Residents and staff told the Fairfield Traffic Authority that Kings Drive is being used as a rush-hour cut-through and asked the authority to consider physical measures to reduce traffic volume.

At a special meeting, staff reported preliminary traffic counts and neighborhood feedback collected at a community meeting. According to staff, two‑hour counts on Kings Drive showed roughly 100 vehicles per hour during peak periods and an 80th‑percentile speed of about 27 miles per hour. Neighbors asked the town to block the through route by installing planters or barriers.

Representatives of the Ukrainian club that operates a rental hall on Kings Drive told staff and members they opposed closing the route because the club relies on out‑of‑town visitors and said a closure would force longer detours. Staff also said any closure or partial closure would require coordination with the fire department to preserve emergency access and that sight‑distance constraints make alternate driveway options infeasible.

Members discussed a range of engineering and enforcement options: temporary barriers or a demonstration project using planters or sawhorses; one‑way conversion (which reduces total volume but can increase free‑flow speeds); speed humps (which address speed but not volume); and enforcement or targeted traffic counts to identify peak times for patrols. Staff said a driveway connection from the Ukrainian club directly to Route 1 likely would not meet sight‑distance requirements because of a hill at the underpass.

The authority did not take a vote on closing Kings Drive. Instead, commissioners directed staff to collect additional data, coordinate with the fire department and police on access and enforcement, and prepare a conceptual design with alternative options. Staff said conceptual plans should be posted on the authority web page two weeks before the next meeting to allow public review and comment.

Why it matters
Beyond a local traffic nuisance, the question raises trade‑offs between neighborhood livability and access for a community organization that uses the street for patrons. Any permanent change would affect emergency response routing and the Ukrainian club’s operations; staff said both considerations must be part of engineering analysis and a public outreach process.

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