Design An Intersection

For The ‘Real World’

To the Editor:

At the end of August, I sent a letter to First Selectman Herb Rosenthal with a copy to Public Works Director Fred Hurley on the subject of the Vollmer Associates study of local roads, especially the flagpole intersection, which we have to deal with going from and to West Street every day.

I said, “As the various locations are studied, they should be looked at in terms of observed local Newtown conditions and driving habits, not just textbook answers from an outsider which indicate how this should work but might not. Major changes are needed in some areas and it would be a shame to spend a lot of money on something that does not help the situation or even makes it worse because the entire real world situation was not observed.” I cited the work done over a couple of weeks on the incorrectly banked, very dangerous curves at the bottom of Castle Hill Road in the 1970s. After being torn apart that long it was put back together just as bad or even worse.

Mr Hurley responded to my letter and said, “First, let me assure that the study done that affects the flagpole intersection is simply not an outsider spending a couple of days and then making a recommendation.”

Well, I’m afraid Vollmer did not spend enough time observing the nature of the traffic. I’m not familiar with all the details of their flagpole recommendation. I do agree with some of what they said, but here is one glaring fault with proposal and that is that all West Street traffic would go between the Meeting House and the Dana Holcomb House, and closing off the other side.

West Street and then Castle Hill look like sleepy little back roads, but they are the major access from downtown to the large Taunton area. That means that in addition to many cars, there are many large moving vans, delivery trucks, school buses, construction trucks, etc, going down West Street all day. These vehicles require a large turning radius, and there would be repeated conflicts with other vehicles exiting the narrow West Street with the curve around the Meeting House.

In order to cross Main Street safely from Church Hill Road onto West Street there are three requirements. First, unless there is no southbound Main Street traffic, traffic must be stopped. Unfortunately, this means a stop light as recommended because this will also stop the high speed traffic illegally passing on the right. Second, if there is to be a passing lane in conjunction with a traffic light, the boundaries should be clearly marked. Unfortunately, there could be no parking in front of the Meeting House. As it is now, when somebody is parked there, you can see nothing to the left when exiting West Street, and you must pull out to the edge of road blind and often into the face of high speed illegal passers. Third, when crossing from Church Hill to West Street you must be able to expedite the crossing without hesitation… This means going straight across. If you had to turn left and then slow way down to turn right, you would risk getting anything up to an 18-wheeler in your trunk. (Everyday “real world.”)

Something needs to be done at the flagpole (Incidentally, the flagpole is not the problem). The way these things work, nothing will happen for years (eee Super 25 or Super 7). In the meantime, the town should make sure the state repaints the solid line along Main Street in front of the Meeting House (They did not do it after last year’s winter.) Also, some sort of cross-hatching should be painted on the shoulder to show it is not a traffic lane.

Yours truly,

Howard F. Bowles, Jr

2 Old Castle Drive, Newtown                                           April 9, 2007