Mom used to tell us when we were growing up that 'opinions are a lot like noses; everybody has one and they all smell.' Our dad had the same expression but used a different body part but that wasn't all that surprising since he was more or less a real nose.
I mention this because all of us, I suspect, have a tendency to regard some (or more) of our opinions as facts whether or not we have anything to support them or not (and I'm not looking at Mar-A-Lago as I type that).
And living as we do in the age of Social Media with a platform custom-built for whatever our beliefs ecosphere requires, we can spend a lot of time separating the wheat from the chaff on any issue only to discover we're allergic to gluten, and/or someone else's version of the Truth (with a capital T).
Next Thursday night (the 23rd) at seven in the auditorium of the Kelly STEAM Magnet Middle School is a presentation by the Connecticut Department of Transportation, CTDOT, on its updated plan to its proposal to construct six roundabouts on Route 82 here in Norwich.
If you live or work in Norwich and/or drive or shop at any of the businesses on Route 82 (which far more than downtown is really Norwich's Main Street, in my opinion) with any frequency you should make plans to attend the presentation. I'd hope you'd need to arrive early because of what could and should be a large amount of interest (and self-interest) filling up seats but three decades of living here have shown me it's never eaten as hot as it's served. We are too often in my experience, all mouth with nothing behind it. Feel free to pleasantly surprise me.
The CTDOT first offered their roundabout solution to the driving challenges and accelerating accident rates on Route 82, called in many circles "Crash Alley," back in 2015 to a lukewarm-at-best response by the then Norwich City Council, and in the ensuing years absence on their part has not made the Council's heart grow fonder.
Some within and without the city government, see the proposal to construct six roundabouts, eliminate traffic lights and add a raised median divider as a solution in search of a problem. Others think we are well past the time of saying when 'something needs to be done.' Right now we're at my personal favorite part which is where we think talking about doing something is almost-but-not-quite-the-same thing as actually doing it. Your mileage may vary (automotive reference there deliberate).
I have my own opinion/nose about roundabouts and I will not poison your well while you weigh and measure the arguments and make up your own mind. I will point out that reluctance and resistance to change of any kind usually hinge on what we perceive ourselves giving up instead of what we see ourselves gaining.
There's actually a five-step chart on common causes of resistance to change that includes mistrust and lack of confidence (in those proposing the change), emotional responses to any change, fear of failure, poor communication where change is viewed as something being done to, rather than with, someone else, and unrealistic timelines to accomplish the change.
Pardon my cynicism but who does that paragraph sound like?
We can and should do better. I'm thinking of a proverb that goes 'when the winds of change blow, some people build walls and others build windmills.' I'd hope to see you and your open mind next Thursday night at Kelly, and maybe later we can both go fly a kite.
-bill kenny
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