Some Toddy Hill Road residents, who have pressed police since last spring to better control speeding and reckless driving on the road that connects Sandy Hook to Botsford, thanked Police Commission members this week for intensified efforts to keep down travel speeds there.

Pete Sepe of 83 Toddy Hill Road told Police Commission members on March 6, "Thank you for being there [with] a notable presence." The Police Commission serves as the local traffic authority.

Carolyn Sepe, of the same address, added that she wants to keep informed about the status of a police department spending proposal through which police would acquire solar-powered electronic speed displays to be installed on Toddy Hill Road to deter speeding. That spending plan is making its way through the town's annual budget process. The presence of such signage is important as a deterrent to speeding, Ms Sepe said.

Information on public meetings is readily available through the town's website, Police Commission Chairman Joel Faxon said.

Candide Slinko of 79 Toddy Hill Road said there has been a heavy police presence on Toddy Hill Road lately to enforce traffic laws.

"I'm happy to see it," she said in extending her appreciation for heightened enforcement.

Similarly, Patrick Ross of 75 Toddy Hill Road complimented police officials on their efforts to control traffic problems.

"It's unbelievable," he said.

Police Captain Christopher Vanghele told Police Commission members that during the month of February, police made 96 motor vehicle stops for speeding on Toddy Hill Road, spending much time there enforcing traffic laws. Of those 96 traffic stops, police issued motorists 37 infractions for traffic violations, and made two arrests unrelated to traffic violations, he said.

The Toddy Hill Road enforcement effort represents one quarter of the police's traffic stops for February, when police made a total of 384 traffic stops in town, he said.

When spring weather returns, police will again post their mobile speed displays along Toddy Hill Road, which inform motorists of their oncoming speed, as compared to the posted speed limit, he said.

Toddy Hill Road residents have said that the speeding/reckless driving problem has long been present in their neighborhood.

On the night of May 2, 2017, a large group of Toddy Hill Road area neighbors attended an emotional Police Commission session to stress their public safety concerns stemming from speeding, illegal passing, reckless driving, aggressive driving, and distracted driving on the north-south road that connects Berkshire Road in Sandy Hook to South Main Street in Botsford, where the street is known as Botsford Hill Road.

On had occurred on Toddy Hill Road, stimulating the residents to seek heightened enforcement from police.the morning of May 2, a serious motor vehicle accident

Reed School Access

In another traffic topic reviewed at the March 6 Police Commission session, Capt Vanghele told commission members that initial plans to conduct a two-week test of an alternate school bus accessway to Reed Intermediate School via Old Farm Road was dropped by police and replaced with another traffic plan.

In the mornings, as school buses are arriving at Reed School from the west, town Traffic Agent Chris Harris is now stationed at a traffic signal control box on the northwest corner of the intersection of Wasserman Way and Trades Lane. Mr Harris manually controls the traffic signal that regulates traffic flow through that four-way intersection to best manage the flow of school buses through that intersection.

In February, the Police Commission had approved a two-week test period to allow school buses to enter the turnaround circle at the end of Old Farm Road via Wasserman Way. That measure was approved as a test on lessening school bus congestion in the mornings.

Of manually controlling the traffic signal, Capt Vanghele said, "I think that was an excellent way to handle that" problem.

Mr Faxon said that after Police Commission members had approved the alternate school access test via Old Farm Road, they learned that some roadway improvements would be necessary to allow the buses to travel from Wasserman Way to the turnaround circle.

Police Commission member Joan Plouffe asked whether motorist sight line issues on Wasserman Way, near the Old Farm Road turnaround circle, were a factor in determining how best to manage Reed school bus flow in the mornings.

Mr Faxon said the commission in the future may again consider using Old Farm Road as an alternate access point to school grounds by buses in the mornings.

Capt Vanghele said the simplest solution to the school bus congestion problem is controlling the Wasserman Way/Trades Lane traffic signal manually. He said he expects that school officials will be happy with the results.

Since Reed School opened in January 2003, access to Old Farm Road's turnaround circle from Wasserman Way has been prevented by a chain barrier. That location has been designated as an emergency access point to the school grounds for emergency vehicles.