Trooper resurrects crossing problem

NORTH CANAAN — It seemed the issue was resolved last month, but a recommendation by the resident state trooper has reopened a look at the crossing guard situation in the center of town.

In a letter to the school, read at the March 11 Board of Education meeting by Principal Rosemary Keilty, Trooper Jim Promotico recommended all students ride the school bus, eliminating the need to cross busy Main Street. He cited speeding drivers, distracted drivers and a large volume of traffic, including many large trucks during morning pickup time.

The manned Main Street crossing for North Canaan Elementary School students was recently moved from the West Main Street intersection to the Railroad Street intersection, which includes traffic and pedestrian walk signals. It came at the urging of crossing guard Don Caranci, who has held the post in the center of town for more than a decade and long advocated for safety improvements there.

The change was not without a glitch. Students, some escorted by parents, initially declined to use the manned crosswalk, crossing instead in the middle of traffic to wait for the school bus.

That raised the issue of why students were not assigned to a bus that passes by on their side of Main Street. That situation was quickly rectified with the bus company, All Star Transportation, which sets the routes. Six students currently board the bus on the Station Place side of Main Street.

School board members agreed Keilty should write a letter to parents of those students, advising them of the resident state trooper’s recommendation and strongly urging they heed it. However, they cannot be required to take the bus.

Board member Susan Warner asked why there is not more enforcement for drivers breaking the law.

“We are urging kids to exercise more, but we’re putting them on the bus instead of addressing enforcement issues,� Warner said.

But board member Beth McGuire pointed out that enforcement will not eliminate what appears to be the major factor: volume of traffic. Warner agreed that safety is a priority and putting students on the bus seems to be the only solution.

Members also agreed to a suggestion to move the crossing guard to the corner of Pease and Bragg streets. With Pease Street one-way during school arrival and dismissal times, almost all of the vehicular traffic associated with the school is routed that way.

However, during prior discussions, Keilty said she preferred to leave Caranci at his post, even if no one crossed, calling him “an extra set of eyes� to watch out for student safety.

That decision is ultimately up to the Board of Selectmen because crossing guards are town — not school — employees.

In the meantime, both Promotico and Caranci are looking to warmer days ahead, when some students are likely to walk or ride bicycles to school.

“They can’t mandate students take the bus, so the situation is not really resolved,� Promotico said. “I’m sure some kids will be walking to school in the weeks ahead.�

Caranci told The Journal he cannot imagine leaving both Main Street crossings unguarded. He is currently crossing two children on a regular basis in the afternoon.

As to the enforcement issue, “It’s not the speed so much as volume and all the other things people do,� Promotico said. “Distracted and drunk driving are not things we can give a ticket for until something happens. The more traffic there is, the more chance of something happening. And believe me, there are drunk drivers on our roads at that time of the day.�

He related one instance of a local employer sending home a woman who arrived for an early shift intoxicated.

“They sent her home, in her car,� he said.

Liability for the town is also a consideration. Promotico said Keilty advised him that once the students leave school on foot, the school is no longer legally responsible for them.

He added that hiring crossing guards implies an acknowledged safety issue.

“From a liability standpoint, the best approach is probably to leave kids to cross on their own, but that’s not the priority here.�

Promotico said he will try to be a “presence� in the town center as a deterrent, whether or not a crossing guard is retained there.

Caranci has criticized Promotico’s, the school’s and town officials’ lack of attention to the matter over the years, even after he was hit in the crosswalk by an inattentive driver.

“I hardly ever see a trooper when I’m out there, not even passing through,� Caranci said. “And what about the school administration or board members? They are making decisions without ever having come out to get first-hand information.�

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