Resident warns council a school bus nearly struck him at state‑controlled intersection

A Wallingford resident said the newly rebuilt intersection at North Colony (North Turnpike) and Parker Farms Road is unsafe because turning traffic is allowed while pedestrians have the walk signal, and he told the council he nearly was struck by a turning school bus.

"I almost got run over by a school bus," said Mr. Kellogg during the public question-and-answer period, asking whether the council and town leadership felt they were adequately protecting pedestrians at that crossing.

The resident said the state’s response indicated the intersection was designed to allow turns concurrent with pedestrian crossings and that any signal revision request must be approved by the town police chief before submission to the Connecticut Department of Transportation.

Council members and the mayor said the town’s police chief has been in communication with state traffic authorities to work on the issue. A council member noted the intersection is on state property and that the state controls signal timing, so the town must follow the review process set by state traffic engineers.

The exchange closed with the council acknowledging the safety concern and describing ongoing communications between town police and state traffic authorities about potential changes to the signal timing.

The council did not take formal action at the meeting to order a traffic study or change the signal timing; town officials said they are coordinating with the police chief and Connecticut DOT and will follow the state’s process for any revision requests.