The city takes a serious look at connecting Ericksen and Hildebrand.

People find a way.

Since drivers can’t follow the crows, they circumvent the plug between Ericksen Avenue and Hildebrand Way by snaking through a business parking lot.

Yet the idea of connecting the two streets, currently separated by a small, mounded green space, remains a matter of considerable debate.

Some believe doing so would improve connectivity and stimulate commerce; others feel it would destroy the ambiance of the quiet Ericksen neighborhood.

The pulse of the long-running argument has quickened since the City Council included $90,000 in this year’s budget to design a connection.

“I have mixed feelings about it,” said Mike Schmidt, owner of Schmidt’s Home Appliance and Sleep Center, located on Ericksen just south of the divide. “I can see the benefits of opening it up, but I’d also hate to see it turn into just another thoroughfare.”

The idea of connecting the streets has been batted about for more than a 15 years, but never come to fruition.

But as the downtown grows under the vision espoused through the Winslow Tomorrow planning process, opinions, including those of some City Councilors members, have shifted.

“I was personally against it,” said Councilman Bill Knobloch, adding that he now thinks a connection should be considered. “I’m very concerned about preserving the character of the neighborhood, but the time to address this is now.

“It’s a sensitive issue and we’ll treat it as such. But we can’t ignore this any longer.”

Several events preceded the call to action.

First, a recent transportation study strongly urged the city to increase connectivity around the downtown core, which could absorb more growth as properties redevelop.

But Councilwoman Debbie Vancil said there is an important distinction between “study” and “policy.”

Vancil said the city’s Comprehensive Plan, which guides all development, won’t allow the connection until traffic problems are solved at either end of the connector, regardless of any studies or recommendations.

With improvement plans for both the intersection of Ericksen and Winslow Way and the one at Hildebrand and High School Road to be presented to the Bainbridge Planning Commission on Thursday, plans for the connection may finally move forward.

“If we didn’t address those things first, we would just be creating additional problems,” Vancil said. “That said, the council has made no decision about the future of Ericksen and Hildebrand other than to commit to resolving current traffic and parking problems.”

By all accounts, those problems are many.

Bob Conoley, who maintains a law practice on Ericksen, said traffic has increased steadily over the years, and got even worse after the city installed new sidewalks a few years ago.

“There used to be a ‘country road’ effect,” Conoley said. “Rather than sidewalks there was only dirt on the shoulder, which acted as a natural slowing device.”

Now, Conoley said, cars routinely whip past at 40 or 50 miles per hour, and things get worse during the busiest ferry commuting hours.

Businesses at the south end of Hildebrand, just north of the park-like divide, must deal with cars continually cutting through their parking lot in order to circumvent the gap.

Two years ago, one of the property owners chained off a driveway to keep vehicles from sneaking through, but a nearby driveway still allows cut-through traffic.

“For safety and convenience, I’d like to see it opened up,” said Ken Schuricht of Winslow Paint Company on Hildebrand. “Everybody’s already cutting through here anyway. But it’s not an easy situation to fix because there’s more to it than just connecting the streets – you have to figure out how to handle the additional traffic.”

Tom Greene, who has worked on Ericksen since 1984, said he was happy with the recent non-motorized improvements to that street, but strongly opposes the connection.

“I can throw a rock from Ericksen to 305,” he said. “We already have a north-south connector right there. Why destroy a perfectly good neighborhood when we could simply improve what’s already there?”

Greene suggests modifying 305 rather than creating a new arterial, because he fears the city is rapidly losing streets that he says officials promised to preserve from traffic and noise.

“This isn’t just about Ericksen,” he said. “It’s about neighborhoods all over the city. If we can’t save Ericksen from becoming a freeway, what’s left to save?”

Both Knobloch and Vancil said no solution would be reached without significant community involvement.

A 2004 Bainbridge Island Chamber of Commerce survey collected 1,300 signatures from islanders who favor a connection.

“We heard from people all over the island who want to see this happen,” said Kevin Dwyer, executive director of the Chamber. “It would help relieve traffic and better connect downtown to the rest of the island. It makes sense for a lot of good reasons.”

But some, like Conoley, disagree. He believes livability has been neglected in favor or increased density.

“This is an unsophisticated, dumbed-down solution,” he said. “It may please some businesses, but it’s taking a toll on people who no longer find downtown livable.”

Project manager Molly Johnson of the city engineering department said the city is nearing agreements with consultants to assist in designing a connection.

Following that, a community involvement phase would begin.

Vancil is among those who don’t want to see the small park between the two streets removed.

She favors a solution that eases an “awkward, cumbersome” situation without removing the green space or ruining the character of the neighborhood.

“If everyone comes together cooperatively we can solve this,” she said. “But the council has realized that this issue has reached a point where we need to find a resolution.”