Traffic Tension on Campus Crosswalks Continues Wallingford Looks to Solve Problem
By Erin Ellis ’10
News Staff Reporter
At every school meeting, students and teachers can expect two things. The school song will be sung at the end of the meeting. And, Mr. Ford will remind students to use the friendly wave. The small gesture is Choate’s attempt to harbor friendly relations with Wallingford’s cars. Drivers sometimes find themselves riding the brake as they drive through campus, hoping not to hit any students.
A more heavy-handed solution to this problem is currently in the making. By September 2008, Wallingford town officials will make alterations to Choate crossings that are aimed to enhance the safety of pedestrians. The challenge of the project will be to instill changes that will not aggravate town residents by affecting the flow of traffic, which can often be seen at a complete stand still as students cross the street in between classes.
Town officials will conduct a thorough traffic study using state funds. This investigation will focus primarily on the intersection of North Elm Street and Curtis Avenue. In the fall of next year, the series of crosswalks on North Elm Street will be flooded with students living in the new dorms. The increasing number of pedestrians at that intersection will not only cause safety issues, but may also heighten the frustration of town drivers towards Choate.
The prospect of yet another pedestrian crossing in a busy intersection will likely disgruntle town residents, who already complain to the town council about the crossing habits of students who slow down drivers. However, it is also Choate’s responsibility to guarantee its students’ safety. John Ford remarks, “It is tough to balance increasing frustration with protecting the safety of our students.”
Town Councilor Jerry Farrell Jr., who is a Choate alumnus, supports the addition of a stop sign at the intersection of North Elm Street and Curtis Avenue. Mr. Ford, however, predicts that as there is currently no sign indicating that the intersection is a school crosswalk, one will be placed there. He also expects that the town might decide to put a three-way stop at the intersection, or, while there would likely be no traffic lights, flashing lights might be installed to ensure that drivers stop for pedestrians. Mr. Ford said, “The flashing light would help more drivers follow the law and yield to pedestrians.”
In addition to discussing the fate of the intersection near the new dorms, the traffic study will look into the North Elm Street and Christian Street intersection. The committee plans to consider adding an additional crosswalk in the middle of Christian Street. That area, a place where many students j-walk, is of particular safety concern to town officials.
According to Richard Stewart, who has taught at Choate for many years, “[The traffic situation] has gotten progressively worse over a long period of time.” It seems the situation has worsened for two reasons. First, there has been an intensification of local housing development in areas that used to be farmland. The population of Wallingford has grown accordingly, as has the density of traffic. A second reason (as to why Choate faces traffic issues) is the location of our campus. Most preparatory schools are more secluded from their respective towns; Choate, however, is divided by the busy roads of Christian Street and Elm Street. Choate students face a great deal of traffic during the day as they trek the campus.
Some fear that even traffic studies to improve pedestrian safety cannot pave over the inherent tension between the town of Wallingford and Choate. Mr. Stewart states, “There is also some friction between the school and town because we don’t pay taxes in the usual way. If our land were to be developed for housing developments it would be taxable. We are also perceived as being a wealthy institution, meaning there is some inherent friction between Choate and Wallingford. Even though we allow town residents to use our fields and the rink to mitigate this tension, some families still have little reason to like us.”
Mr. Ford echoed Mr. Stewarts sentiments about the townie-Choate understanding gap: “Students have a lack of understanding for Wallingford residents. We must educate our students about the ethics of street crossing.”
Despite longstanding animosity, the town and Choate seem to be moving forward together to address the worsening problem. This fall, wooden fences were built around campus to ensure that students were crossing on the crosswalks. “The contact of the town and Choate isn’t diminishing. Some of [the town residents] don’t think our students know how to cross the street!” said Mr. Stewart.
Juniors navigate one of the crosswalks on Christian Street during the day. Photo/Lizzie Needham ’09
