64 School St Hamden, CT 06518, USA -
Hamden
This is a frustrating intersection. Vehicles traveling Eastbound on School St. want to turn North onto Whitney, but they cannot do so because Westbound travelers cannot pass due to parking congestion behind Eli's (and occasional vehicles blocking the road to allow police in and out of their driveway.
I strongly recommend that the city invest in an engineer to solve this problem.
If that doesn't happen, I offer the following suggestions:
- Create a No Parking zone along the streets for 500 feet in all directions. This at least will allow Eastbound drivers passage around those turning North onto Whitney.
- Lengthen the duration of the light for vehicles on School St.
- Encourage police to avoid using the access driveway behind Eli's.
- Make the parking lot behind Eli's a gated lot for handicapped plates and employees ONLY. I estimate that 70% of the traffic at this intersection is due to Eli's customers who try to park for dining, even though it is clearly marked "Take-out only." (The hired monitors engage in long conversation with people instead of giving clear direction, or they just sit in their chairs watching traffic accumulate. Eliminating ANY ambiguity will solve most of the traffic problems and save Eli's a lot of money in the long run.)
- The city should install cameras to capture and fine Southbound vehicles who block the intersection (and crosswalks), though they have a red light. It happens on every light during peak traffic periods, so revenue for the city would be assured.
