Every time I look out our windows onto Thimble Islands Road, I see our and our neighbor’s white picket fences. Sort of Tom Sawyer-ish. Before vinyl fences, we had ours painted by a school kid, just like Tom.

Taking a safe walk across the road to visit the fence is the subject of this piece. Add to that motivation, two near encounters with speeding cars while using the Church crosswalk with my mobility scooter last August.

Neither the Stony Creek Association nor the Town of Branford, nor Public Works, nor the Town Engineer have seen fit to conduct a traffic study along Thimble Islands Road – the road that borders our picket fence. This, in spite of the obvious hazards that resurface every year, particularly during June, July and August.

One example of local questionable judgement is refusal by the SCA to consider temporary removeable speed bumps, even one positioned just before/after the Church crosswalk, and installed just during the tourist months.

Speed is the one constant prevailing daily threat to pedestrians crossing parts of TIR at crucial places, not just during the tourist season.

I call it the Thimble Islands Speedway. And not just on Memorial Day. You’ll see why below.

As a retired technologist, I gathered tools together to collect data, first to establish a baseline for further study during the busy months, and later to determine volume, median and average statistical data to justify policy changes designed to enhance public safety. At the very least, speed limit enforcement, and compliance with state and federal parking and pedestrian safety laws.

Everything I’ve used so far in the way of speed detection can be pointed out of our window and purchased by other homeowners who want to repeat this process in their neighborhood. I’ll only show the latest results from the middle of March. All of what I show was taken with a laptop and a webcam with commercial software. I cannot record license plate numbers, nor do I intend to.

Let me be blunt. This data will be used to support further action if needed.

Plot A:

Here’s an example from 3/20/2024, between 2:00 and 5:00 pm when there was about 150 cars traveling north and south in front of our house. See the picket fence across the way.

Plot B

A plot of the speed of about 150 cars in and out of a region in front of our house on 03/20/2024 during the above afternoon. Note speeds over our current 25 mph speed limit.

Plot C

A scatter plot of the above data. Note speeds over our current 25 mph speed limit.

Conclusion – A March Snapshot

These statistics are Stony Creek drivers (not tourists) and their servicing personnel in the middle of March.

A substantial number of cars exceed 30 MPH with 7 cars traveling faster than 35 MPH and one at 42. Here are the statistics for those so minded: Average speed: 24.785 mph, median speed: 25.01 mph, i.e. half the cars clocked above the posted 25 mph speed limit.

It is my belief that one or two delivery trucks exceeded my software’s capability to clock their speed due to video frame rate limitations.

A few suggestions.

1. The Association has not created a public forum on this topic. It should consider doing so.
2. If it’s not obvious, parked cars at the entrance to crosswalks block line-of-sight for kids, mothers with strollers and wheel chair users. State law dictates 25′ parking setbacks. We’ve been violating this state law for years because complying subtracts from available parking for Islanders and businesses.

This is not generally an issue in non-tourist months, but speed is. As is obvious, 40 mph speed can kill pedestrians in Stony Creek’s crosswalks, with or without parking setbacks.

Without 25 ft. parking setbacks from crosswalks, the probability of death or injury goes up significantly at 25 mph. That’s less than 3 human reaction times, if the driver is paying attention and half that at 40 mph.

3. The Association is obligated to deploy all reasonable measures to enforce public safety laws. The Association does not monitor parking setbacks from crosswalks, nor does it intend to pay for a parking enforcement officer to enforce parking or speed rules during tourist season, though I haven’t seen the latest SCA minutes. Installation of ADA sidewalk cutouts (with the nice little rubber mats) does not come with parking prohibition setbacks near crosswalks – they must be painted and enforced. See an existing recently installed ADA sidewalk cutout below.

4. The above data suggests a 20 mph Thimble Island Road speed zone starting south of Sachem Road, which would include the major commercial hot-spot in the Creek, Madera Park and the Stony Creek Beach.

5. As a low-key visual deterrent, new happy face solar speed signs ( non-recording without LPR) should be placed at two or more sites along TIR, including one for the above 20mph zone. An electronic speed sign has been suggested for the Amtrak underpass alert system, which is now years late due to the tardiness of Public Works.

Respectfully submitted,

Jerry Shaw, Stony Creek