At the Nov 26 Selectmen, a solution for the treacherous intersection at Valley Road, River Road Ext and Scofield Street in Cos Cob remained elusive.

It was a fourth read.

The item is again on the agenda for the Thursday, December 12 meeting, which starts at 1:00pm at town hall and via Zoom.

The DPW Engineering Division is proposing an all-way stop, plus advanced warning signage in both directions along Valley Road. (The Board of Selectmen serve as the Town’s Legal Traffic Authority.)

DPW engineer Michael Kiselak said there were 21 documented crashes at or immediately adjacent to the intersection since 2016, of which four involved pedestrians or bicycles, plus a pedestrian fatality in 1997.

And he pointed out, coming from the west on Valley Rd there is a significant “downhill condition.”

Since last summer when Mr. Kiselak first proposed the four-way stop as well as removal of three parking spots by the dog groomer and bike shop, residents and small businesses have taken an increased interest, expressing two major concerns.

First, there is about decreasing the limited on street parking in both the LBR2 zone where the intersection is located, and the adjacent densely populated R6 multi-family neighborhood.

The other concern is that stop signs might be inadequate, and some type of rapid flashing beacons might be preferable.

Scarce On-Street Parking
During the Nov 14 Selectmen meeting – the third read of the proposal – Kristen Butler, owner of the Makerie, said that on her way to work at 4:30am she sees on-street parking on the hill between Scofield and Nassau Place being filled up with employees of a carting business. Also she said the parking spaces along Scofield are taken by the carting business employees once spots on the hill are taken up.

Butler did not mention the business by name, but Santaguida Sanitation is located at 65 Valley Road in the R6 zone. The town zoning enforcement officer James Lunney said on Dec 3 he was still investigating, but there is a grandfathered used documented at that location. He didn’t say for how many trucks.

During the Selectmen meeting on Nov 26, it was pointed out that along Scofield Street, where there is room for about 10 cars along the shoulder, that parking will be eliminated when the Wernerts redevelop property at 80 Valley where there are disused greenhouses.    

Kiselak said removing the three on-street spots would greatly improve visibility of pedestrians in the crosswalk.

Specifically he proposes to remove two short term spaces in front of the dog groomer and one in front of the bike shop.

In turn he said two spots would be added in front of the St. Lawrence Society.

Further, Kiselak noted the spaces are marked as two-hour spots, but per town ordinances were supposed to be 15-minute spaces.

He said removal of the parking spaces was recommended even without plans for the four-way stop because town ordinances dictate minimum sight lines.

Kiselak noted there is a fire hydrant on Valley Rd set back from the curb about 10 feet, and while drivers might not see it, it is nevertheless not legal to park there.

Jimmy Santaguida, who owns Santaguida Sanitation business on Valley Rd, told the Selectmen at the meeting that he too had a family member who was hit by a car at the top of the hill. Still, he advocated for keeping the on street parking in front of the dog groomer. 

“She does have older people who come in – they’re on walkers,” he said.

He noted there was a crosswalk with yellow flashing lights in front of Old Greenwich School, one on Riverside Ave near St Catherine’s, one by First Church on Sound Beach Ave.

“I feel the red flashing lights work better,” he said.

Santaguida said he worried a stop sign would result in traffic backing up the hill and blocking his busy driveway.

President of the St. Lawrence Club, Tod Laudonia, whose family owns several properties in the area of Valley Road, urged against the loss of parking, but he also relayed stories of family members being hit by cars.

“This is a road that has been a main thoroughfare for hundreds of years. It was originally the Boston Post Road. George Washington traveled down Valley Road,” he said. “It becomes a major thoroughfare when there is an issue on I-95.”

“The solution is slowing everything down,” Laudonia said. “People are driving too fast. Eliminating any parking spaces is a drastic thing. That’s the thing you need to avoid at all costs.”

Laudonia said that over the years several parking spaces on Valley Rd had already been removed, and local businesses were impacted as a result.

Further, he said if parking spaces on Valley were removed, it would force people deeper into the residential neighborhood to park.

“People aren’t going to park two blocks away and walk to the deli,” he said.

Rapid Flashing Beacons

Kiselak said he’d been asked to explore alternatives, including RFB’s, warning lights and curb extensions on the north side of Valley Rd, but nevertheless proposed the 4-way stop.

He said any type of pedestrian activated flashing light would not face people approaching from River Road.

Further he noted RFBs were very expensive, costing, “six figures.”

Lastly, he said he was uncertain whether the state’s warrant criteria would be met.

“They’re really intended for mid blocks,” he said. “It would probably require a lot more investigation to see if it’s possible.”

Mr. Camillo asked Kiselak to look into the possibility nevertheless.

Lindy Urso, a Cos Cob resident, said he was surprised that only neighbors were sent notices, when so many people would be impacted by the change. He said the first priority is pedestrian safety, and gave the example of the pedestrian hybrid beacon in Stamford on Washington Blvd.

“Basically it is a traffic light activated by pedestrians,” he said, adding that the light turns red rather than flash yellow. “It seems perfect for a place like this.”

“The side effects of the four way stop – you have no idea, you’re guaranteed to get some accidents coming over the hill, not to mention the parking situation for the businesses.”

“Something like this is very drastic and warrants more study,” Urso said.

Cos Cob resident Sheilah Phelan asked for consideration of a flashing beacon along the lines of the one in Old Greenwich by Old Greenwich School.

“At minimum we should take the expense of some sort of flashing light,” she said.

Kiselak offered to do more research in time for the next Selectmen meeting, but that it would not impact the proposed loss of parking.

Ms Rabin said there was “no perfect solution.” She noted the driveway for the Covellos’ apartment complex effectively created a 5-way intersection.

“We’re trying every single option we have here. At the end of the day something needs to be done. We’ve been put on notice too many times,” Camillo said, adding that backups were preferable to someone getting hit by a car.

Kiselak pointed out that “hybrid beacons” were a pedestrian tool and would not impact potential vehicle crashes.

“We’ve seen in the data there is a significant crash problem between vehicles, not just pedestrians,” he said.

Jon Baxendale, owner of Bax Cycles, said he had a front row seat to the dangerous intersection and that he crossed it on foot multiple times daily.

“You do take your life in your hands, so something needs to be done,” he said. “It’s extraordinarily  difficult to do business in any town, and Greenwich is cost-prohibitive because of real estate values.”

He said removing parking on Valley Rd would result in “missed opportunities” for local businesses and urged adding spaces.

“Even losing three spaces – if you say those 15 minute parking spaces turn over four times an hour, that’s still 150 missed opportunities for someone to go to the deli, someone to go to the dog groomer, or to stop and see me.”

Ms Butler mentioned there were physical therapists with offices near the bike shop who rely on on-street parking for their clients. She cautioned against changing those spots to 15 minutes.

Newly promoted deputy chief Jim Bonney suggested suspending the 15 minute parking proposal for the time being.

No vote was taken.

 

 

See also:

4-Way Stop Proposed for Treacherous Cos Cob Intersection

Aug 15, 2024

GoFundMe Set up after Car Crashes into Makerie Café in Cos Cob

Sept 3, 2024