City’s core functions in a fragile state

Residents, have you noticed all the new traffic signs and electric traffic boxes that flash all around town? In addition to expensive use of electricity, even in off hours, the signs, which are often placed within feet of each other, constitute a pollution of Stamford’s landscape and are expensive to fabricate This is not how we should be spending our precious capital dollars. What do you, our residents, think about the new sign that screams “yield to pedestrians” on Washington Boulevard when the light is green for cars to go? This sign is nothing short of an invitation for pedestrian accidents.

Speaking of pedestrian accidents, while it was nice to see properly crossing downtown pedestrians being given store coupons a few weeks ago as reinforcement for reasonable behavior, the increase in pedestrian recklessness surely will claim additional lives. Pedestrians’ impatience to cross at places other than where a traffic light permits, is rampant, as is their distraction from cell phone use. Locating traffic lights in mid-block where students run across and one young woman was killed tragically on Strawberry Hill Avenue, only reinforces bad behavior, while it backs up traffic on a heavily traveled street.

Everyone agrees that Stamford has serious traffic problems, but the city does not appear to be addressing them. One problem is the placement and timing of certain traffic lights, to wit:

The light on Vine Road allows cars to exit safely from Turn of River Middle School and the Harry Bennett branch of the Ferguson Library, but this light is frequently red in both directions for cars on Vine Road, even when no cars are poised to exit the school or library. Stamford should install an inground sensor to turn the light green for cars exiting the school/ library, particularly since making a left-hand turn can be time-consuming. Otherwise, the light should be green for all cars traversing Vine Road.

The light at High Ridge Road and Dannell Drive stays red for cars on Dannell for at least five minutes, causing cars to have to turn right or make a U-turn to head in another direction.

The narrowing of car lanes to make room for bike lanes and/or share the road markings is not well-conceived. The bike lane on Summer Street suddenly and dangerously disappears into the car lane as the cyclist approaches downtown and endangers biker riders’ safety. Poor north-south artery light synchronization is a well-known cause of congestion and pollution. Last, but not least, is the horrendous, unsafe condition of Stamford’s streets themselves, which have been deteriorating for several years, causing severe tire and undercarriage damage to cars. Some car owners have submitted bills to the city for repairs.

Here’s the point. The deteriorated condition of our streets and municipal parking lots (see Pepper Ridge Road near Newfield School and parts of Newfield Avenue, as well as the Springdale railroad station as examples) makes Stamford look like a community whose essential infrastructure is being severely neglected. Furthermore, such conditions are inherently unsafe. Many streets are in such bad condition that patching is not an option — they must be re-paved from end to end. The patching work that is done is frequently poorly executed and not level with the rest of the pavement. Stamford needs to hold those companies digging up our streets responsible to restore them to decent condition via posting of a bond which is not returned unless inspection reveals proper patching or re-paving. One glaring example where this standard was not enforced is Oaklawn Avenue.

As the city’s high operating costs pinch needed capital investments, we are witnessing the beginnings of what we municipal credit folks call “Service Insolvency”: the inability of a city to provide basic governmental functions. Arguing for ambassadors to replace needed police officers in our city parks highlights the deterioration of public safety. The rating agencies rate cities on their ability and willingness to tax to pay indebtedness. The agencies don’t inspect our decaying infrastructure as a matter of course. It’s high time for Stamford’s operating and capital budgets to get the city’s priorities straight: allocate the required amount of funds to keep us safe and restore our streets, schools and other infrastructure to proper condition by inventorying and recording conditions. Our “AAA” city deserves AAA safety, schools and streets. Stamford’s taxpayers should expect nothing less.