At last Thursday’s Board of Selectmen meeting, Round Hill Association president Brendon DeSimone shared an update from a presentation last year about back country traffic issues and the need for traffic calming, given out of town drivers are using treacherous backcountry roads to cut through to the Merritt and Westchester Airport, often with the guidance of navigation apps.
Following his earlier presentation, DeSimone said his association received unanimous support to work with Greenwich Dept of Public Works. The RHA also hired their own professional traffic engineer.
“We can no longer walk our dogs or even safely safe getting our mail at the street because there are so many cars driving so fast.” – Brendon DeSimone
DeSimone said the RHA had hired Don Tone of Dewberry Engineering, who has with 30+ years of traffic experience and is a 20 year resident of Greenwich to recommend solutions, particularly for issues on Will Merry Rd, Old Mill Road, Cherry Valley Rd and Porchuck Road.
“All of our residents move here for the extra space, light, quiet lifestyle, and scenery that isn’t found in other parts of town,” DeSimone said. “In recent years, speeding traffic, aggressive out-of-state drivers using our roads as cut-throughs, and increasing car volumes have threatened the safety of our community.”
“Our curvy, hilly, narrow, windy roads, many flanked by stone walls steams and incredible landscapes were never built to accommodate the number of cars we see today,” he added.
DeSimone said random samples of crash data from Greenwich Police had been studied including many serious crashes with injuries.
Mr. DeSimone shared a video from a security camera of a crash on Porchuck Rd by Riversville of a driver coming around a blind corner and crashing into a stone wall going at least 40 mph. He said the driver reported afterward that he had been looking at Google Maps at the time of the crash.
Prior to the popularity of traffic navigation apps like Waze and Google Maps, DeSimone said drivers, including Uber drivers, no longer simply drove to the Merritt Parkway or Westchester Airport via King Street, 287 in NY or 684.
Today, for example, they are diverted by the traffic navigation apps to gain one or two minutes by taking Porchuck Road or Old Mill to get to Westchester Airport.
“We can no longer walk our dogs or even safely safe getting our mail at the street because there are so many cars driving so fast,” DeSimone said.
DeSimone said that since his previous presentation, there had been a number of meetings with DPW.
“To our dismay, it was not a collaborative process with DPW. And we feel they weren’t putting the interest and safety of our residents first. We are taxpayers. To each of our suggestions, DPW had a counter-reaction,” he said.
Mr. Desimone said one suggestion had been to lower the speed limit by 5 MPH, with the goal of keeping drivers off the local roads and stay on the Merritt, but the Dept of Public Works said the state would not allow it.
He said DPW balked at the suggestion of speed bumps, saying they were a safety issue even though there are other roads in town that do have them, including Valleywood and Suburban Ave in Cos Cob.
Also, he said they were rebuffed after suggesting a study to remove double yellow lines from the local roads such as Porchuck and Old Mill, in keeping with the original scenic nature in the landscape of these roads. DeSimone said studies show double yellow lines provide a psychological confidence to drivers that no vehicles would encroach on their side of the road.
“Traffic professionals have opined that adding double yellow center lines on some roadways where they are not warranted and are not safely featured can contribute to higher vehicle speeds and unsafe driving conditions,” he said, adding, “DPW did not agree with this theory.”
Next he said his group recommended narrowing intersections or adding small traffic rotaries, but the DPW said they may not fit into Dept of Transportation’s design standards.
Next, he said, “We recommended installing rumble strips to alert drivers when they are crossing over the middle line on our narrow roads. DPW suggested there were noise maintenance concerns.”
DeSimone said while the RHA valued DPW’s opinions, conversations to date had been one-sided.
“We have presented a range of ideas to the town. Those ideas have been brushed off in our opinion, without any counter-suggestions or collaborative process or meaningful contributions to specifically adjust the ideas.”
DeSimone said that while the RHA was grateful that DPW installed a speed clocker sign to collect speed volumes on Porchuck Road and had installed yellow speed limit signs, they are not official signs and are not obeyed.
He said with the addition of 650 new homes planned for the King Street corridor the situation would worsen.
He gave the example of a Waze trip he typed in from American Way to Stamford and a second trip from American Way to Westport, CT.
“Each time it takes drivers down King Street, to Cliffdale, to Riversville, to Porchuck, instead of going down I-684, instead of going down King Street – to save two minutes,” he said. “These roads were not built for this type of traffic. There are some parts of North Porchuck Road where you cannot pass another car. It’s so narrow and there is a blind curve.”
“We need your help. We are asking you to have DPW work more with us to put one of these strategies in place,” he said to the Board of Selectmen. “We have a really well respected traffic engineer. We have the backing of the entire RHA, not just Porchuck Rd or Will Merry or Cherry Valley.”
Mr. Camillo said he had reached out to State Senator Fazio and State Rep Tina Courpas, and would ask again again about setting up a meeting with Connecticut Dept of Transportation.
“Some of the recommendations I think are very reasonable,” Camillo said. “I agree that with the double yellow lines – when you have a wide road, people tend psychologically to speed more.”
“There are several recommendations we can work on,” he said, adding he would meet with DPW commissioner Jim Michel to discuss.
Camillo said there were instances where speed bumps were appropriate and slow drivers down.
“We are looking for meaningful action – diverters, roundabouts, speed bumps,” DiSimone said.
“I think it’s time we talk about doing the roundabout. We have to do something there – some of these things are very actionable, as you said,” Camillo said.
Selectperson Janet Stone McGuigan mentioned proposed legislation in Hartford that would require Google Maps and Waze to remove local roads from their algorithms. She said the entire Greenwich delegation pay attention to emails when bills are brought up for discussion.
“Testimony matters, so enlist us to testify, as well as your own Association members,” she said.
“Testifying is effective,” Camillo agreed. “It makes a difference, other than just submitting testimony.”
Summary of RHA Recommendations
1. Remove Double Yellow Centerline (except in corners) on Porchuck Rd, North Porchuck Rd and Old Mill Rd.
• Industry definition (MUTCD): Double yellow center line (DYCL) markings shall be placed on all paved urban arterials and collectors that have a traveled way of 20-feet or more in width AND an ADT of 6,000 vehicles per day or greater.
• Adding DYCLs on roadways where they are not warranted are not a safety feature and could contribute to higher vehicle speeds and unsafe conditions
• Alternative: Transverse Pavement Markings. This measure consists of transverse bars or chevrons that are typically spaced to give drivers a heightened sense of perception of their speed.
Transverse Pavement Markings
2. Add Right Turn Wedges to Slow Vehicles Turning into the Local Roadways:
– Riversville Road at North Porchuck Road
• Slight lines and turn radii should be sufficient (no need to relocate tree)
• Close slip lane from northbound Riversville Road to eastbound North Porchuck Road and convert to green space/neighborhood garden.
– Riversville Road at Porchuck Road
• Use pavement markings to tighten the intersection (e.g. extend northbound edge of pavement line (white line) closer to the intersection.
• Round Hill Road at North Porchuck Road
• Recently redesigned so only need to add landscaping/planter to median.
3. Add Bike Sharrows
4. Deploy Speed Limit Signs with Real Time Speed Feedback
5. Add Mini Roundabout on Old Mill Road at North Porchuck
6. Install Centerline Rumble Strips in Corner Segments Only
7. Install Speed Humps
8. Alternative Concepts: Porchuck Diverter and Dead End (see sketches)
