I recently had the scary experience of a close-call with a boy and his bike in a crosswalk in Vineyard Haven. I do not know who he was, but I am thankful to have avoided an accident and want to extend my very deepest apologies to him.

This incident has left me hypervigilant around our Island crosswalks. Many of them are worn and faded — barely visible as you drive across. Some residential areas (County Road for example) don’t seem to have nearly enough crosswalks. Busy intersections near school zones could benefit from the presence of crossing guards in the a.m. and p.m., and lastly, brightly-colored pedestrian crossing signage should accompany all of our crosswalks.

Please make eye contact with drivers before crossing the streets, whether you are at a crosswalk or not. It can make all the difference in the world.

And safe travels this summer — to pedestrians, cyclists, mopeders and motorists alike.

R. Sanders
West Tisbury