By ADAM ATKINSON

North Country This Week

CANTON -- A village resident concerned about the speed of traffic around the intersection of Judson and Farmer streets recently presented to the village board several options -- instead of a stop sign -- to “calm” traffic flow there.

Dave Murphy, who lives on Judson with his family, spoke to the village board at their meeting Monday, Sept. 24 about traffic issues in his neighborhood.

“My concern is the speed of traffic on Judson Street, Farmer Street and State Street. I know this is an issue that is ongoing and I’ve lived here for five years now and I know there are people in this room who have dealt with this issue in the past in many different ways,” Murphy said. “Really what I would like to do is start the conversation again and perhaps provide a new perspective on it.

“Judson Street seems to have had an abundance of little children in the last 5 years, and a lot of families are moving in there.” Many children coalesce on Judson when going to school and use Farmer to get to the campus as well, he said.

Murphy said the presence of youngsters in the neighborhood in light of drivers going to fast is an issue.

He said he had circulated a letter to his neighbors highlighting his concerns about the presence of youngsters in the neighborhood with speeding drivers. He said he received some feedback from a few in support of slowing traffic in the area.

Murphy initially thought that adding a three-way stop sign at the intersection of Judson and Farmer streets would be effective, he said, but further statistical research on his part suggested that stop signs actually increase traffic speed in some instances as drivers sprint from stop sign to sign at high speeds.

Instead, Murphy said the Institute of Transportation Engineers recommends other “traffic calming” measures to lower vehicle speeds through neighborhoods or even divert them, things like speed bumps and choker curbs extended into roadways to narrow the driving space.

“They have an entire website dedicated to this issue,” Murphy said.

He said such measures were fairly low in cost and one-time expenses.

“Basically they change the shape of the road which requires cars to go slower,” Murphy said. “You can drop the speed percentage by 20 percent.”

The Judson Street resident said an informal survey on his part left him with the belief that cars are going, on average, 8 miles per hour over the speed limit on Judson Street, and even a little faster at night.

“And in a 30-mile-per-hour speed limit, now you are talking about 40 miles an hour going down a residential road, and that's a little bit disconcerting,” said Murphy.

Murphy circulated information from the website among the board members for their further review.

Trustees Carol Pynchon suggested that Murphy join Canton’s Complete Streets Task Force.

The task force is concerned with discovering ways to enhance traffic safety in the community for bikers and pedestrians and then making recommendations to the municipality.

Canton Economic Director Leigh Rodriquez highlighted grant funding options that may be available to help address the issue.

“It's a struggle for kids to cross there, in the morning or in the evening,” said Mayor Mike Dalton, a neighbor of Murphy, “and those are some of the things we need to be concerned about. Is a stop sign an answer? I don’t know. In the past there has been resistance from the board. I’ve gone back and looked at board minutes from a number of years ago and this isn’t the only time it was ever discussed.”

“A stop sign may be the answer but I would it be part of a kind of broader kind of program to make all of that area a better, more walkable area rather than just plunk a stop sign down and be done with it,” Murphy said.

Murphy suggested the board budget for the traffic calming measures over the next few years.

Toby Irvin, a member of the Complete Streets Task Force who attended the village board meeting, invited Murphy to attend the next meeting of the group on Oct. 15 at 5 p.m. at the Municipal Building and speak to the issue there.