Description
The intersection of Townsend Ave (Rt. 337) and Burr St. needs a three-way stop. Located at this intersection are St. Bernadette's Church and its associated elementary school, a crosswalk, and a bus stop. Within 1000 ft of this intersection are Nathan Hale School, a few store-fronts, and the road access to Nathan Hale Park (via Nathan Hale Park Rd., which turns into Woodward Ave).
While Townsend Ave is a broad and busy road farther to the north, the section of the road from Nathan Hale School southward is narrower and more heavily trafficked by pedestrians, many of whom are children. Vehicles routinely speed through this intersection well over the 25 mph limit.
The city buses that turn at this intersection often wait in the road for minutes before the traffic lets up. A stop sign would force oncoming traffic to wait for the buses to turn, thereby increasing the efficiency and punctuality of the bus line.
Cars turning onto Townsend Ave from Burr St. often cannot see oncoming traffic because of the parked cars and large trees. The decreased field of vision should force motorists to slow down, but because the change from a broad way to a narrow street occurs so quickly on Townsend, they typically drive too fast through the Townsend-Burr area. A stop sign would provide drivers turning from Burr to Townsend with safer circumstances on the road.
Despite the pedestrian signs, vehicles rarely yield to children and church-goers crossing Townsend at this intersection. Simply put, this is a very dangerous area for pedestrians and cyclists. Slowing the traffic in this area would create a safer environment for everyone.
In August 2012, a young woman on a mo-ped was the victim of a hit-and-run at this intersection. Thankfully, she recovered (and the perpetrator was caught), but should we really have to wait for a more serious and deadly accident involving a speeding vehicle, as was the case with the sad incident that forced the city and state to install a stop sign farther down Townsend at Parker Place years ago?
We need stop signs on the both the north- and south-bound sides of Townsend Ave at the intersection with Burr St.
2 Comments
Closed Department of Transportation, Traffic and Parking (Registered User)
Steve Werlin (Registered User)
Thank you for your response.
I brought the matter to my alderman, Sal DeCola, back in September, and he suggested I go through our Management Team, which I did. I also brought the matter to our State Senator, Martin Looney (since of course this is a state road), and he informed me of the process that you have described. My Management Team Committee Chair, Barbara Carroll, suggested that I contact Jim Travers (New Haven Dept. of Transportation, Traffic, and Parking) directly to discuss the submission of the request. On Oct. 25, I sent an email directly to Mr. Travers along with a map showing the locations of traffic incidents on this section of Townsend Ave. over the past few years and a list of those traffic incidents (provided by Sgt. Anastasio of NHPD). I have not heard back from Mr. Travers.
My alderman is very busy, so I would like to submit this request formally myself, along with signatures of support that I have collected over the past two months from my neighbors in Morris Cove. Please indicate how this may be done, or kindly respond to me directly at shwerlin@gmail.com. Thank you.