Police Commission members, in their role as the local traffic authority, this week spoke favorably about a planning study they reviewed on measures to improve conditions for pedestrians along the section of Main Street near the historic flagpole intersection.

Flint Ridge Development, LLC, commissioned the conceptual study by Fitzgerald & Halliday, Inc, a Hartford-based community planning firm. Flint Ridge recently renovated a historic building at 33 Main Street that holds Dere Street, which is a restaurant/bar. The study covers an about 1,000-foot-long section of Main Street lying between C.H. Booth Library at 25 Main Street and Newtown General Store at 43 Main Street.

Chris Hottois, one of the owners of 33 Main Street and a partner in Flint Ridge, presented the Main Street Streetscape Concept to Police Commission members on February 7. In January, the conceptual plan gained an endorsement from the Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z), which serves as the borough's planning agency.

Mr Hottois said that the streetscape study is not a traffic study, but describes "an enhancement project" for the area. Enhancements could be achieved by measures including installing curbline "bump-outs" to selectively narrow Main Street's width to slow traffic and also shorten crosswalks; constructing "refuge islands" for pedestrians in the center of the street at crosswalks; and placing flashing lights at crosswalks to gain motorists' attention about the presence of pedestrians, according to Mr Hottois.

The streetscape plan also lists traffic-calming improvements including textured medians and textured road shoulders on Main Street. Mr Hottois also suggested installing a large circular area of textured pavement at the flagpole to reduce vehicular speeds.

In late 2015, the Police Commission had a traffic consultant prepare a traffic study on resolving the traffic problems posed by the five-legged flagpole intersection of Main Street, Church Hill Road, and West Street. That intersection, which has the flagpole as its centerpiece, has the second-highest accident rate in town.

In that 2015 study, Frederick P. Clark Associates, Inc, of Fairfield recommended installing traffic signals, altering the geometry of the junction, and modifying some traffic flow patterns. Police Commission members, however, have opted to pursue various incremental changes at the intersection, rather than major modifications.

Because Main Street and Church Hill Road are state roads, any changes to the flagpole intersection are subject to approval by the state Department of Transportation (DOT).

According to the Fitzgerald & Halliday streetscape study, the long, wide Main Street straightaway fosters high-speed, high-volume traffic, putting pedestrians at a significant disadvantage. Also, crosswalks there are far apart, and have visibility and illumination issues.

Police Commission Chairman Joel Faxon said commission members want the flagpole intersection to be as safe as possible, noting that the area is not as safe as it could be. The streetscape plan contains some "excellent ideas," he said, noting that commission members are in continuing talks with DOT officials about improving the area.

Mr Hottois said that particular hazards for pedestrians occur when motorists, who are traveling on Main Street, drive on the road's shoulders while passing on the right the vehicles that are stopped at the flagpole intersection and waiting to make left turns.

Mr Hottois recommended increasing the number of parking spaces near the flagpole intersection. Currently, there is a perpendicular parking area situated along southbound Main Street in front of 33 Main Street. An illustration in the streetscape plan shows an expanded parking area there featuring diagonal parking spaces along the street. Mr Hottois told Police Commission members that when events occur at Newtown Meeting House at 31 Main Street, participants often park in spaces designated for 33 Main Street. The meeting house has very few parking spaces at its property.

Michael Morehouse, a Fitzgerald & Halliday vice president, told Police Commission members that the various proposed changes to Main Street are generally intended to reduce traffic speeds in seeking to create a safer environment. Increased nighttime lighting in the area would be necessary, he said.

Commission Response

"I love the ideas," Police Commission member Brian Budd said, adding that he hopes the DOT is receptive to such planning concepts.

Mr Hottois said that local agencies that have reviewed the study have responded favorably, but he noted that the study amounts to a "concept."

Of the streetscape study, Mr Morehouse said, "It's a complex issue. I think this [study] addresses the issue of pedestrian safety."

Mr Faxon suggested that commission members take a position on the ideas listed in the study, and if they formally endorse the concepts, present those ideas to the DOT for consideration.

Following the February 7 session, Mr Faxon said he expects that the Police Commission will solicit public comments on the Main Street Streetscape Concept at its March 7 meeting. The commission would then vote on whether to endorse the study, he said.