Fire Commission Opposed to Narrowing of Main Street

The Town’s Fire Department wanted to know if it could navigate the proposed narrowing of Main Street, so it conducted a road test.  Firefighters drove the ladder truck (the longest truck in the fleet, albeit slightly narrower than the other trucks) as well as a utility truck along Main Street. The test documented with still photographs and video whether the drivers could safely navigate the proposed narrowing of the roadway, as mapped out by the DPW striping. Safety, they noted, includes the ability for other motorists to pull over to let emergency vehicles pass.

There wasn’t enough room. 

Even though the fire trucks were moving at 20-25 mph during the test, drivers had difficulty negotiating the narrow lanes, which sometimes dropped from 12 to 11 feet wide, and there were problems with seeing oncoming traffic around the bend. The median and edge stripes were barely visible on the sides of the trucks and sometimes disappeared altogether on the curves. A hard curb would make matters even worse, they said.

While emphasizing again that they had no position on sidewalks, per se, the Fire Commissioners unanimously passed a motion expressing their opposition to the narrowing of ANY road in Town below the minimum set out in the Town Code, as well as opposing hard curbing where roads do not meet the Town Code.

Using the Town Code as the standard seemed to be a reasonable approach to the Commissioners. A table showing street design standards by Zoning District lists 40′ as the minimum width for the “traveled way” of a major street and 26′ as the minimum width for a local street in most residential zones. In the business district 40′ is the minimum width. Elsewhere, the Code mandates 25′ as the minimum width for an “accessway” in a new subdivision. The proposed narrowing of Main Street would make this major collector road narrower than the narrowest of the Town’s minimum road width standards by a foot or more.

While discussions about minimum road widths may continue, the Fire Commission was quite clear about its concern for the negative impact on public safety of narrowing Main Street, which is the Fire Department’s major access to the Southern and Eastern portions of Town.

Sidewalk Ordinance Change Approved

The New Canaan Town Council held a public hearing on September 17 about proposed revisions to the sidewalk ordinances (Town Code Article III sections 54-43 to 54-49). Not surprisingly, owners of downtown business properties expressed concerns about the new paragraphs which impact them. Three groups of homeowners spoke – those who came because they supported the ordinance change, those who came to lobby for the proposed Main Street sidewalks, and those who already had sidewalks who commented that the plows push the road snow mix up on their sidewalks after they finish shoveling.

At their regular meeting which followed, the Council approved the ordinance change, with a minor amendment in lettering to clarify the application of several new paragraphs that impact the downtown business district. According the the Town Charter (IV C4-13), a summary of the ordinance changes are to be published and (IV C4-14) would take effect 8 days after publication unless a petition for referendum is filed.

Print copies were available at the meeting; no electronic copy has been made available to date. When available, we will post a link on this blog.

Basically, the changes will relieve abutting property owners outside the business district of financial responsibility for installation and maintenance of sidewalks installed on the Town’s initiative. The Town assumes responsibility for snow removal from public sidewalks in the residential zones.

Business owners, as well as residents who construct their own sidewalks or ask the Town to build sidewalks abutting their property will fall under a different set of rules.

We thank the Town Council for hearing and responding to this concern. We anticipate it will facilitate homeowner acceptance of new sidewalks as they are proposed in other parts of Town.

UPDATE 9/25/08 – We have received an electronic copy of the ordinance changes approved by Town Council on 9/17/08 and published in the New Canaan Advertiser today. A page with these changes has been added for our readers’ convenience – Click here to link to it.

How Wide is a Fire Truck?

At the Fire Commission meeting on August 12, Commission Chairman Jack Horner noted that the Fire Commission is is not for or against the proposed sidewalk per se. He observed that the Fire Commission is solely concerned about safe travel of fire apparatus on the roadways, and emphasized its serious responsibility for the safety of the fire fighters, other vehicle operators and pedestrians during fire emergency response. He also remarked that sight lines are already limited along portions of Main Street, which serves as a vital emergency route to the southeastern section of town.

Those of us who attended the meeting learned that New Canaan’s fire trucks are about 9 feet 8 inches wide. Assistant Chief Karl said 12 feet is the absolute minimum acceptable lane width for fire apparatus response when the road is straight, and up to 14 feet would be preferred. Since Main Street is sharply curved in some sections – notably the stretch between Down River Road and Woodland Road – the turning radius of the trucks is of concern, he said.

We suggested that sidewalks on the west side, constructed with a hard curb as proposed, would prevent vehicles from getting out of the way when fire apparatus are responding to an emergency. Lexus, Suburban and Landscape truck drivers would simply stop where they were in the road. During morning rush, the problem would be further aggravated by the large volume of commuter and school traffic, which often results in long backups from the Farm Road intersection. We asked the Commission to consider which side of the street would be the preferable location for a sidewalk, from their perspective, if one is installed.

The Fire Department will test its equipment after the road striping is in place and before any actual construction is approved by the Town, they said. Striping (approved by the Police Commission at their July 31 meeting) was completed just before the Labor Day weekend, but the tests have not yet taken place.

Not as Many Miles of Road Repaving in Exchange for Sidewalks

An article in the Aug 4 issue of The Advocate (Stamford) titled “Rising Costs of Asphalt Curbs Projects” predicts “bumpier roads ahead” as public works officials put the brakes on paving. It confirms what we have been saying about the potential consequence of the dramatic rise in asphalt prices. The article quotes Public Works Senior Engineer Tiger Mann:

“We’re not going to be able to pave as many miles and do as much work because we’re paying more for materials,” said Tiger Mann…

That shouldn’t surprise anyone. The cost of the liquid asphalt binder is 97% higher than it was in March when the road repair appropriation and bonding were passed by the Board of Selectmen and Board of Finance (it had already risen slightly by the time the Town Council approved the appropriation and bonding a week later).

In The Advocate article, Ray Oneglia, vice chairman of Fairfield County’s main asphalt supplier (O&G Industries), said the problem is compounded because energy is also consumed in the manufacture of asphalt. Escalating the cost of road repair still further is the fact that trucks and other equipment used in paving run on diesel fuel, which is…up. 

Repair of the South Avenue sidewalks was approved as part of this year’s Public Works budget. While we are told that “it’s more cost effective to repair the Main Street sidewalks when the road is repaved,” that doesn’t justify why NEW sidewalk construction should be funded by a bond issue for Phase III of “a pavement management plan for the Town of New Canaan’s network of roads.”

We think the Town should be stretching that bond issue as far as asphalt prices will allow to maintain our network of roads.

Constructing new sidewalks so residents can walk to town may undoubtedly be a good thing, but it should be weighed in the context of the Town’s budget process against all the other good things, not slipped into an appropriation (and bond issue) stipulated to maintain our network of roads. We suspect the fire department and others whose budgets were cut this year might have some alternative ideas.

UPDATE 9/18/08 – This week’s Conn DOT posting shows a 151% increase in the cost of liquid asphalt binder material since March (that’s 2 1/2 times greater). The binder accounts for roughly 6% of the total cost of asphalt, which translates into a 9% increase in the cost of asphalt since March.

UPDATE 10/16/08 – With droping oil barrel price levels, the cost of liquid asphalt has come down slightly, but it has a long way to go before it falls to last spring’s level. This week’s posting shows a 137% increase in the cost of liquid asphalt binder material since March.

Emergency Response Meeting Raises Warning of Increased Emergency Response Times

At the Emergency Response Managment Meeting last week, concerns were raised about increased response times for emergency vehicles if sidewalks are installed along the west side of lower Main Street.

• Fire Commission Chairman Jack Horner said that narrowing the lanes as proposed, with the anticipated 5 mph decrease in average speed, can be expected to increase emergency response time by 21 seconds. That’s before we add in the slowdown expected with curbed sidewalks on the west side.
• Public Works Department Senior Engineer Tiger Mann said the planned granite curbs would prevent vehicles from mounting the sidewalks – good for pedestrians, but giving southbound vehicles no place to pull over to allow emergency vehicles to pass.
• Police Commissioner Stuart Sawabini noted that a 40 car backup into town from the Farm Road intersection is not unusual during the morning rush hour. That’s a lot of cars with no place to pull over.

Mr. Mann observed that a number of other roads in town were as narrow or narrower than the 12-foot lanes proposed for Main Street, but Selectman Rob Mallozzi noted that none of those mentioned also had sidewalks. The subject of snow removal was also discussed, with concerns voiced about the capacity of Public Works staff to keep up with both the roads and the sidewalks.

Our readers will also be interested in these developments:

• Mr. Mann proposed “striping” Main Street to allow vehicles to experience the proposed 12-foot lane widths. The Police Commisssion voted to approve striping at last Wednesday’s meeting. The striping will add a double yellow line down the center of the existing road and white lines down either side – NOT where the road is proposed to be shifted to if sidewalks are installed, but giving drivers at least a sense of the “narrowing.”
• Mr. Mann remarked that providing a place for people to walk into town and to the train station was the initial reason for the sidewalks. Walk to school and traffic calming were secondary spinoffs. We would suggest that the Town evaluate and order its priorities, including public safety and cost (see also our posts on rising asphalt costs).
• Mr. Mann also noted that plans had been drawn up for the East side alternative. There are more driveway cuts on the east side since there are more residents there. High resolution pdfs of the east side plans have been posted on a separate page on this website so readers can examine them (plotter prints are also available at Town Hall.)

With 8,000+ vehicles a day traveling Main Street, it would be classified as a MAJOR collector road. Main Street is also a main route to the southeast part of town for our emergency response vehicles.

The next meeting to evaluate the impact of road narrowing and sidewalks on emergency response times will be the Fire Commission meeting. Fire Commission meetings are generally held on the second Tuesday of the month at 7:30 PM at Fire Headquarters, 60 Main Street – which would be Tuesday, Aug 12 if that schedule is followed.

UPDATE 8/11 – The Fire Commission meeting is scheduled for 7:30 PM on Tuesday, August 12, at the New Canaan Fire Department, 60 Main St. According to the Agenda, “Proposed narrowing of Main Street” will be discussed under New Business.

Main Street Traffic Studies: 8000+ Vehicles a Day

A pair of recent traffic studies of lower Main Street in New Canaan found that more than 8,000 vehicles a day were traveling this collector road – a road which is a primary route for emergency vehicles, as well as emergency evacuation.  The studies were conducted of northbound and southbound traffic at Woodland Road during the short July 4th holiday week. Some of the studies’ conclusions need to be adjusted, since they assume a speed limt of 25 mph; the posted speed limit there is 30 mph.

The number and type of vehicles and their speed was recorded in 60 minute time periods, from 12 AM on 7/01/08 to 12 AM on 7/03/08, lasting a total of 48 hours. For northbound traffic, the AADT (average annual daily traffic) Count was 4,088. For southbound traffic, the AADT Count was 4,423. The total AADT Count for both lanes is 8,506.  It is reasonable to assume that these numbers would be higher during the school year, when more famliies are in town (a more accurate AADT would take into account such season variations). One would also expect the detailed breakout numbers shown during rush hours and school opening/closing times to be higher during the school year. 

Most of the vehicles were passenger cars; 211 were small trucks, 45 were large trucks or buses, and 15 were tractor trailers. (The study was conducted prior to the beginning of the Mill Pond drainage project.)

The mode speed in both directions was 30 mph; at least half of the vehicles were traveling at a speed of 30-34 mph or lower. Northbound the average speed was 32, and the 85th percentile speed was 39.57 mph. Southbound the average speed was 31, and the 85th percentile speed was 36.48 mph.

What is also interesting is the number of vehicles traveling in excess of 55 mph: 104 (2.74%) northbound and 58 (1.38%) southbound. Multiply that by 365 days a year. And this is in one of several sections of lower Main Street that are already “narrow” by the “traffic calming” goal of the proposed construction: 24 feet.  Also revealing is that these speeding vehicles are most likely to be found during morning and afternoon rush hours, not in the wee hours of the morning as one might suppose.

Would you like to be walking on a sidewalk right next to a 55 mph vehicle? A loud dump truck or a tractor trailer splashing mud? There’s not room for a buffer between the proposed sidewalks and this heavily-traveled road. And when there’s a sidewalk on only one side, walkers tend to cross the road to get to it, often jaywalking and surprising drivers.

Here are the studies for those of you who would like more detail (remember that the speed limit is 30 mph at this point on Main Street, not 25 as the studies say, so the conclusions about the number of speeding vehicles is incorrect.)

• Northbound Main Street at Woodland Road, 12 AM 7/01/08 – 12 AM 7/03/08
  
• Southbound Main Street at Woodland Road, 12 AM 7/01/08 – 12 AM 7/03/08
  

Emergency Response Vehicles and Sidewalks: Upcoming Meeting

An Emergency Services Management Meeting to discuss sidewalks on Main Street will be held on Wednesday, July 30, 2008 at 7:00 PM in the Town Hall Board Room, according to the official notice posted on the bulletin board in Town Hall. (Since it is not a “public hearing” there was no requirement to publish a notice of the meeting in the local newspaper.) Like all government meetings, it is open to the public.

Many of the residents along Main Street have expressed their concern that the proposed sidewalks may increase emergency vehicle response times for these reasons:

• Narrowing the roadway reduces lane room for emergency vehicles to pass and for other vehicles (including large trucks) to pull over.
• If sidewalks with granite curbs are constructed along the west side, southbound vehicles will no longer have much room to pull over to allow the emergency vehicles to pass by. 
• Normal vehicle visibility is impaired in both directions along the hills and curves of lower Main Street, so emergency vehicles may have to slow down before swerving into the oncoming traffic lane.

When we have spoken informally with firefighters and EMS personnel, they have also voiced these concerns. However, there are public pressures behind the scenes to build the new sidewalks. Think about it. If your house is on fire or your family member is waiting for an ambulance to arrive, are you prepared to wait a few precious moments longer so residents can jog in a continuous loop around town? Have we got our priorities straight?

We have no doubt that our Town officials would agree that public safety is of paramount concern to all, and we need to trust our experts on this issue. But there are negotiation realities in politics: some are suggesting that there are perks for facilitating the sidewalks and tradeoffs for resisting them. Pick your battles, they’re being told. Our concern was heightened when we heard one of this meeting’s organizers refer to it as a “Come to Jesus Meeting.”

We don’t know if residents will be permitted to speak at this meeting. But we think you should be there.

Property Values and Sidewalks

It’s time to put to rest a rumor that has been circulating. According to New Canaan’s Assessor, Sebastian Caldarella, the presence or absence of sidewalks has no effect on property value in New Canaan. Realtors to whom we have spoken confirm this.

Asphalt Update, Budgeting for Sidewalks

Since we reported on the escalating price of asphalt two weeks ago, prices have continued to climb. The price of the binder, as reported by the Connecticut Department of Transportation, is now up 97% since March.

At last week’s Town Council meeting, Senior Engineer Tiger Mann observed that prices for asphalt had risen $15 per ton overnight.  The Town has been getting great bid numbers, though, since other towns in Fairfield County are not doing road work, he said. (Westport actually has several road projects in progress.)

The Wall Street Journal reported yesterday (July 23) that “refinery managers have been tasked with inventing means of cutting asphalt production in favor of more profitable products,” and that “while demand for asphalt is dropping, supply is falling much faster.”

We think the Town’s appropriation for Phase III of “a pavement management plan for the Town of New Canaan’s network of roads” should be used for road repair and stretched as far as asphalt prices will allow to maintain our roads. We would suggest that construction of new sidewalks appropriately belongs in the regular budgeting process, where priorities can be evaluated along with other projects the Town would like to undertake.

UPDATE 9/2 – As of 8/27, the cost of the binder is up 134% since March 4, the date of the Selectman’s meeting when the idea of including Main Street sidewalks in the bonding issue for “a pavement management plan for the Town of New Canaan’s network of roads” first surfaced.

Mill Pond Dredging Trucks Add to 4,000 Vehicles Per Day Traffic Volume on Main Street

When we received the Mill Pond dredging memo from New Canaan’s Public Works Department recently, we wondered if the Town was still planning to pave Main Street this fall. According to the memo, trucks will transport the dredged material to Waveny on a route that includes Main Street during normal working hours, and the project is projected to last approximately four months. At last week’s Town Council meeting, Senior Engineer Tiger Mann reported that approximately 16,000 yards of material would be moved.

The trucks are rolling, but they blend in, and we only notice them occasionally.  Perhaps that’s because Main Street already is the route of choice for so many trucks and other large vehicles. It’s a “collector road,” a main artery into and out of town. Indeed, at the Council meeting Mr. Mann reported that a traffic study had documented 4,000 vehicles a day travel lower Main Street.

Mr. Mann’s report to the Town Council on current and upcoming projects notably omitted repaving Main Street, and he suggested that neighborhood concerns about the proposed sidewalks may have delayed implementation of repaving. Is the Town losing sight of the priorities discussed during the appropriation and issuance of bonds “of $5 Million for Phase III of a pavement management plan for the Town of New Canaan’s network of roads” last spring?

Or does the Town really need Main Street free of construction to transport material from Mill Pond for the next few months?

UPDATE 7/25 – At this morning’s coffee with The Advertiser, First Selectman Jeb Walker said the Mill Pond dredging will be completed within the next six weeks.

UPDATE 7/29- See the 7/29 post reporting on the Main Street traffic studies – the AADT is 4,000+ in each direction for a total of more than 8,000 vehicles

Proposed Changes to Sidewalk Ordinance, Snow Removal and Liability

Today Town Attorney Christopher Jarboe filed the proposed changes to Chapter 54 of the New Canaan Town Code with the Town Clerk. Mr. Jarboe presented the changes to the Town Council Ordinance Committee last week, and the committee approved them with minor amendments. At the Town Council meeting which followed, Ordinance Committee Chairman Richard White described the committee’s two meetings and the philosophy which guided the ordinance changes which will be proposed. He said he would present the proposed ordinance changes to the Council in September and that there would be a public hearing in September. Since the Ordinance Committee presentation was on the agenda, we admit to being a bit puzzled that the full Town Council did not get a peek at the proposed changes and have an opportunity to comment publicly.

For abutting property owners living in residential zones, and for those living in one or two-family dwellings in the business/retail zones, the proposed changes will remove responsibility for sidewalk maintenance and safe passageway. Good news.

Paragraphs relating to the cost of sidewalk construction, maintenance and repair have also been revised to exclude passing along these costs to abutting property owners when the sidewalks are installed on the Town’s initiative. If the sidewalks are installed at the request of abutting property owners, they will pay these costs.

For businesses downtown there are proposed additions which may raise some red flags. The committee chose to follow Westport’s lead and recoup some of the the Town’s cost of sidewalk upkeep downtown. There is a detailed new section which transfers responsibility for snow removal and liability to the “owner or person in possession and control of land abutting a public sidewalk” in the retail or business zones. There is also a new paragraph prohibiting sidewalk obstructions without written permission from the Board of Selectmen. (“Examples of such obstructions include, without limitation, benches chairs, tables, planters, signs, and retail or commercial displays.”)

We appreciate that the committee responded to homeowner concerns and look forward to September’s public hearing. We do suspect there may be some new faces in attendance. Hopefully any concerns about the new business district proposals will not derail the Council’s stated intent to relieve homeowners’ responsibilities for new sidewalks.

Asphalt Escalation

On June 29 the New York Times Connecticut section published an article on the rising cost of asphalt. New Jersey is struggling to fix its potholes, and the AAA reports a 12.8% increase in flat tires from May 1 to June 17 in that state.

Asphalt is a mixture of an aggregate, made with stones or gravel, and a sticky, tarlike binder, which is made from petroleum. Senior Engineer Tiger Mann, in his presentation to New Canaan’s Board of Selectmen on March 4, observed that asphalt which cost $50/ton last year had risen to $85/ton, and noted that there was only one supplier in Fairfield County.

As the price per barrel of oil rises, so does the cost of the binder, which makes up 6% of the mixture that covers roads, according to the Times. The Connecticut Department of Transportation, which monitors costs of construction materials, notes that asphalt prices for performance-graded binder have increased 74% between March 4 and today – July 8. There was a 20% rise in the past week alone.

The $5 million bonding issue “for Phase III of a pavement management plan for the Town of New Canaan’s network of roads” was appropriated to cover two years of road repair. As delightful as sidewalks are to many of us, we wonder if the Town may end up trading off the published mandate of the bonding issue. The Town Charter (C5-13) might frown on that. Perhaps it’s time to take a prudent fiscal look at Phase III’s need-to’s and nice-to’s. Even a magician like Mr. Mann can only stretch dollars so far.

Committee Reviews Sidewalks Ordinance

The Ordinance Committee of the New Canaan Town Council met on Wednesday, July 2, to review current Town of New Canaan Code references – Chapter 54 – which assign responsibility for sidewalks to the abutting property owner.  Town Attorney Christopher Jarboe noted that the Code does not specifically assign liablity to the abutting property owners. Case law in this regard can be confusing, he said. He also remarked that the Town of Westport Code – Chapter 128 – makes a distinction between “business use” – the abutting properties in the business zone – and, presumably, abutting homeowners.

Discussion followed on the Code references to billing the abutting property owners for the cost of installing the sidewalk.  Frank DeNicola, Director of Public Works, said that this has occasionally been done on a case by case basis.

Most of the Council members on the committee seemed inclined to relieve abutting homeowners from the responsibility for paying for sidewalk cost, for maintaining the sidewalks and for any snow shoveling implied by the phrase “safe passageway.”  The committee asked the Town Attorney to draft a replacement ordinance that would remove homeowner responsibility but leave open the option for the Town to bill businesses in the downtown area for associated costs of maintenance. The committee will meet again to review the draft replacement ordinance at 6:30 pm on Wednesday, July 18, and plan to report to the Town Council later that evening.

Homeowners who spoke at the meeting included several who had not previously voiced their opinion. All were opposed to having homeowners assume responsiblity and potential liability for the new sidewalks.

Getting Heard, Step by Step

Laszlo Papp, Chairman of Planning and Zoning, and Mark DeWaele, Chairman of Town Council are to be commended.  Although a public hearing on the sidewalk plan was not on the agenda for the May meeting, Mr. Papp allowed several residents of lower Main Street to speak out about their initial concerns, in particular the worry about the responsibility of abutting property owners for ongoing maintenance and the potential liability associated with the sidewalks. Three residents expressed concerns, and one (a resident of the east side of Main Street) said he was in favor of the sidewalks.

Dr. DeWaele invited Tiger Mann, Senior Engineer with the Town’s Public Works Department, to present the plan for the sidewalks at the Council’s June meeting and opened the floor for residents to voice their concerns.  Town Council members agreed to review the relevant sections of the Town Code (chapter 54-III) about the responsibility and liability for sidewalks, and a meeting of the Ordinance Committee has been scheduled for 4 pm on Wednesday, July 2 in the Board Room at Town Hall.

Residents of the west side of lower Main Street expressed a variety of additional concerns about the wisdom and safety of the proposed project. One gentleman observed that he had initially been in favor of the sidewalks, but after listening to his neighbors, he now opposed the project.  A property owner abutting the proposed South Avenue sidewalk extension also had questions.

Residents also wondered about the possibility that a future Town Council might reinstate maintenance responsibilities.

Safe Routes to School

The New Canaan Schools Transportation Department reports that for the 2007-08 school year there were about 100 middle and high school students who lived on or between the east side of Main Street and the south side of East Avenue.  These students were eligible to ride the school bus.

Students who live between the west side of Main Street and South Avenue can already walk up their local side street and down the South Avenue sidewalks.  Some have even discovered convenient shortcuts along neighborhood side roads and through backyards.

If we want to provide additional, walkable, “safe routes to school” for students, why is the Town planning to put a sidewalk on the west side of Main Street? Wouldn’t it make more sense to put it on the east side? Or will we watch in horror as students who live on the east side dash across Main Street to get to the sidewalk on the other side?

Narrowing Main Street to Make Room for Sidewalks

Residents of Main Street were surprised and disturbed to learn that the lanes will be narrowed to 11-12 feet to make room for the new sidewalks that have been proposed.  The narrowing is described as a “traffic calming” measure that will reduce speed. A representative of New Canaan’s police department notes that narrowing the lanes on Main Street should result in a 3 mph speed reduction.

Traffic Calming in New Canaan

According to the Police Commission Traffic Calming description on the Town’s website, “Traffic Calming measures are not to inappropriately delay emergency response to fires, medical or other emergencies. Certain streets and roads have been identified as emergency response routes where certain traffic calming devices that increase response times will not be considered.” Main Street is identified as an emergency response “collector road.” With narrow lanes bounded by curbed sidewalks, we wonder where other vehicles will be able to pull over when emergency response vehicles need to pass.

“Traffic calming must be neighborhood driven and it is necessary to keep residents informed,” the Police Commission site continues. “Residents of an area identified as possible installation sites must be given the opportunity to participate in the discussions leading to the implementation of such proposals.” Many residents of lower Main Street, who have observed the traffic patterns for years, have expressed their concern about the wisdom of narrowing this winding, hilly, heavily traveled road.

SWRPA – A Regional Study

In the late 1990’s the eight communities in Southwestern Connecticut commissioned a study of traffic calming measures.  A paper describing this SWRPA traffic calming project notes that “Roadway classification was found to be critical. Studies on most traffic calming devices have recommended that such devices are not appropriate on arterials and should be of limited use on collectors.” The full study, A Traffic Calming Toolbox, is available at the New Canaan Police Station.

ITE – Industry Standards

According to the Police Commission, “Traffic calming measures shall be designed to comply with recognized standards and practices of the Institute of Transportation Engineers, ASHET and the Connecticut Department of Transportation.” In 1999 the ITE published “Traffic Calming State of the Practice,” which found “minor” speed reduction for street narrowing.  The sample size of 7 road narrowings produced an average speed reduction of 2.6 mph, with a standard deviation of 5.5 (page 104). What does this mean? There’s not a strong correlation between street width reduction and speed. 

Most of the published studies on traffic calming have a large margin of error, offering weak confidence in the predictive value of their conclusions.

In fact, most of the available studies on street narrowing are documenting projects where the streets are straight and flat, often in towns where roads are laid out in a grid. Main Street is none of these. Narrowing is often accomplished by permitting on-street parking, or by drawing the outside lane lines closer to the center lane.

Among the disruptive trade-offs:

• Emergency response vehicles are delayed,
• Trucks, school buses and other large vehicles have a more difficult time navigating the roadway,
• Traffic impacts are shifted to other roads, and volume increases on side streets.

We question whether narrowing Main Street is wise. If the stated purpose is to lower the speed, why not start by reducing the speed limit?

Or are we about to build a permanently dangerous change into our Town’s infrastructure, inconvenience drivers, and slow passage of emergency vehicles in order to accommodate sidewalks?

Property Owners Are Liable for New Canaan’s Sidewalks

Back in November 2006 the Town Council considered a proposed Ordinance Concerning Snow Removal. We located Minutes of the Public Hearing, as well as Minutes of the Town Council Meeting where the Council (Item 4) decided to “postpone the Ordinance indefinitely.” We think some of the names of those who spoke against the proposed ordinance at the Public Hearing is telling, and the reasons they gave for opposing it are directly relevant to the newly proposed sidewalks.

Most worrisome is Attorney/Councilman Tom O’Dea’s statement:

• “Mr. O’Dea advised that under the existing laws the abutting property owner IS liable if a pedestrian falls on an uncleared sidewalk that abuts his or her property. Further, the Town does not have the resources to clear snow quickly enough. He also advised that the Town owns some of the sidewalks but that in other instances, it is the property owner who owns the sidewalk, and the Town has an easement.”

The section of the Town Code (Chapter 54 Section III) to which Mr. O’Dea refers is currently still in effect. Any property owner in the proposed sidewalk zone (see the Pedestrian/ Bicycle/ Transit Plan) should take notice; you could be next. Is this in your best interest? How deep are your pockets?

We think it’s time for the Town Council to strike this section of the code. 

East Side West Side

Improved safety is probably the most compelling reason for locating any Main Street sidewalk on the east side of the street, but there are others. (The roadway is too narrow along several sections to accommodate the addition of sidewalks on both sides.)

A web search turned up the Town Transportation Plan, which discusses the location of proposed sidewalks (page 4), along with priorities for developing and maintaining them (page 8). The search also found a map of New Canaan showing the proposed Pedestrian/ Bicycle/ Transit Plan.

Siting a sidewalk on the east side of Main Street would create a safe pedestrian path for the large, densely populated area between Main Street and East Avenue, and provide a “Walk to School” opportunity for middle and high school students living in that area. We are concerned about the alternative prospect: students dashing across Main Street to get to a sidewalk on the west side.

Residents of the area between Main Street and South Avenue already have easy access to the South Avenue sidewalks. With the simple addition of a crosswalk at Farm Road, a sidewalk on the east side of Main Street would still create a “loop” bordered by Main, Farm, South and the Center of Town

A sidewalk along the east side of Main Street would also provide walking access to the cemetery.

And then there are the basic construction efficiencies: among these, that the east side is flatter. There are 4 times as many banks along the west side that would need to be excavated as there are on the east side.

The east side is mostly free of utility poles; a primary electric power/ telephone/ cable route into downtown is strung on poles located along the west side of Main Street. A sidewalk on the east side wouldn’t have poles dotting the middle of it, impeding pedestrian passageway.

Safe Sidewalks vs. the Dangerous Outside Curve

Last week’s Indianpolis 500 race reminded us of the “outside curve” rule – when drivers go too fast around a curve it’s the outside wall they crash into.

There’s an “outside curve” on the west side of Main Street between Down River Road and Woodland Road that is tricky to navigate, and it often catches drivers by surprise. Coming off a slight downhill stretch, they approach the curve too quickly. Most drivers just swing wide, but we have seen vehicles hit the telephone pole or crash into the bank there. A child on a sidewalk would be at risk.

Engineers who have seen aerial shots of this curve advise that, for reasons of safety, the sidewalk belongs on the other (east) side of Main Street.

Responsibility and Liabilities Come with New Sidewalks

Several homeowners with properties abutting the proposed new sidewalks have expressed concerns about thier:

• responsibilty for maintenance, upkeep and repair of the sidewalks, including removal of snow and ice during the winter to create “safe passageway,” and
• potential liability in the event someone is injured on the sidewalk.

The Town Code transfers certain responsibilities – and potentially risk exposure to liability – to abutting property owners.  Connecticut State Statutes permit the Town to do so; municipalities in the state have handled this in varying ways, and there is some case precedent.  Search http://www.ct.gov using [sidewalks “property owners” liability] for some relevant information.

Although we have not yet heard this discussed, the Town Code also notes that the Town shall bill abutting property owners for the cost of constructing the sidewalks. We do not know the status of this, but bring it to your attention.

We strongly suggest that abutting property owners review the Town Code – Click on Chapter 54 and scroll down to Section III: Construction and Maintenance of Sidewalks.

New Sidewalks Planned from Oak Street to Farm Road

The Town of New Canaan is proposing to build new sidewalks:

• along the West side of Main Street from Oak Street to Farm Road,
• along the East side of South Avenue from Surrey Road to Farm Road, and
• along the West side of Weed Street from Elm Street to Irwin Park.

Several owners of properties abutting these new sidewalk routes first became aware of this plan when the agenda was published for the Planning and Zoning Commission meeting on May 20, 2008.  The sidewalks are included in a $5 million appropriation and bond issuance enabling the Public Works Department to repave lower Main Street and other roads in town as Phase III of the Town’s road renovation project. (Phase I was completed in 2004 and 2005; Phase II was completed in 2006 and 2007).

The $5 million appropriation and bond issuance were approved by the Board of Selectmen at their regular meeting on March 4, 2008, by the Board of Finance at a subsequent meeting, and by the Town Council at a special meeting on March 10, 2008. Published minutes of the Board of Selectmen meeting indicate that “Residents of lower Main Street expressed their pleasure over the prospect of a freshly repaved road and new sidewalks.” The published agenda for that meeting did not indicate that the construction of new sidewalks would be included in the appropriation or that sidewalks would be discussed. Media coverage of these meetings did not mention the plan to construct new sidewalks.

At the P&Z meeting on May 20, the chairman was careful to point out that the commission’s role was to make sure that the proposal fit in with the Town Plan. The commission approved the project with one dissent.

The sidewalk project, as presented by Public Works Senior Engineer Tiger Mann, would include a 5-foot-wide concrete walk with granite curbs. The width would be achieved by a combination of

• narrowing portions of the roadway on Main Street and
• excavating portions of land abutting the road.

Trees would be removed, as needed.

No retaining walls are planned.

P&Z members inquired about the possibility of burying electric lines along the route and were advised that the cost was high. Building officials agreed to look into the cost. P&Z members also inquired about brick or other aethetic improvements.

Several property owners present at the meeting were permitted to speak.  Those with properties abutting the proposed sidewalk expressed varying concerns, including concerns about the number of embankments that will be excavated, safety, responsibility for maintenance, upkeep and repairs, and possible risk exposure and liability. 

Welcome to Main Street New Canaan

Welcome to Main Street New Canaan.  This website and blog has been created to provide property owners along lower Main St. with information – and an opportunity to dialogue about common ideas, inspirations,  issues and concerns. We welcome your suggestions for content and improvements to the site.

This site invites and encourages public comment that is relevant and courteous to our readers.  You are welcome to disagree, but please keep the discourse civil. The site administrators assume no legal liability for differing points of view expressed herein; please be advised that we may delete comments if language is inappropriate or deemed harmful to individuals or public entities.