As the holiday season winds down, twinkling lights are replaced by traffic ones.
The Post Road/Imperial Avenue/Myrtle Avenue intersection sports a ton of new signals (and new crosswalks). The just-installed lights are not yet activated.
Continuing the Christmas theme though, they’re red and green.
Posted in Downtown, Transportation
Tagged Imperial Avenue, Myrtle Avenue, Post Road, Traffic lights
Ever since the Wright Street and Gorham Island buildings were erected in the 1970s — and those were quite some erections — Westport has been consumed by construction.
Even so, 2014 stands out as a landmark year.
Here are some of the developments — as in, real estate developments — that have occurred in the past few months. Or are occurring right now.
The west side of the Saugatuck River includes the old National Hall and the relatively new Wright Street building. (Photo/Larry Untermeyer for DowntownWestportCT.com)
That’s a lot — as in, lots of building lots.
And nearly 2 months still remain in this year.
P.S. Oh, yeah. The beach too.
Posted in Beach, Downtown, Library, Local business, Places, Real estate, Restaurants, Saugatuck, YMCA
Tagged Jesup Green, Post Road, Saugatuck Center
Today’s post comes from someone who moved to Westport in the mid-1960s. The writer prefers anonymity. “My reward will come when traffic improves,” the author says.
There are many great things about Westport, like its public school system, Compo Beach and Longshore. These are great because the town spends much time and money on them.
Unfortunately, one area that affects more people than any other: the Post Road.
It is used every day by everyone who lives, works or travels through Westport. Traffic gets worse each year, as more cars and trucks are on the road. They get bigger and park anywhere they like, blocking entire lanes. Yet no effort is made to remedy the situation.
The worst congestion is downtown, at the intersection of Main Street. This problem is caused primarily by private cars using a public road for free parking. In order to conveniece 20 or so people and perhaps a dozen commercial establishments, we permit them to inconvenience 20,000 or more people a day.
Westporters have parked on the Post Road since at least the time of the Fine Arts Theater (now Restoration Hardware). The movie house opened in 1916.
We can help this situation with a few simple changes. First, there should be no parking on either side of the Post Road, from one end of town to the other.
Synchronizing the traffic light on both sides of the downtown bridge would also help. Eliminating left turns on the Post Road (except at turning lanes with lights) should be considered. Restricting large delivery trucks from the center of town to nighttime delivery hours would help.
I can hear town government people protesting, “Route 1 is a state road. We have no control over it. We are helpless.” Demand help from the state. Don’t we have representatives in Hartford? Don’t we vote? Don’t we pay state taxes?
Others will say, having 2 unobstructed lanes through town will cause more speeders and accidents. Have you not heard of overhead cameras that mail speeders $150 tickets?
Revitalization of downtown Westport is unlikely without solving our traffic problems.
Thank God no one vandalized the Minuteman statue today. (Photo by Katherine Hooper)
The Post Road looked positively serene earlier this afternoon. (Photo by Katherine Hooper)
There were no white sales on Main Street today. (Photo by Katherine Hooper)
Charlotte Frank is the standard against which the Blizzard of 2013 will be measured.
Ethan and Molly Frank find fun in a snow fort.
The Old Mill parking lot was filled with sand after Hurricane Sandy. Nemo dealt it a different blow. (Photo by Matt Murray)
Little kids weren’t the only ones putting the Blizzard of 2013 to good use. Party on, Westport!
Posted in Beach, Downtown, People, Places, Weather, Westport life
Tagged Blizzard of 2013, Main Street, Post Road
An alert “06880” reader writes:
Is it just me, or has traffic in Westport increased exponentially over the last few months?
I used to limit my driving on the Post Road after 5 p.m., but now it doesn’t matter where I drive or at what time. It’s always backed up.
Wilton Road, Compo Road, Green’s Farms Road, Easton Road, Main Street — you name it, there’s traffic. What’s going on?
I’m not sure. While eastbound traffic often backs up on the Post Road between Trader Joe’s and Imperial Avenue, I haven’t noticed an increase on those other major roads.
But “06880” readers are the experts. Click “Comments” to add your observations. And be sure to mention if you’re responding by cellphone, while stuck somewhere in non-moving traffic!
New Delhi today. Westport tomorrow?
Over the past few weeks, pedestrians have been hit crossing the Post Road near Shake Shack and in front of Playhouse Square.
A body was discovered on the I-95 Exit 18 entrance ramp.
And every day, it seems, there are automobile accidents everywhere in town.
This morning around 10:30, a westbound driver on the Post Road near Patagonia suddenly veered across the street, slamming into a car parked in front of Restoration Hardware.
In the words of Sgt. Phil Esterhaus: “Be careful out there.”
Posted in Downtown, Local business, Police
Tagged Patagonia, Post Road, Restoration Hardware
If you’re like me, you pass the vacant lot almost every day and wonder: How can such valuable property just sit there?
The answer is: not much longer.
What may be the last undeveloped Post Road parcel in town — across Roseville Road from McDonald’s, directly across the street from Cumberland Farms — may soon be developed.
Tuesday night (December 13, 7:30, Town Hall), the Zoning Board of Appeals will review a request for variances. Property owner William Taylor hopes to construct a 2-story office building on the small piece of land, which ever since I can remember has been a weed- and brush-filled occasional parking lot for trucks.
The office building would include Taylor’s law office, and other tenants.
The bad news: Parking will include a deck — accessible through a new entrance off Roseville Road. That means even more cars will soon fly through the least-observed red light in town.
The good news: It’s not a bank.
Last May, “06880” reported on the demolition and reconstruction of the vest-pocket park at the corner of the Post Road and Main Street. Back in the day, that was the Westport Library’s park — and word on the street was, it would be a park in perpetuity, no matter who owned the land.
Here’s a scene from that day:
It’s amazing how swiftly these things move. Look how much progress this complex project has made in just 3 months:
At this rate, the target date for completion of November, 2019 will easily be reached.
Just in time for the 50th reunion of some of the Staples students shown in the park in this classic (and classically misspelled) Westport News photo:
Meanwhile, just a few feet away from the park renovation, there’s another downtown item that needs attending:
Last September, the major Post Road/Main Street crosswalk was eliminated. The idea was to force pedestrians to use the narrower (and presumably safer) crosswalk several yards away, just past Taylor Place.
A side benefit: There would be 2 lanes of traffic, not 1, heading west on the Post Road, presumably unclogging at least a bit the bottleneck in front of Tiffany’s.
As the photo above shows, we’re still waiting for the crosswalk to be completely eliminated.
And for the vehicle lanes to be striped.
Posted in Categories, Downtown, Library, Looking back
Tagged Downtown Westport, Main Street, Post Road
This morning’s Post Road post propelled an “06880” reader to pass along a personal perspective.
Earlier this winter, the reader contacted an RTM member regarding a school bus stop sign that seemed useless. The RTM rep contacted police chief Al Fiore, who sent an officer to investigate. The conclusion was that the sign ensured safety.
A picture is worth a thousand accidents.
Because the police department seemed interested, the reader followed up with several other safety concerns about the Post Road. The cops referred the reader to the Connecticut Department of Transportation, which oversees US 1. It took a while to find the right bureaucrats.
Once discovered — they’re Joseph P. Ouellette, transportation supervising engineer, Bureau of Engineering and Construction, and Ernest Lajoga (a transportation engineer) — the reader wrote with these concerns:
Motorists turn left onto the Post Road from both Route 136 (Compo Road) approaches despite red lights. Is there enough green time to “move the queue”?
There is not enough time for pedestrians to cross the Post Road between Compo Shopping Center (CVS) and Compo Acres (Trader Joe’s). Could there be an exclusive “walk” time when lights on all 4 sides are red?
Ditto the crosswalks at Taylor Place (Tiffany) and Parker Harding Plaza (Starbucks). Could those have exclusive “walk” phases too?
DOT officials contacted Westport officials: “First Selectman, Public Works, Police Department” in January. Ouellette emailed the “06880” reader this response: “The Town was not in favor of revising the pedestrian treatment at the shopping center signal at this time. Also, the Police Department did not feel that there is a problem with left-turns from Rte 136 onto Rte 1.”
Ouellette continued: “The Department relies on input from town officials because they have more local knowledge of traffic concerns that (sic) we do. I realize that the issues you describe are important to you. I suggest that you contact Public Safety Officer John Parisi (203-341-6000) at the Westport Police Department if you want to pursue further. If the town agrees with your concerns, we will investigate.”
“06880” will keep you “posted.”
The Tri-State Transportation Campaign has analyzed all 105 pedestrian deaths on Connecticut streets from 2007-09.
In Fairfield County over those 3 years, 20 pedestrians were killed by drivers.
The most dangerous road — the deadliest in the entire state, in fact — was the Post Road. It accounted for 6 deaths.
The statewide figures for 2010 are not yet in. But at the end of last year, 2 people were killed in Westport within a month. That makes 3 over the past 2 years.
All were killed on the Post Road.
Last month, another woman was struck on the same road. Luckily, she lived.
The figures are clear. The Post Road is deadly.
We drive too fast, too recklessly, too distractedly. We are not deterred by law enforcement. Our culture reveres cars and discourages walking; our community takes that to an extreme.
That’s the problem.
So what’s the solution?
Recently, the family of Billy Ford — the 1st victim of the recent carnage — donated $7,000 to cover the cost of solar-powered, button-activated pedestrian crosswalk lights. They’re now operational at 1655 Post Road East, the site of Billy’s death.
That’s one answer. There must be more.
“06880” readers have opinions about donut shops, dogs on beaches, and countless other quality of life issues.
Now it’s time to speak up on a matter of — literally — life and death.
Crossing the Post Road can be deadly.
Posted in Downtown, Westport life
Tagged distracted driving, pedestrian deaths, Post Road
Click here to help support “06880” via credit card or PayPal. Any amount is welcome, appreciated — and tax-deductible! Reader contributions keep this blog going. (Alternate methods: Please send a check to “06880”: PO Box 744, Westport, CT 06881. Or use Venmo: @blog06880. Or Zelle: dwoog@optonline.net. Thanks!)