New Canaan Seeks to Ease Tough Left Turn Downtown [VIDEO]

Town officials say they’ll ask the state to look at tweaking a traffic light at the intersection of Main and Cherry Streets to ease traffic flow.

Eastbound motorists approaching the intersection (down from St. A’s, library on the right) often have to wait two to three light cycles to make a left onto Main, according to Tiger Mann, assistant director of public works and senior engineer with the New Canaan Department of Public Works.

“We can ask the state to see,” Mann said at a meeting of the Traffic Calming Work Group, held Tuesday at the New Canaan Police Department. “You can never make the turn. It takes two cycles, sometimes three. I know that South and Cherry is very tight on timing and Main and Cherry is the same thing.”

One solution may be to reduce the westbound traffic at the intersection by giving those trying to turn left/north onto Main Street a green arrow (similar to turning left from Elm Street onto Park).

Work Group members Jim Cole, who is chairman of the Police Commission, and police Capt. David Bender, also were in attendance.

Bender said he recently received a complaint from a resident about the intersection, whose corners include a parking lot, library and bank.

Cole offered that motorists who have trouble with the intersection may consider turning onto Main further south, such as at Church Street or Harrison Road. However, Bender noted, many motorists may be coming from areas such as Pine Street, leaving the only viable detour to come through Morse Court—itself accessible by another difficult left, onto South Avenue from Cherry.

Two state roads—Rte. 106 and 124—run concurrently where Main and Cherry intersect downtown, meaning Connecticut Department of Transportation approval is needed to change the traffic light.