Fairfield Police Chief Has Plan for Tomlinson Traffic

Fairfield Police Chief Gary McNamara has reportedly devised an alternate solution to help ease traffic congestion problems at Tomlinson Middle School, however his suggestion still needs to be reviewed by school transportation supervisor John Ficke.

According to an article by CT Post reporter Kirk Lang, McNamara, during Wednesday's Board of Police Commissioners meeting, suggested converting the one-way access road between Unquowa and Round Hill roads to two-way traffic and allowing only buses to access the school site via Round Hill Road. This would help ease traffic congestion and the problem of parents dropping off their children at the front of the school, which school officials have repeatedly asked parents not to do.

Initially the police were working with other town officials on that included expanding the school's lower parking area, by scaling back a traffic island, and encouraging use of that lot as a drop-off and pick-up area for students. However one of the police commissioners said he didn’t have faith that parents would queue up in that area, according to the report.

The school, which is located across the street from the downtown train station, has bad traffic congestion problems, due in part to the commingling of commuter and school traffic, but those problems were made worse when a redistricting earlier this year significantly increased the number of students. Meanwhile school officials are trying to dissuade parents from dropping off their children at the front of the school by who deliberately ignore the parking and drop-off/pick-up rules.