times have changed.
The city of Hailey now finds its Main Street-state Highway 75 traffic artery choked by the natural growth in vehicles brought on by population increases, plus peak-hour commuters heading north and south in great streams of trucks and cars.
Is there a way out of this before life comes to a standstill?
Wisely, the city is working with consultants for a solution, not just to relieve traffic congestion, but to add worthwhile features—new bicycle lanes, pedestrian sidewalks and vegetated medians at Main Street pedestrian crossings, for example—that provide balance in ways people move around Hailey on foot, bicycles and vehicles.
What should not be lost on anyone is that Hailey's traffic dilemma is in a larger sense a canary in the mineshaft—a warning that valley growth has consequences, and growth without corresponding and prompt recognition have even worse consequences.
Congested roads mean a need for parking. More vehicles mean more traffic enforcement. More vehicles affect air quality, which in turn affects health. More traffic means more road damage and ongoing maintenance.
Hailey is showing its alertness to this phenomenal change. However, Hailey's predicament is also a signal to Blaine County officials and city halls in other valley communities that the days of postponing tough decisions are over. If the demands of growth aren't anticipated quickly, our growing area will begin to choke on its popularity as a place to live and do business.
