After years of wrangling about it, town officials decided this week to make the intersection at Elm and Weed Streets a three-way stop.
Currently, there’s only a stop sign for motorists on Elm Street, approaching Weed.
Police say they’ve received an increasing number in complaints in recent years about motorists ignoring pedestrians trying to get across Weed, including many who are coming to or from Irwin Park.
“Obviously there’s a high volume of pedestrian traffic there, to get to Irwin and back from Irwin,” Police Chief John DiFederico said Tuesday night during a regular meeting of the Police Commission, New Canaan’s designated local traffic authority.
“Although it’s a real flat road there, if you’re coming south on Weed Street there’s a bit of a crown in the road, and it’s difficult to see the intersection as you approach on Weed Street from the north,” DiFederico said during the meeting, held at police headquarters and via videoconference. “Motorists coming out of Elm Street oftentimes feel it’s difficult to see oncoming traffic. And traditionally we don’t like to put stop signs intersections so close together. We have Frogtown Road at Weed Street just a little further down the street, so we wouldn’t want to put them in such close proximity. But we feel that the Elm and Weed Street intersection has changed in the years since the town’s purchase of the Irwin property and turning that into a park. That has brought a lot more pedestrian traffic to the area. And we feel that it’s a good addition for both pedestrians and vehicle safety.”
The installation of stop signs meets criteria for such a project from the guidebook for such changes, DiFederico said—the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices—such as traffic volume and sightlines.
The Commission voted 2-1 in favor of the change, with Chair Paul Foley and Secretary Shekaiba Bennett voting in favor, and member Jim McLaughlin voting against.
McLaughlin said that there’s no significant crash history at the intersection, and that putting in stop signs could increase the risk of rear-ending or other collisions.
“I’ve been through that intersection, in 28 years, thousands of times and when you are on Weed, say going south, I’ve never had any problem,” he said. “The cars that come up on Elm have a stop sign and then they have to creep forward to see what’s coming and that’s what they do. Seems to work fine.”
McLaughlin added: “With all due respect to [Public Works Director] Tiger [Mann] and the chief, I don’t see a need for a stop sign. I do see people crossing from time to time, but it’s not heavy pedestrian traffic.”
He added that with a state Superior Court judge’s recent decision to uphold a developer’s appeal regarding a planned apartment complex at the intersection, the town will need to revisit the traffic issue there soon anyway, making a change now premature.
Yet, DiFederico said, police have already been waiting for a resolution to the widely discussed affordable housing complex.
“We did avoid altering the intersection while 751 [Weed St.] was being reviewed because that was reviewed for traffic impact and we didn’t want to alter the traffic patterns while that was going on,” he said.
The town has been looking at making the intersection a three-way stop for at least 11 years. Proposals to install additional stop signs on Weed Street have been met with neighbor opposition in the past, though the push has persisted, including from a former first selectman living nearby.
Foley said that though the Commission has been “resisting this for a while,” that he would defer to police regarding public safety.
“I would tend to agree to slow it down a bit there, because I think people are using the park more,” he said.
Bennett said that she walks to Irwin Park regularly and that she has seen Weed Street motorists blow through crosswalks that are being used by pedestrians, even when the push-button-activated rapid flashing rectangular beacons or “RRFBs” are used.
“And also, for that left turn [from Elm], sometimes you are standing there and people don’t see you,” she said. “It’s going to be beneficial for everybody.”
Mann noted that as soon as Weed and Elm becomes an all-way stop, those RRFBs must be removed, as per the MUTCD, “because that will give conflicting reports to the driver.”
The RRFBs in place now would be moved to a new location on St. John Place, he said.
I would also suggest moving the white stop line on Frogtown closer to Weed Street. On numerous occasions, I’ve witnessed southbound traffic on Weed blow through the stop sign. Greater visibility onto Weed is needed when exiting Frogtown, particularly for cars making a left towards town.
Thank you! – I am a frequent walker to/from Irwin Park and I have almost been hit by speeding motorists going northbound on Weed Street on multiple occasions (regardless of the flashing signs).
Finally! I have also been almost run over several times when trying to get across Weed from Elm to go to Irwin Park. In addition, the crossing signal on the Elm Street side has been broken for two years despite notifying Public Works numerous times. If they couldn’t figure out how to fix it in all that time I would be wary of “repurposing “ it.
Roundabouts solve these traffic issues without having to come to a full stop. It’s a shame that roundabouts are never considered as a solution.
I can honestly say this is one of the better decisions I’ve heard of on the part of the town in some time. This is a dangerous intersection that needed to be addressed many years ago, both for pedestrian vehicle traffic. Thank you to the members of the Police commission and the chief of Police for seeing the obvious dangers of this three-way intersection. Having traversed this area many times it is difficult at best to come from Elm Street onto weed, particularly heading into the southbound direction on weed st. Taking a proactive approach in creating a three-way stop is nothing but positive. Historically town traffic issues have been resolved in a reactionary manner. By taking these steps in creating a three-way stop, we have potentially avoided a serious collision of vehicles or even worse a pedestrian being struck and critically injured.. This will simplify things and in time create a safer vehicle and pedestrian environment. Thanks to all who’s supported this forward thinking change.