Traffic Reports for Little League Field on Collision Course

Michael Galante and Bruce Hillson appear to agree on how much traffic would be generated by a girls' Little League field planned on Hoyden's Lane.

But Galante, the town's traffic consultant, and Hillson, the traffic consulant for neighborhood opponents, disagree on whether the added traffic will be hazardous to motorists in the rural Hoyden's Hill section of town.

The girls' Little League field, which survived a townwide referendum last August, needs one more town approval before construction can begin.

Next Tuesday's public hearing of the Town Plan and Zoning Commission will focus on the proposed field's impact on the environment and traffic. The hearing is at 8:15 p.m. in McKinley School.

Hillson, in a traffic report submitted to the commission last week but not presented or discussed, doesn't dispute Galante's conclusion that the Little League field will generate 72 vehicle "trip ends" in the peak hour on Saturday and Sunday and 34 trip ends in the peak hour on weekdays.

But Hillson disputes Galante's conclusion that "sight distances" for motorists leaving the 520 Hoyden's Lane property are adequate. Hillson's report says the required sight distance is 390 feet based on cars traveling 35 mph on Hoyden's Lane while Galante's report puts the figure at 335 feet for cars traveling 35 mph.

"Since the available sight distance looking left from the proposed drive is 335 feet (or 285 feet per the earlier application), and the required sight distance per the ConnDOT Highway Design Manual is 390 feet for the prevailing speed of travel, we conclude that the sight distance looking to the left is not adequate to provide safe operations for drivers leaving the site," Hillson's report says. "In keeping with past actions by the Plan & Zoning Commission, we believe the application for Special Exception should be denied due to lack of safe egress from the proposed site driveway."

Hillson doesn't dispute Galante's conclusion that the sight distance looking to the right from the driveway is 400 feet.

Galante wasn't available Tuesday afternoon to respond to Hillson's report.

Hillson's traffic report says some of Galante's suggested improvements to roadways - such as installing curve warning signs and painting double-yellow lines on Hoyden's Lane and Hoyden's Hill Road - contradict Hoyden's Lane's "scenic road" designation. Hillson also doubts that a sign directing motorists to enter the property via Morehouse Highway instead of Hoyden's Hill Road will be effective.

Hillson's report says a sign already exists by Congress Street and Hoyden's Hill Road that directs motorists to use Morehouse Highway to go to the H. Smith Richardson Golf Course and its driving range, but traffic counts at the driving range indicate most golfers use Hoyden's Hill Road.

"It is not likely that people going to the softball field will abide the signing any better than driving range patrons," Hillson's report says.

Several members of the Representative Town Meeting have said the town should sell the 9.42 acres to a developer if the girls' Little League field isn't built. The town bought the property for $1.8 million in December 2007.

John Knuff, the town's attorney on the project, has said four homes could be built on the property.

Hillson's report says four homes would generate significantly less traffic than the proposed Little League field - from 38 to 54 trips over 24 hours on a weekday, compared to 68 trips for the field; from 40 to 50 trips over 24 hours on Saturday, compared to 288 trips for the field; and from 22 to 35 trips on a Sunday, compared to 288 trips for the field.

Hillson's report quadruples the 72 trips in the peak hour on a weekend day based on four games being played.

Current traffic volumes on Hoyden's Lane range from 191 to 313 cars on a weekday and total 298 cars on Saturday and 202 cars on Sunday, according to Hillson's report.