Town Crier Articles

 

There are many things to love about New Town, and most of them were engineered to make New Town a place so many love to live. The thoughtful community design, with ample green spaces, porches on the front of homes, and sidewalks throughout, encourages residents to walk, gather, and generally be neighborly. Easy access to dining, retail, professional services, and entertainment allows us to leave the car at home to fulfill many needs. “Developments like New Town are designed to be walkable, sustainable, human-scaled developments—that is, communities built for people, not automobiles,” notes New Town resident Dr. Dorothy Ibes, Director of the Parks & Ecotherapy Research Lab (PERL) at William & Mary. “The essence of such communities is that they foster what has been lost in many post WWII American cities—namely daily connections with neighbors and nature, and a slower pace of life to support mental, physical, and environmental health,” shares Dr. Ibes. 

 

These shared community values highlight when there is a potential threat or concern. The threat in this case is the Casey Blvd. corridor. New Town residents old and young, new and tenured, have noticed and commented on the speed of vehicles along this thoroughfare. Lined with residential homes, Casey Blvd. hosts a childcare center and several school bus stops, while also serving as the main connection between New Town’s commercial areas. This route draws traffic not only from residents, but also employees, shoppers, and those accessing services in the community. This road separates our residential spaces and requires crossing for many of our neighbors to access the pool, playground, nature trails, and businesses. Why, then, is it so hard to cross? 

 

Residents have observed excessive speeding along the Casey Blvd. corridor. Traffic calming strategies, or specific measures taken to reduce vehicle speeds and improve safety for pedestrians, are often employed in a neighborhood setting. While this roadway does employ some strategies to reduce traffic speed (e.g. limited driving lanes, room for cyclists and parked cars, speed humps), they have not been effective in achieving the goals. Other traffic calming strategies, such as lane narrowing, deliberate curves or shifts, medians and pedestrian refuge islands, and additional vertical deflections (e.g. speed humps, raised intersections), are lacking.  As a parent, I won’t allow my children to cross Casey Blvd. by themselves, as even when there is a clear path at the beginning of our crossing, we often must finish in a full-out run due to the speed of oncoming traffic.  

 

Casey Blvd. is managed by the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT); change will require coordination locally and with the Commonwealth. After conversations with VDOT and the James City County Police Department beginning in November 2021, we were able to secure the radar speed indicator sign that can be seen as you’re driving East on Casey Blvd. approaching Center St. With the goal of increasing speed limit compliance and improving speed awareness, repeated studies demonstrate that when faced with this direct speed feedback, 80% of drivers will slow down, on average by 10-20%. See the VDOT Community Programs page for more information about neighborhood traffic programs. 

 

Even with improvements in speed limit compliance, many residents are still concerned about the difficulty in crossing Casey Blvd., whether on foot or in their automobiles. Visibility is significantly limited at several intersections based on the number and type of vehicles parked on the side of the road. There have been several near-accidents when cars have attempted to turn off of Center St., Rollison Dr., or Foundation St. onto Casey Blvd. and weren’t able to see oncoming traffic. Some cars treat the intersection of Casey Blvd. and Center St. like a 4-way stop, even though there is not a required stop on Casey Blvd. The absence of stop sign leads to confusion, uncertainty, disgruntled drivers, and endangered pedestrians. Installing a 4-way stop at this intersection would likely improve the safety of all involved by automatically slowing the speed of traffic and allowing for the­ safe crossing of Casey Blvd. at a pedestrian-heavy location. 

 

The New Town Residential Association (NTRA) has identified Laura Loda, NTRA Board of Directors, to advocate on behalf of our residents and shepherd our concerns and requests through the appropriate contacts within the county and the Commonwealth. There are current speed studies underway with the inclusion of the radar speed sign, and we have increased police presence, particularly during higher traffic times. Jim Icenhour, our James City County Supervisor, is working with the county administrator to discuss this issue with the VDOT Resident Engineer. 

 

While permanent changes will likely take some time, we are moving in the right direction. Do you want to contribute to the cause? Here are two ways residents can make an immediate difference:  

It is rare to walk or drive around New Town without seeing several joggers, walkers, children, strollers, and pets enjoying themselves and enjoying the neighborhood. The safety of our neighbors and all those who visit New Town to live, work, and play will remain our priority as we navigate this process. Addressing the dangers of our roadways now will undoubtedly pay dividends as our community continues to grow. To revisit our resident Urban Human-Environment Geographer, Dr. Ibes, “left unchecked, increasing development [with] hurried commuters and residents speeding through our neighborhood will degrade the very qualities that made us all choose this beloved community for our home.”