Accidents will happen
Most dangerous local roads
STAMFORD — The intersection of Tresser Boulevard and Washington Boulevard is not just the epicenter of Stamford city government, but also where the two most dangerous roads in the city converge.
Route 1, which includes Tresser and East Main Street, paces the city in the number of crashes this year, with 258, according to the UConn Crash Data Repository.
In second place is Route 137, which includes portions of Washington Boulevard and High Ridge Road. It tallied 211 crashes in 2019, by the latest count on Dec. 2.
The intersection of Tresser and Washington, where Stamford Government Center is located, is also the location of Stamford’s lone incident of a pedestrian death this year, which occurred when a 61yearold Stratford woman was struck there last month.
The third most dangerous route in Stamford this year is Hope Street, which has seen 82 accidents, making it the most dangerous of the city’s local roads — those not stateowned. About 30 percent of those accidents occurred along a small stretch around Colonial Road and Church Street near Glenbrook Station.
The next most dangerous roads are Long Ridge Road, with 77 crashes, Summer Street, with 63, and Elm Street, with 49. Rounding out the list are Broad Street, 47, West Avenue, 45, West Broad Street, 45, and Cove Road, 40.
Of the 45 accidents on West Broad Street, which
is only about threefourths of a mile, 13 occurred by the Dunkin’ Donuts, which has an exit driveway that leads into the middle of an intersection.
Cove Road made the list thanks in large part to the stretch between Shippan Avenue and Frederick Street, where there have been 15 accidents this year.
Elm Street, which is just barely over half a mile, has a surprising amount of fender benders.
Nonetheless, crashes in the city are generally on decline.
Route 1 leads the city in traffic crashes, but the total number of 258 accidents this year is a far cry from the 453 incidents registered on the road just three years ago.
Jim Travers, Stamford’s bureau chief for transportation, recently posted online about the city’s positive strides in reducing accidents, alongside a graph from the UConn Crash Data Repository showing a general decline in traffic accidents. He has been the transportation chief for just under three years now.
“In Stamford we have spent the last three years addressing roadway issues, improving pavement markings, retiming all of the city's 209 traffic signals, and designing better roadways,” he wrote. “We are starting to see some amazing results.”
The retiming of all of the city’s traffic lights with fiberoptic cable was just completed this year, creating an autonomous and adaptable citywide traffic system. Preliminary data showed improved travel times down some of Stamford’s busiest corridors, such as High Ridge Road, Summer Street and Long Ridge Road.
Travers said the signal optimization effort will continue to pay dividends by making roads safer and reducing driver frustration, if all goes to plan.
“What we’ll see with the signal timing is it will have a residual effect on traffic accidents,” he said.
Summer Street is one of the city’s biggest success stories and highlights some of the improvements Travers touted.
The street, which connects High Ridge Road to downtown, has seen a decline in accidents by more than half since 2006, when there were 131 crashes along the corridor. That number is 63 so far this year, which still makes it the fifth most dangerous street in Stamford in terms of total accidents.
Travers said the department worked on creating more consistent travel lanes on the street, as well as introducing bike lanes.
Jerry Silber, leader of People Friendly Stamford, a pedestrian and cyclist advocacy group, said he believes the city is making strides in improving safety, but not quite fast enough.
“Stamford is not alone,” he said. “Throughout the country, we have a pedestrian and bicycle crisis.”
Pedestrian accidents hit a 30year high nationwide, according to a report from the Governors Highway Safety Association.
Silber said he often bikes on High Ridge Road to downtown but he has to travel on the shoulder of the road, something he said he’s “not very comfortable” doing.
By the time he gets down to Washington Boulevard, Silber said he stays on the sidewalk.
“I won’t ride on Washington Boulevard,” he said. “That’s just asking for problems.”
Washington Boulevard is one of the city’s busiest thoroughfares and sees a steady stream of accidents. One of the most dangerous intersections in the entire city is where Washington meets Broad Street. There have been 12 crashes there so far this year. Since 2015, there have been 60 accidents at the intersection, involving 111 vehicles and 140 people, according to the UConn Crash Data Repository.
Dave Avery, president of the Strawberry Hill Neighborhood Association, has directed a lot of his ire toward the “five corners” intersection where Strawberry
Hill Avenue, Hoyt Street, Prospect Street, Grove Street and Hillandale Avenue all converge.
The spreadout intersection has long been a challenge for pedestrians and is always toward the top of the list of most accidents in the city. There have been nine accidents at that intersection this year, so far.
Avery said that notwithstanding redesigning intersections, he’d like to see more penalties for improper driving.
“I would like to see more enforcement of the speed limit in Stamford,” he said. “It would be nice if people slowed down.”
As president of a neighborhood association, Avery hears plenty of complaints about Stamford traffic.
“I still talk to people who are literally afraid of getting out on streets whether on foot or bicycles,” he said. “They’re afraid of traffic, afraid of the speed of cars, people making turns when they shouldn’t be.”
He wishes drivers would be more mindful of changing surroundings, particularly when they are driving in more pedestrianheavy areas like downtown.
“You’re in town, slow down,” he said. “Conditions change, driving should change.”