The new Main Street traffic lights — at the Avery Place/Parker Harding and Myrtle Avenue/North Kings Highway intersections — have some Westporters spooked.
An alert “06880” reader sent photos of what he thought were surveillance cameras:
Were they installed to catch drivers zooming through the light?
Or — worse — some kind of nefarious, Big Brother spy cams?
This called for a call to Westport’s top cop.
Have no fear, Police Chief Foti Koskinas responded quickly. There are no cameras on any traffic lights in Westport.
These are traffic control devices. They replace the strips that previously lay under the pavement, sending signals to the lights to determine if cars were waiting in line. That’s why sometimes a light allows a left turn on red, while other times it turns green for everyone.
In the past, Foti said, every time a road was repaired or repaved, the strips were torn out and replaced.
Now — sitting high above ground — they’re much safer.
Until the next wind storm.
Dan, Paul Muller here, do you know what work is being done on North Ave,,just south of the entrance to Staples. Seems like a lot of trucks, fenced off secure area and work has been going on forever?
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That’s the old Aquarion water tank. I have no idea what is going on. But you’re right — it’s being going on for months. There are lots of cars and trucks — but no actual human beings…
I have a question. It’s about those “No Turn on Red” signs that mysteriously appeared at these two intersections two weeks ago. This represents is a significant modification to local traffic control measures and, as such, would have been subject to review and a vote by the Board of Selectmen acting in its capacity as the Traffic Control Authority.
There’s just one problem: no such vote ever took place.
This comes on the heels of the sudden disappearance of the right hand turn lane at the intersection of Myrtle and Main – also without a vote of the Traffic Authority.
And before anyone tries to tell me that you cannot have pedestrian crosswalks and “right on red” in the same intersection, I’d suggest that you take a look at the intersection of Myrtle and the Post Road. Ditto Compo South, Compo North, Parker Harding…
All this junior league lawlessness matters – mainly for the hapless residents who have the misfortune of living (and trying to drive) in the neighborhood.
So I have a small request for the unelected, unaccountable members of the Downtown Plan Implementation Committee who seem to have started all this nonsense: stop tinkering with our neighborhood. You don’t know what you’re doing. And it’s becoming a real problem.
Being a hapless neighbor, I totally agree with Morley. Please stop mucking up our neighborhood. The impact of the changes, without studies, on traffic and pedestrians is a problem that keeps on growing and this is without Bedford Square even being open yet! Westport please play by the rules. No sneaking!
I’m curious as to what significant changes have impacted the neighborhood and how these changes have made it anymore challenging when driving?
I’ll be happy to satisfy your curiosity.
Here’s one: the loss of the right turn lane at the intersection of Main and Myrtle was triggered by a goofy sidewalk to nowhere project spearheaded by the Downtown Plan Implementation Committee (DPIC). It wasn’t even in their plans but they did it anyway. That has, as anyone who lives around here would have predicted, caused traffic backups at certain times. Nobody thought this through and I don’t care what anybody says, it was never publicly discussed. Nor was it correctly voted upon. The no turn on red thing just added insult to injury and, of course, made things just a little more difficult for drivers.
Of course, the DPIC has lots more in store for our neighborhood. After first denying it in a televised hearing, this group finally admitted (on the record) that it has plans for 6 more stop signs and 10 more crosswalks on Myrtle Ave. And that’s just from Avery to the Post Road.
Think eliminating all the right turn lanes in downtown is cool? DPIC has you covered. Check out page 63 of its bible, the 2015 Downtown Westport Master Plan and see for yourself.
The “strips under the road” to detect cars wasn’t an urban legend? Get outta here!
Too bad they can’t install cameras and ticket people who roll thru stop signs – we could pay off our portion of the teacher pensions with it.
Thanks for clearing that up for us Dan! Miss that corner! And a belated Happy 45th Birthday to Foti from me,next time you see him! Take care Dan!