For most of my adult life I have wanted to live in a town (not a city) that was as walkable as possible. Over the years I investigated many towns, especially in New England, looking for the perfect walking town. That factor, walkability, was a major reason I chose to settle in Camden once I retired.

So I can say with some confidence that Camden is a very good walking town. Actually, it’s both Camden and Rockport that I am thinking about. Both of those towns are very walkable now. The question in my mind is, can we keep them that way? Moreover, could we make them even better walking towns in the future?

Due to their natural beauty, Camden and Rockport have the potential to become not just good, but great walking towns. It is not an exaggeration to say the area could develop a reputation as one of the best for walkability in all of New England, or even in the entire country.

The question is, do the residents of the towns want that? Taking Camden/Rockport from “very good” to “great” walkability would mean improving and adding more sidewalks, building some walking/biking trails (like the Riverwalk, but there could be others), and preserving some open spaces.

Doing those things would take money, planning and commitment. Most of all it would require that the town residents want them to happen.

My reason for writing this is to encourage town residents to think about that. What do you want your towns to look and feel like going forward? We almost have to look to other countries to find towns where walking and cycling trails are integral parts of the transportation systems. Towns where people can regularly get around without requiring a car are rare in America, but it could happen here. Camden and Rockport have the potential to be different from every other traffic-clogged town in America. The residents just have to decide that is what they want.

Those are big ideas, and I hope people will think about them. However there is a more specific and immediate item I hope people will also consider.

In Camden the voters approved a $14 million bond issuance last year for sewer and storm water pipe replacements. That project will require digging up a lot of streets to get to those pipes. As that work is completed it will be a perfect time to widen both the sidewalks and, as much as is practicable, the streets above the new pipes. Doing that work when the road is torn up is the best and cheapest time to improve access for both walkers and cyclists.

My understanding is that the town is taking the smart approach and planning to include that work (widen the streets and sidewalks) as the sewers are replaced. However, doing so may cause some expenses to exceed the original estimates, and the Public  Works Department might need to ask for additional funds. If that happens, I hope the voters will support spending those extra funds to do the job right.

That approach — widening streets and sidewalks to make them more accessible to walkers and cyclists whenever major construction happens — is called “Complete Streets”.

Many towns have adopted Complete Streets policies so that all major street repairs will be handled this way in the future. I encourage Camden and Rockport to do the same.

Making a town more walkable is often accomplished by an accumulation of a lot of little steps rather than by big projects. Sometimes, instead of building a whole new walking or cycling trail, it comes down to making the sidewalks wider one street at a time. Using a complete streets approach to the sewer line projects in Camden will be a good example of that. I hope the voters will support and encourage it.

Tom Zumwalt lives in Camden