Part of initiative to make town safer place to drive

By Scott Calzolaio

The Milford Select Board approved a small change in traffic signage on the North Bow Street side of Spring Street late June, and a new one-way sign will be placed there soon.

The approved one-way will now force Spring Street traffic to make a turn at the intersection of Spring and Court Streets. Traffic will now only be allowed to flow one way from North Bow Street to the intersection of Spring and Court. It will allow cars to turn into Spring Street from North Bow, but not out of Spring into North Bow.

“There’s a natural blind-spot there,” said Milford Police Chief Robert Tusino in an interview with the Free Press. “There’s a stone wall that curves, and you have to pull out too far to see if someone is coming…That’s how we had that accident a few years ago.”

Tusino was referring to a nonfatal car crash that left a vehicle pushed against the side of the Senior Center building. He said he proposed the small signage change so that it might help save a life in the future.

This move, Tusino said, will have a very minor effect on traffic, and will not cause too much trouble for the residents of Spring Street.

“Not having to go down Main Street, to get to Spring Street anymore, may even be a benefit to those who live there,” he said.

This is just one minor signage change near the downtown area that marks the start of a much larger initiative from the Milford Police Department to make the town a safer place to drive, Tusino said. 

“People parking in the streets is a huge problem. There are some streets where if a car is parked, you literally can’t even get down.” he said. “We’re basically going to be redoing the whole town.”

In the meantime, Tusino encourages people who live on narrow roads to use their driveways more often, as he sees many of the clogged streets have empty driveways.