Police Commission Considers Traffic Safety

By Andrew Gorosko

The Police Commission is considering proposals for stop sign installation and for intersection geometry improvements to enhance local traffic safety.

Police Chief Michael Kehoe said July 2 police will study a resident’s request for stop sign installation at the hazardous intersection of Currituck Road and Signal Post Road.

 Signal Post Road runs parallel to an embankment for a railroad line that perpendicularly crosses above Currituck Road on an overpass at the intersection of the two roads. The physical arrangement creates a blind left turn from Signal Post Road onto southbound Currituck Road.

Chief Kehoe said Lieutenant James Mooney will conduct a traffic study at the intersection to determine how best to improve safety there. The police chief said that installing a large convex mirror along Currituck Road, in order to provide motorists exiting Signal Post Road with a view of oncoming northbound Currituck Road traffic, may be the solution to the visibility problem.

Also, at its July 1 meeting, the Police Commission postponed action on a resident’s request for stop sign installation at the intersection of Old Mill Road, Sherman Street, and Still Hill Road in Sandy Hook, Chief Kehoe said. The Police Commission is the town’s traffic authority.

The commission also agreed to write the state Department of Transportation (DOT) requesting intersection geometry improvements at the intersection of Church Hill Road, Glen Road, Riverside Road, and Washington Avenue in Sandy Hook Center, the police chief said.

Although the four-way intersection has a four-way traffic signal with dual north-south, east-west phasing, the severe geometry of the area poses traffic visibility hazards for motorist who are making turns.

In other business, the Police Commission accepted the resignation of retiring police Patrol Officer Michael Brokaw. Mr Brokaw has worked as a patrolman for 30 years.

Commission members also approved revised and new police policies concerning: computer use, Internet use, electronic messaging, applications to carry pistols and revolvers, police support services, prisoner transportation, canine control, animal control, and the school resource officers.