Residents Demand Action as Board Weighs Traffic- calming Pilot on Ridgefield/Richfield Cut-through

Residents pressed the Lewisboro Town Board on June 9 for immediate action after years of what they called repeated promises but little enforcement on Ridgefield/Richfield, a narrow, hilly cut-through where multiple neighbors described near-misses and vehicles traveling far above the 25 mph limit.

"Not a single promise was kept," resident Gail Hiller Lee told the board, citing two traffic studies she said captured vehicles traveling as fast as 73 miles per hour and urging physical calming measures or a funded part-time enforcement presence. "Someone's going to be hit coming out of a driveway," she said.

Several neighbors gave similar accounts: Ellen Hower said a car became airborne over a hill on Ridgefield Avenue and that she is now reluctant to walk there; Peter Halaman, a longtime dog walker, warned an accident is "inevitable" without action. Carlos Fona told the board his neighborhood has been seeking help for four years and called earlier responses "lip service."

Board members acknowledged the townwide nature of speeding and the difficulty of deploying enforcement everywhere. The board said it has solicited a proposal from a traffic engineering firm specializing in traffic calming to design pilot measures for the specific stretch residents highlighted. "We're going to start with this one spot, test out these techniques," a board member said, adding the board will review any formal plan and vote to approve or decline it.

Highway Superintendent John Winter explained the technical benefits of milling and repaving in other parts of town during the meeting and said traffic-calming installations should be designed, not ad hoc. Counsel noted that certain signs and restrictions must be codified in local law to be enforceable by police.

At the June 9 meeting the board also voted to set a public hearing in July to consider codifying yield signage at the Wild Oaks roundabout after residents reported drivers failing to yield and safety concerns near a school bus stop. Separately, the board approved a $34,600 milling contract for four town roads as part of regular road maintenance; the superintendent said milling prepares a road for longer-lasting overlay and corrects grades near catch basins.

What happens next: the board said it will present the traffic-engineering firm's proposal for a pilot site and recommended enforcement plan, then schedule public hearings as necessary. Residents repeatedly urged a concrete timeline and asked the board to consider short-term enforcement while long-term measures are evaluated.

Quotes: "With a 50% higher allowance used as an acceptable cap ... a 25 could go up to 37 and only above 37 would it be considered speeding," Gail Hiller Lee said, arguing that the data threshold understates the danger on narrow, hilly roads.

"We're going to start with this one spot, test out these techniques," a board member said about the planned traffic-calming pilot.

Ending: The board directs staff to return with the engineering proposal and to schedule a July public hearing on yield signage at Wild Oaks. No final traffic-calming installation or townwide enforcement plan was adopted at the meeting.