Byram Residents Hope To Address Traffic Safety Concerns

GREENWICH, CT — Byram residents are hoping to curb the longstanding problems of traffic and pedestrian safety in their neighborhood.

On Thursday, Joe Kantorski went before the Board of Selectmen on behalf of the Byram Neighborhood Association (BNA) to ask for help in implementing measures to increase safety for motorists and pedestrians.

Calling it "very, very concerning", Kantorski took the board through a PowerPoint presentation that highlighted the dangers on some of Byram's streets, where he said bad driving habits, speeding, and the running of red lights and stop signs are occurring frequently.

"Byram is the very definition of a close knit community. It's a walking community. Street safety, pedestrian safety are always on the top of mind, and irresponsible, dangerous driving threatens our safety and our quality of life, plain and simple," he said.

The Byram neighborhood only takes up 1.3% of the town's area, but according to data from the UCONN Crash Data Repository, from Jan. 1, 2018 through June of 2021, Byram accounts for 10.7% of Greenwich pedestrians who get injured or possibly injured in accidents. Kantorski said Byram also accounts for 9.1% of cyclists who get injured or possibly injured, and that 5.3% of Greenwich's crashes occur in Byram.

"There are things we can do immediately, and things that will take a little more time down the road," Kantorski said, adding that he'd like to see some measures put in place before school begins in the fall.

For example, Kantorski said the BNA hopes to start a campaign titled Drive 25, in order to make sure drivers are aware of the speed limit.

"We're hoping the local businesses will get involved with that," Kantorski said.

The intersection of Church and William Street should be marked better to let pedestrians know where to cross, Kantorski said. Additionally, striping and perhaps flashing lights should be installed near William and Mead Streets.

Coming off James Street and looking down Mead, the flashing School Zone sign, which alerts drivers of the reduced speed limit, is covered by foliage. Simple tree trimming could help with the problem.

"Your Speed" radar signs, stop signs, speed humps, and enforcement are all tools that could be used in the short term, with a comprehensive traffic calming plan for the long term, Kantorski said, noting that nearby construction in Port Chester and on I-95 could make the situation worse in the near future.

"We're still formulating ideas we want to present to the town. We're more than happy to sit down with the town any time, any place to work this out. It's a very dangerous situation and we have our children at risk. We're sure we can sit down and figure this thing out," Kantorski said.

Greenwich Department of Public Works Deputy Commissioner Jim Michel has already been in contact with the BNA. First Selectman Fred Camillo said he'd like to set up a meeting with Kantorski and other BNA members soon to address the issues at hand.

"I would propose we set up a meeting next week where we can sit down and go over all of these issues and start getting the low hanging fruit addresses, but also the bigger ticket items like maybe a traffic calming plan put in place. This is not unique to Byram, it's a problem all over the place with speeding, distracted driving. My colleagues from around the state are experiencing this. We want to stay ahead of it," Camillo said.

Camillo addressed the crash statistics in Byram.

"For a small area of town, you're doing pretty well unfortunately in some of the wrong categories," he told Kantorski. "We want to make sure those numbers come down. I think getting on top of it sooner rather than later would be the thing to do."

Selectwoman Lauren Rabin thanked Kantorski for the detailed presentation, and said she strongly agrees with what they're trying to do. Rabin believes enforcement can be a strong tool right off the bat, especially on Delavan Avenue.

"One thing I've noted is that on Delavan Avenue, it says no thru trucks. Yet the tractor trailers are going back and forth and that street is barely wide enough to have one tractor trailer in one direction, let alone two at the same time," she said.

Selectperson Jill Oberlander also thanked Kantorski for bringing the issues to the forefront.

"I would encourage Fred, DPW, and also the BNA to stay on top of this so that particularly over the summer some of these improvements can be done before school starts, and then to develop a plan for the fall to start to address some of the other issues," she said.