Quantcast

Why hasn’t anyone considered a mall-related traffic study?

March 1, 2015
–
Mark Chapman
Send signed letters to news@nancyonnorwalk.com
Send signed letters to news@nancyonnorwalk.com

To the Editor:

Residents concerned about the traffic congestion impact of the new regional mall might want to reflect on how Norwalk compares with the number of exits for I-95 with other larger nearby communities:

Town/City:    Exits    Exit Numbers

  • Greenwich:    4            (2-5)
  • Stamford:       4           (6-9)
  • Norwalk:         3           (14-16)
  • Fairfield:         6           (19-24)
  • Bridgeport:     8           (25-30)
  • New Haven:    6           (44-50)

(Data source: Wikipedia)

Not only does Norwalk have fewer exits to I-95, but the entire mall traffic volumes would route through just 2 exits – 14 and 15. Route 16 (East Avenue) is far from the mall. Exit 14 is eastbound through a residential area requiring a right turn south on West Avenue.

Exit 15 is westbound heading north into West Avenue and then requires a left turn at the light to head south into the mall location along with heavy traffic from both Routes 1 and 7. It’s not hard to imagine major traffic gridlock in these already heavily congested areas from adding several thousand additional cars/trucks daily heading to/from the regional mall. And highly detrimental effects from traffic gridlock on existing downtown businesses and residential areas.

No wonder city officials haven’t commissioned and made public a traffic study.

Peter I. Berman

Norwalk

More Stories

Comments

18 responses to “Why hasn’t anyone considered a mall-related traffic study?”

  1. Bobby Brown

    Traffic during rush hour is all ready bad. It’s going to get worse.

  2. piberman

    The sendior directof GGP, Douglas T Adams, is quoted in the “New Canaan Darien + Rowayton” magazine that the mall will attract one million new visitors a month. Those interested in doing the maths assuming the mall is open 10 hours daily can easily see traffic gridlock in our already heavily congested downtown. And don’t forget that almost all of the expected new mall jobs will be commuting to Norwalk. City median salaries ($50k) are twice expected most mall job salaries ($12/hr.). And don’t forget the truck traffic. No wonder City officials haven’t done a traffic study. It would be downright embrarrassing .

    Those intersted in the future of malls can see 3.13.14 aticle from Fidelity Investments “Have you been to the mall lately” showing mall foot traffic in t he U.S. has declined from 34 to 18 visitors between 2010 and 2013 owing to changed consumer purchasing behaviors. Similarly in “Money Watch” 3.6.14 the lead begins with ” Shopping malls are slowly turning into ghost towns and that’s taking a toll on the stores and restaurants inside of them.”

    Of course, forecasting is challenging. But the consequences of 1 million new visitors to an already congested downtown pouring through just 2 already congested I-95 exists from the mall and its expected 75 to 100 new shops and restaurants will be truly awesome. Should the mall become a “white elephant” the politicians who transformed downtown Norwalk will be long gone to Florida and beyond. Just like those who saw Big Box as giving Norwalk a “new future”.

  3. Seth

    Some very good points raised here. Are our Locally elected politicians listening? Unfortunately the GGP project just received Gov Malloy’s support – who’s name is attached to the UBS & RBS projects. How did that work out for the City of Stamford?

  4. Laura Lamorte

    Absolutely correct about the tangle of traffic. Just when they provide some relief by opening the new lane between exits 14-15 northbound, that I-95 traffic will come to a crawl one again. And consider the traffic heading north out of SoNo for the commuters from the S Norwalk train station, already frustratingly difficult as we navigate stop-and-go toward I-95 and the 7-Connector through 8 traffic lights in under a mile, around the sharp 2-lane bend at the intersection of MLK/West/N.Main, and then jockey for position in a few tenths of a mile’s distance as we expand from 2 lanes to 4 to then disperse to either I-95 northbound, I-95 southbound, Rte 7 northbound (watching carefully for cars who cheat by using the 95 southbound lane to position themselves into the Rte 7 northbound lane), or to continue straight on West Ave. Sound complicated? It is! We had to maneuver around a fender-bender last week – directly in front of the lot that is earmarked for the mall – that was a casualty of this through-put issue. Imagine how much worse it’s going to be with the mall traffic. WE NEED A TRAFFIC STUDY, FOLKS!

  5. Big Tex

    The simple answer here, fear of the known unknown likely giving pause to a nonsensical mall.

    City planning 101 would dictate that along with traffic, many other needed studies should be performed to determine the feasibility of what looks to be more redundant retail in a saturated market. What a shame that the Mayor or city’s electorate would not have the common sense to sanction INDEPENDENT impact / stress test studies across a spectrum of issues.

    While Mr. Berman stated he has no interest in the mayor’s job, he should be commended on his thoughtful commentary across many issues. Official or not, he is the city’s Public Advocate.

  6. piberman

    Imagine if we had thoughtful elected officials who commissioned a traffic study with a recommended additional trafffic inflow/outflow to Norwalk and then suggested to the developers that the project be “adjusted” to accommodate the traffic requirements. Then, assuming the mall project would still be viable, the community would support the revised mall project and enourage its quick passage. Imagined if we had thoughtful elected officials who hired major league redevelopoment consultants who could help give the City advise not only with this project but looking out 5, 10 and 20 years for our larger downtown.

    Norwalk could have an atrractive and cohesive downtown. But that requires a competency among our elected officials to recognize that hiring an economic development official from Newtown (pop. 10,000) doesn’t bring the requisite skill set required to achieve those goals. Norwalk’s great trajedy as a City is that its elected officials by and large don’t reflect either the abilities or desires of its residents. We do have some dedicated and competent long serving true public servants. But we need more to make a critical mass. The mall controversy demonstrates how poorly we are served by our
    elected officals en mass. And neither Party leadership is going to lift a finger to change our situation because they are only interested in winning the next election. Not creating a community worthy of our residents. And one that honors its elected officials because they represent the best of us. Not something else.

  7. Seth

    What about Minor League Ballpark? Families that visit can also have a dining experience in SONO.

  8. cc-rider

    Couldn’t the traffic argument be made on most any development to be built on at the 95/7 space? Is the traffic that much different for a mall than a mixed office development?

  9. piberman

    cc-rider:
    The mall developers have said they expect one million visitors per month. That translates into more than additional thousand autos per hour. Serious traffic given the already congested traffic on the City’s two main exits feeding I95 into West Avenue. Clearly any new project will increase downtown congestion. But, and its a big but, we ought to have some detailed idea of the additional amount of traffic that can be tolerated without causing gridlock downtown thereby affecting local business and residents including the Aquarium, Fire and Police Stations. So far Mayor Rilling and City officials seem indifferent to the the traffic congestion posed by one million visitors per month. Why do they ignore the obvious ?

    Why would elected officials ignore the traffic congestion posed by one million new visitors to Norwalk each month ?

  10. John Hamlin

    It’s unfortunate that a traffic study would not be required before approval of such a development. But it’s already a done deal.

  11. Mike Mushak

    @John Hamlin, cc rider, Piberman, et al,

    There absolutely will be a thorough traffic study required of the applicant. It is too early to do one as no application has been made yet, and the design is not completed. You can’t count traffic impacts of a project without knowing the exact size and use, all based on nationally recognized formulas determined by ITE (Institute of Traffic Engineers).

    It will be up to the Zoning Commission to decide if a peer review of the traffic study will be necessary, which would be prudent in my mind.

    Mr. Berman, please stop claiming there will be no professional traffic study (by a certified Traffic Engineer) required of the applicant, unless you have evidence of a waiver granted to this applicant to conduct one which is absurd, along with your claim that the mayor and city officials are “indifferent” to traffic impacts. Where is your evidence to repeatedly make that claim?

  12. piberman

    to M. Mushak:
    No one expects the developer to undertake a traffic impact upon the City from a claimed million new visitors each month (developer’s words). The developer sees only opportunity, not the lifestyle and economic consequences on City residents. But we do expect some preliminary traffic studies by City officials involved in this process simply as a guide. That Sen. Duff, Rep. Wims, Gov. Malloy and now Mayor Rilling to all wax poetic about the mall that would bring a million new visitors (more than 1000 cars per hour) to our City each month is utterly appalling and contrary to what we would expect from any elected official. For a property vacant for 15 years the apparent absence of any prior traffic studies from major proposed new development is a powerful reminder of how City Hall has failed its responsibilities. More capable City officials would have “suggested” from the get go to the developers that they include some preliminary traffic impact studies. If the goal was to encourage a downtown project that encouraged broad support within the community and acknowledged the importance of traffic impact upon a heavily ccongested downtown then City officials and the developer have both failed. Did Mayor Rilling ever express concerns about the traffic congestion consequences of a million new visitors monthly ? Did the newly hired ecoomic development officer from Newtown (pop. 10,000) voice similar concerns ? We expect our City officials to at least consider the obvious when exploring development projects. Even in Norwalk where our expectations are modest. After 15 years someone has discovered traffic consequences. My oh my.

  13. sofaman

    Correct me if I am wrong, but once, a letter to the editor–at least one worthy of publication– was crafted by an author who took the time to at least convey the scope of the two (or more) sides of the issue, before diving into the specific argument they wanted to present. It seems lately some VERY premature LTE’s have been launched before the specifics of the issue have even surfaced. I’m certainly not trying to censor anyone, but why publish letters that are little more than rants?

    1. Mark Chapman

      @ Sofaman
      I think there was a time, long, long ago in a faraway kingdom, when that was pretty much the say things worked. Over the years it has changed, with the LTE’s paralleling the general decline in public discourse. Today, when everyone has access to the world via social media, there is no need for decorum or reason. We at least try to keep things out of the gutter in the comment section. The Letters to the Editor are a step up in that they require a real name. Frequent letter writer Peter Berman longs for the way when office-holders, candidate and civic leaders wrote Op-Eds; we save the “Opinion” label for what you describe in your comment. The writer must have knowledge of the subject, must make a clear and cogent case and, frankly, not make up their own “facts.”

  14. Mike Mushak

    Mr. Berman, your inability to supply a shred of evidence that the mayor or anyone else is “indifferent” to traffic impacts speaks volumes about your own bias. You write with an authoritarian tone, but without evidence. You are, as they say, making things up out of thin air. Why?

    A traffic study will be conducted, and is required. You have stated untruthfully […] repeatedly including in the letter above that there would not be a traffic impact study on the city. You then claim city officials are “indifferent” to traffic impacts without any evidence to support that claim.

    And now you claim, again without a shred of evidence, that the applicant “sees only opportunity, not the lifestyle and economic consequences on City residents.” What do you base that statement on? It is in the best interest of the applicant to make sure their project succeeds and does not end up in grIdlock, and they are willing to invest millions to make sure that happens.

    There will be development on this site generating traffic. If it was office, it would cripple the city with weekday rush hour peak activity. Housing has similar peaks. Retail also does but it often happens outside tradiional rush hours, such as late morning and evening, and on Saturday mornings.

    I have been critical of CT Ave big boxes because the overall cumulative effects of regional traffic were ignored over decades. On West Ave, the street has already been designed with a huge new project in mind at the 95/7 site, and further changes will be made by the applicant as they have promised. We will have plenty of time to review the traffic study and improvements.

    Please stop making false claims you cannot support with facts.

  15. Big Tex

    Sorry Mike I think you are disparaging Mr. Berman for no apparent reason. Like most modern day cities, a comprehensive traffic study should be performed prior to any approvals given this will be the largest development in Norwalk’s modern history. Why haven’t any INDEPENDENT impact studies been demanded on behalf of the city at GGP’s expense and fully shared with the public? This, as I stated earlier is planning 101. A back fill approach could mask many of the pitfalls and present significant exposures to the city’s quality of life and infrastructure. . . all of which could translate even to higher taxes.

  16. Audrey Cozzarin

    I’m coming into this conversation late, but still wish to voice my thoughts: A mall, business center, luxury mixed-use, or any other major development at 95/7 will add to the already over-loaded roads in Norwalk. Why is it inevitable that a big money-making colossus development project must be built? With a lack of senior housing in our area, or sustainable co-housing projects, and certainly above all, loss of natural habitat in our region, I would love to see some glimmer of goodwill by land owners to develop something that will be good for the health of our planet instead of the wealth of their pocketbooks.

    Norwalk is maxed-out with development. The roads are already jammed with cars and highways regularly backed up. How much further are we humans willing to keep building and building and building? I have never in my life seen an area so hell-bent on the almighty dollar at the expense of the common good.

  17. Suzanne

    Thank you, Audrey.

Leave a Reply

Newsletter

Chalk Talk promo
Secret Link