Picturesque black buggies pulled by energetic horses add a flavor to eastern Geauga County not seen in many other communities -- an atmosphere appreciated by…
Picturesque black buggies pulled by energetic horses add a flavor to eastern Geauga County not seen in many other communities — an atmosphere appreciated by residents and tourists alike.
But the growing population of Amish in the Middlefield area has sparked concern for the safety of additional horses and buggies on the streets and fast-traffic roads in the township.
Horses trot at less than 20 mph, so the potential for accidents rises as the number of buggies on the roads increases.
Middlefield Village Mayor Ben Garlich said he and Leslie Gambosi, the village’s economic development director, have started exploring the possibility of adding buggy lanes to the two main traffic arteries in the village — state Routes 87 and 608.
“We want to make sure everybody stays safe,” Gambosi said, adding tourism in the area is growing every year and drivers from out of the area may not be used to dealing with the slow-moving buggies.
They also aren’t familiar with the terrain, such as dips in the road and blind curves, that can set the stage for an accident when trying to pass a buggy, she said.
Although the Amish have various paths they travel that aren’t open to motor vehicles and stay to the less-traveled streets when possible, they can’t avoid main roads all the time.
When the Tare Creek Bypass was built to take traffic around the northwest quadrant of downtown, buggy lanes were included and state Route 528 is extra-wide to accommodate them as well.
The most dangerous road is state Route 608 going north out of downtown to the Burton-Windsor Road intersection, making it a priority project, Garlich said, adding state Route 87 east to state Route 528 would be second on the list.
“It would be nice to get to the other (buggy lanes) in Mesopotamia,” he said.
Funding is always a consideration, so Gambosi said the principal planner for the Northeast Ohio Areawide Planning Agency visited to look at the roads on March 16.
Garlich said he also has been in touch with Ohio Department of Transportation regarding the possible widening of the road. He said he expects a call back from NOACA soon to discuss funding, which would likely require some monetary input from the village.
“It’s just been an initial conversation,” Garlich said, adding he plans to pursue it and make sure it doesn’t fall off the radar.
“The Amish are a tremendous part of the Middlefield economy. We want to make it as easy for them as we can,” he said.
Mervin Miller, Middlefield Township trustee and road superintendent, said the project is a good one and would benefit the many Amish who live in the township.
“It is one of our concerns,” he said, adding buggy lanes would depend on what kind of funding can be arranged.
“It’s a major undertaking, but I think (buggy paths) would be well-used,”he said.
