Government

Selectmen Approve Traffic Study for Nursery Road, Overrun by ‘Waze’ Users

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Town officials on Tuesday approved a $7,000 contract with a Fairfield-based transportation consultant as New Canaan tries to figure out how to change traffic patterns on a local road that’s used as a cut-through for Merritt Parkway motorists. By exiting the parkway at Exit 38, southbound drivers relying on navigation apps such as Waze snake their way into New Canaan and eventually land on Nursery Road as they head toward Exits 37 and 36, officials say. The road sees a major bump in traffic during the morning rush, from around 20 to 30 cars an hour to 200 to 300, Public Works Director Tiger Mann told the Board of Selectmen at its regular meeting. The swell in motor vehicles has created major safety concerns for residents of Nursery Road—as well as other streets that the commuters eventually traverse, such as Gerdes Road—and the town’s local traffic authority last month recommended bringing in a professional firm to “study and see what we can accomplish,” Mann said, “either by restricting routes, trying alternate routes, discussing with the application software individuals and then go forward from there.”

“They’re going to go out and study and take a look at various movements and see what is happening at those various specific times, to review our traffic data, get their own data. They can actually put out video cameras there to actually see what is happening as far as how much volume, where the cars are turning, things of that nature, instead of having someone there actually doing the turning movements we can put cameras out and leave them there for several days to a week and actually have someone come back and analyze that data.

Government

‘A Big Safety Issue for Us’: Nursery Road, Area Residents Voice Concerns Over Heavy, Speeding Commuter Traffic 

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Responding to concerns from residents that speeding commuter traffic on Nursery Road is creating a safety hazard, town officials on Wednesday said they would request a formal study to figure out how to best address the problem. Navigation apps such as Waze appear to be sending motorists stuck in Merritt Parkway traffic along Nursery Road—as well as Gerdes and White Oak Shade Roads—as a cut-through between Exits 37 and 38, officials said at the regular meeting of the Police Commission. According to Police Capt. John DiFederico, data from speed sentries shows that Nursery Road is getting a major spike from 7 to 9 a.m., where traffic rises from about 30 to 40 cars per hour to 200 cars per hour. For Nursery Road residents such as Charlein Megherby, the traffic on the street has been “horrible.”

“It really is a big safety issue for us,” Megherby said at the meeting, held at the New Canaan Police Department. About 20 residents of the roads affected by the surge in traffic attended the meeting.

Government

Police Vow To Slow Traffic on Nursery Road, a Popular Detour for Merritt Parkway Motorists

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Saying a residential street in New Canaan has become a popular detour for Merritt Parkway motorists who zip along it, police said Tuesday that they’re taking steps to slow down the traffic. Speed sentry data on Marvin Ridge Road a “high increase of traffic” traveling westbound from about 7 to 9 a.m. and again going eastbound from about 3 to 4 p.m., according to New Canaan Police Capt. John DiFederico. Many drivers are traveling the 25 mph road at 35 mph, “so we are going to put the speed sentries out there again next week,” DiFederico said during a meeting of the Traffic Calming Work Group. The group, which includes members of the Fire, Police, Emergency Management and Public Works Departments, fields requests for traffic calming and makes recommendations to the appropriate municipal agency. DiFederico said he has called on police patrol shifts to boost enforcement during peak times and added that it’s possible the town will install a ‘Bus Stop Ahead’ sign on the street.