WESTPORT — A three-vehicle crash Monday at the intersection of Cross Highway and Bayberry Lane — along a stretch of road officials have called one of the most dangerous in town — sent one person to the hospital.
The injured driver — who police said apparently caused the accident by running a stop sign — was taken to Norwalk Hospital by Westport EMS for treatment of minor injuries.
Police officers began investigating the accident, while firefighters cleared the accident scene.
The accident, according to police Lt. Eric Woods, occurred shortly after 11:30 a.m. Monday when a driver traveling east on Cross Highway failed to stop at the intersection’s stop sign and collided with a vehicle headed south onto Bayberry Lane after having stopped at the stop sign.
The impact of that collision caused the second vehicle to strike the front of a third vehicle that was stopped at the northbound stop sign on Bayberry Lane.
The driver of the car who failed to obey the stop sign was issued a warning, police said.
The stretch of Cross Highway, between Bayberry Lane and North Avenue, over the last three years has been the scene of at least 21 motor vehicle accidents, including several T-bone crashes, town officials said earlier this year when plans to launch a traffic study of the area were first discussed.
“Luckily, no one has gotten killed, but we are really worried,” Public Works Director Peter Ratkiewich told the Board of Finance in support of the $313,500 study.
Heavy vehicle traffic is routine along the streets, as well as foot traffic from students walking to Bedford Middle and Staples High schools, town-owned Wakeman Town Farm and The Porch, a local eatery.
After town bodies approved funding for the traffic survey, the Board of Selectwomen signed a contract for the project in September.
Failure to obey a stop sign at that intersection is a well understood cause of accidents there. What is not publicly understood is the reason WHY this driver failed to obey. Did they not see the sign? Were they distracted by texting? Were they impaired? Were they speeding and unable to stop?
If the first reason, then just make the sign more visible. In fact, many dangerous intersections preemptively have stop signs with flashing red lights surrounding them to make them virtually impossible to miss seeing.
However if it were due to being distracted, impaired or speeding, a $313,000 study expenditure will not prevent this from recurring. This is a waste of money.
Just make the stop signs at dangerous intersections larger, and surround them with flashing red lights that are impossible to miss AND place a sign informing that the driver is approaching a stop sign. AND if you really want to stop drivers at these stop signs, place a speed hump at an appropriate distance before the sign.
Simple solution. Waste of $313,000 taxpayer money.
Dr J