Seeking to accommodate what long has been established as pedestrian behavior downtown, New Canaan Police are urging state officials to reverse a recent decision a request for a crosswalk at the Town Hall driveway off of Main Street.
Permission is needed from the Connecticut Department of Transportation to designate a pedestrian walkway across Main, because it’s a state road along that stretch (Route 124). There’s no denying that New Canaanites cross the road just there, rather than hiking up toward Vine Cottage or down in front of Varnum’s Pharmacy—on a weekday last month, police saw 96 pedestrians cross mid-block in a 2-hour period.
Yet the DOT has said it has safety concerns about the crosswalk.
Police have responded with a letter that says, in part: “We do not concur with the preliminary recommendation to deny the request. As such, we strongly believe that the crosswalk location proposed by the Town (see map attached hereto, location Alt B) will provide a safe crossing, which pedestrians will utilize. This is based on the fact that there is a de facto crosswalk at the proposed location; it has been there for many years; and regardless of what alternatives are available, this is the location where pedestrians will continue to cross Main Street.”
The area is expected to see even more foot traffic once a renovated Town Hall opens—it’s on track for next spring.