“It scares me”: elected officials are considering a “high” pedestrian crossing near the Saxe college

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Citing child safety concerns, city officials said last week they were considering creating a “hump” for motorists at a pedestrian crossing leading to Saxe Middle School.

Many Saxony students use the crosswalk near Farm Road and Village Drive to get to and from school. Yet despite the signage and striping on the roadway, drivers regularly cross the crosswalk, Public Works Director Tiger Mann said at the Board of Selectmen meeting last Tuesday.

“We put up flags and they have a monitor that’s actually folded in the middle of the road and cars are still coming through,” Mann said during the meeting, held at City Hall and via video conference. “So we are studying alternative engineering measures.”

Specifically, Mann said, “We’re looking at an elevated crosswalk there. » He talked about raising the pedestrian crossing slightly above the level of the roadway, without creating a flyover.

The discussion arose when selectmen signed a contract to install rapid rectangular flashing lights at another dangerous crosswalk in New Canaan, at the entrance to Kiwanis Park.

Selectman Amy Murphy Carroll asked if changing the road infrastructure would help remedy the situation.

“Is there anything that can be done to make the roads narrower? ” she says.

Mann said such a solution could pose a problem whereby motorists turning left into Saxony could force other drivers to jump the curb in order to get around them.

First Selectman Dionna Carlson said the city could consider giving crossing guards who man the busy crosswalk the ability to issue tickets to violating drivers.

“I don’t know,” she said, adding, “It scares me.”