When area residents gather tonight for a public hearing on widening Route 1 in Warren, they have a right to be heard. But I fear the Department of Transportation won’t really listen.

DOT officials have steadfastly refused to consider a compromise with local residents, such as building narrower shoulders along this very beautiful – and now controversial – stretch of the Atlantic Highway.

Hundreds of local people are telling the state that they don’t want a big speedway through their neighborhood. And over and over, DOT officials turn a deaf ear to their plea.

We know that when traffic travels at an increased speed, there is an increase in injury and death.

We know that aesthetically, a wider road detracts from the rural character of a region.

We know that wide shoulders are used as high-speed passing lanes in places like Waldoboro, where there has been a marked increase in accidents, and where motorists routinely drive Route 1 at speeds of 60 mph and more.

We know that when wider, faster roads are built, they invite more traffic. In the long run, this will not solve congestion problems. In other parts of the country, highway planners are realizing they can’t “build their way out” of traffic problems; creative new solutions are needed. And planners are realizing that people don’t want big, ugly roads crisscrossing their communities.

When I drive still-scenic Route 1 through Warren, I gaze at the Camden Hills, the 18th and 19th century homesteads, the old shade trees. Together, it’s a picture that says, “this is the real Maine.”

I realize I can take two extra minutes to drive this stretch of road. I can relax and enjoy it, just as I enjoy a slow drive through downtown Thomaston, one of the best-preserved Main Streets in the midcoast region.

The DOT’s plans to rebuild and widen Route 1 through Warren, adding eight-foot shoulders on each side of 12-foot travel lanes, and ditches beyond the shoulders. This will mean the death of the big trees, and the demise of many front yards of stately old houses, some occupied by the same families for generations.

If the project goes forward without compromise, this stretch of road will lose its beauty, its genuine Maine character, and it will only be a matter of time before we are speeding past self-storage units, cell phone towers, used car lots and convenience stores. As if we don’t already have enough of these things along the corridor.

So much of Route 1 is blighted by strip development – the approaches to Rockland come to mind – that we want to say, “This is not the real Maine.”

Like most Mainers, I drive too much, contributing my share of air pollution and traffic congestion to our state. But switching to alternative transportation is a tall order, and things may have to get worse before park our cars and take the train, the bus and the ferry boat.

Let’s face it: We drive way too much, we own way too many vehicles, and we ought to get out and walk, at least when we are in town. Meanwhile, if we must live with our addiction to the automobile, we can at least try to minimize our negative impact on health, safety and the environment.

Along Route 1 in my town, fellow motorists are impatient with me if I merely drive the speed limit, and they pass illegally. To say just enforce the speed limit is ludicrous; you would need full-time patrols.

So what have we gained? We know from numerous studies that increased speed means increased danger, that more of us will die on the highway. We also know from the experts that increased speed means burning more fuel, and increasing pollution. Cars contribute half of Maine’s air pollution.

It would be encouraging if the state would consider a compromise in Warren, such as 11-foot travel lanes and five-foot shoulders, or 12-foot lanes with four-foot shoulders.

Our Transportation Department’s own study of this region says: “There will be rural areas where a narrower shoulder is preferred in consideration of local concerns and issues.”

The DOT needs to live up to the Sensible Transportation Policy Act, which says local concerns must be considered, and alternatives explored. The act makes it clear that DOT officials, who are paid with our tax dollars, must listen to the people.

Tonight, they have an opportunity to do that.

Steve Cartwright is a Waldoboro selectman and member of the Regional Transportation Advisory Committee.