A Toddy Hill Road man who has been pushing for better traffic speed control on that residential street for the past three years urged Police Commission members this week to install a speed limit sign nearer to an electronic speed display on the northbound side of the road to better control speeding motorists.

At a March 3 Police Commission session, Peter Sepe, proprietor of Sepe Farm LLC at 83 Toddy Hill Road, noted that the presence of a speed limit sign near an electronic speed display on the southbound side of Toddy Hill Road is effective in holding down travel speeds on that side of the street.

Although there is a speed limit sign on the northbound side of the street that motorists see before reaching the electronic speed display, such a speed limit sign needs to be positioned farther north and closer to the electronic display to effectively hold down northbound travel speeds, Sepe claimed.

Police formerly used a single large brilliant portable battery-powered speed display to alert northbound motorists to their speed as they approached the display, as compared to the posted speed limit. Recently, the town installed two somewhat dimmer solar-powered electronic speed displays in both directions on Toddy Hill Road.

Sepe told Police Commission members on March 3, “It’s working great one way [southbound], but not so great the other way [northbound].”

Police Commission member Scott Cicciari responded that the positioning of elements in the speed-control setup on Toddy Hill Road was recommended to the commission by traffic engineers. The commission decided to have traffic experts guide it in the matter, he said.

“Let’s give it a chance,” Cicciari said of the setup. Cicciari said that when the weather improves, the town could place sensors on the road to gather data on the effectiveness of the speed control devices.

Carolyn Sepe of 83 Toddy Hill Road suggested that as a way to get motorists’ attention about the speed limit, the town place paint markings on Toddy Hill Road indicating its speed limit.

Police Chief James Viadero told Peter Sepe that there will always be some motorists who exceed the speed limit regardless of the steps taken to have them obey the law.

The police chief assured him that police are enforcing the traffic laws in his neighborhood. “We’re just not going to be there every day,” the chief added. Police need to vary their schedules and locations for traffic enforcement so that they do not become a predictable presence to motorists, he said.

Other Matters

In other business at the March 3 meeting, Chief Viadero told commission members that collective bargaining talks are starting between the town and the Newtown Police Union, with the goal of reaching a new labor contract for the 43-member union. The chief said he will keep the commission informed.

Also, the chief said that progress is being made on the conversion and expansion of the former office building at 191 South Main Street for use as a new police station. Police occupancy is expected by late this year.

In another matter, the chief urged residents to secure their unattended vehicles to deter auto theft. He was commenting on the February 29 nighttime theft of a sedan from the driveway of a residence on Marlin Road, apparently possible because the vehicle was unlocked and its keys were inside it.