Keeler Ave. Accident Could Have Been Avoided
Tom Hanrahan, age 82, lies in a bed at Norwalk Hospital, victim to a speeding car hitting him as he crossed Keeler Avenue on February 20, 2010. For over a year, Hanrahan along with his wife Georgina, have been requesting that the City of Norwalk address speeding cars in their neighborhood and specifically a sign warning drivers of hidden driveways just past the curve on Keeler near Flax Hill Road.
The Flax Hill Neighborhood Association (FHNA) noticed an uptick in traffic, and the FHNA surveyed the neighbors and brought not just their concerns but recommendations to the City of Norwalk at ConnDOT. Since the ConnDOT has been actively working on construction projects along the stretch of I-95 between exits 12 and 14, they explained, a rise in through traffic that sped through was making things difficult.
On May of 2009, the FHNA delivered to Mayor Richard Moccia and Chief Harry Rilling a petition along with three observations about the drivers who were increasingly appearing on the roads. There were drivers, according to the FHNA, who would:
1. fail to obey speed limits
2. fail to stop at stop signs
3. disregard pedestrians trying to cross the road
They also cited the burden that they were now experiencing due to the State banning trucks from using route 136 through Rowayton. The problem of heavy construction and commercial trucks using city streets had shifted to Flax Hill and its feeder streets of Keeler, Richards, Rampart and Scribner.
The response from the City of Norwalk wasn’t exactly responsive. In an early November 2009 letter, Georgina Hanrahan stated, “…the failure to respond to this reasonable request in a timely manner to be inexplicable and unacceptable.” That reasonable request? Simply adding more speed limit signs of 25 mph between Scribner and Richards.
The problem with the request though, was that it entered the black hole of the customer service “department” for the City of Norwalk. While the idea of having a one stop destination for all problems, concerns and questions for Norwalkers to contact is a good one, the information flow out of that department is non existent. No reports are posted on the City’s web site, no responses are ever given to the people who call in with concerns, and nothing gets relayed to the Common Council members who represent the constituents who make these calls.
The November letter mentions the four driveways at the end of Keeler Ave. that can’t see oncoming cars. The same area where Tom Hanrahan was hit this past February. By December, despite promises from “Connie” in customer service, the FHNA hadn’t received a response, nor had an opportunity to meet with City traffic engineers. To the Hanrahan’s, the slow response was inexcusable.
At the last Mayor’s Neighborhood meeting, Jackie Lilgegren, president of the FHNA, spoke about the issue. Connie Blair, of Customer Service was present. She claimed signs were installed, which was news to Lilgegren. Blair also insisted that it was not her responsibility to make the recommendation of whether a blind driveway sign should be installed or not, that it was up to the traffic engineers. The Mayor flipped through the letters, Lilgegren brought to the meeting. He ordered Blair to set up a meeting with the Traffic Authority to discuss the City’s response and take another look at the driveways.
But it shouldn’t have taken a car striking Tom Hanrahan to poke the City into action. The customer service department doesn’t serve anyone if no information flows out of it to the elected officials and the public who call in.
