Hilltop Road residents repeat speeding concerns

SHARON — Traffic and speed along Hilltop Road led residents to repeat their concerns at the regular meeting of the Sharon Board of Selectmen on Tuesday, July 28.

Representing a group of residents who live along the road, Robert Lindgren asked the selectmen to consider installing stop signs at the entrance to Sharon Center School. Such signs, he reasoned, might deter speeders and discourage drivers from finding the road to be an attractive northbound shortcut between routes 4 and 41.

When the issue was first raised in November 2019, the selectmen put residents in touch with the State Police at Troop B in North Canaan. Speed monitoring devices were set up. Residents of the road said that the preventive measures taken so far have not been effective.

Results of a seven-day speed study conducted by the State Police were outlined by First Selectman Brent Colley, who noted that 80 cars were clocked as traveling between 46 and 55 mph in the 25 mph zone. In total, 1,190 cars were exceeding the speed limit, or 65.9%, over the seven-day period.

“We really need to do something more impactful,” Lindgren told the selectmen, adding that the police can only be there occasionally. He voiced his understanding that the town has the authority to install stop signs.

Now that people are living in their second homes up here in the Northwest Corner, Lindgren said he saw the need to preserve and defend small-town life, including ensuring the safety of children being dropped off and picked up at Sharon Center School. He noted, too, that residents are willing to contribute the cost of installing any stop signs.

Indicating that his role is to represent the whole town and think of the town’s issues as a whole, Colley said, “Even when you install stop signs, people don’t always stop.” The issue would need to be shared with the town’s wider public to gain their input, Colley added.

Selectman Dale Jones said that he could be in favor of stop signs, but that people tend to interpret “stop” as an option. However, he added that he looked favorably on the idea because of the safety concerns.

Saying that he understands the residents’ frustrations, Selectman Casey Flanagan observed that pedestrians along Hilltop Road do not have much room to walk. He noted that Hilltop does help to reduce the traffic flow through the town’s center, and he would need to study the topography of the road and how the presence of stop signs might cause traffic back-up.

Recognizing speeding as a universal problem throughout the town, Colley noted that the selectmen need to deal with the town as a whole.  A further issue lies in enforcement, he noted.

“It’s a tough problem that we have as a small town,” Colley said.

In other news, the selectmen announced that due to the COVID-19 pandemic, three annual events have been canceled. They are the Car Show sponsored by Christ Church Episcopal, the annual Craft Fair and the Sharon Classic Road Race to benefit the Sharon Day Care.