Doris Hallie, wife of late Philosophy Professor Philip Hallie, was struck and killed crossing Washington Jan. 29. Since her death, the City of Middletown has renewed efforts to increase pedestrian safety on this heavily trafficked roadway between Main and Vine Streets.
Middletown Mayor Domenique Thorton sent a letter to the Department of Transportation (DOT) requesting a safety review. The DOT now plans to conduct a review of the area as well as construct a traffic light with pedestrian button at the intersection of Washington and Park Place. This intersection is a major student crossing from campus to woodframe and off-campus houses.
Washington Street is widely acknowledged as a busy and extremely dangerous roadway with a high volume of traffic traveling at fast speeds. Bob Santangelo, a Middletown Councilman and Chair of the Middletown Committee of Public Safety, has been concerned with this issue for some time.
“Traffic engineers’ real concern is to move cars—pedestrians come second,” Santangelo said.
Santangelo, who is an avid walker and dog owner, says he often sees students and Middletown residents involved in dangerous situations while trying to cross the busy road.
“Washington Street has been a concern of ours since Oddfellows moved to this location 11 years ago,” said Mimi Rich, managing director of Oddfellows Playhouse. “I have a folder an inch thick full of requests to the DOT for increased pedestrian safety.”
Oddfellows Playhouse, which provides theater programs for children from all over the community, has asked for increased lighting, more speed limit signs and flashing lights to warn drivers to slow down.
According to Rich, the DOT conducted a safety review several years ago but did not make any changes. This prompted Thorton’s letter.
“I am writing to you with a sense of urgency,” wrote Mayor Thorton.. “Another tragedy occurred last Saturday evening. Yet another Middletown resident was struck.”
According to Director of Public Safety Maryann Wiggin, Public Safety had put in a request for a new crosswalk two years ago. Then two weeks ago, they were informed that their request had been granted. The construction of a new crosswalk, which will consist of a new light and sidewalk at Veterans Way will take about two years.
“Right now we are in the very basic design stage in the project,” Wiggins said.
According to Santangelo, the University is the real driving force behind the approval of the crosswalk.
“They made the initial request for the crosswalk (at Park Place),” Santangelo said. “The fact is that the university represents a larger group of people than the scattered individuals who make complaints in Middletown.”
Now that the crosswalk project has been approved it will have to go through several phases before it is built, said Thomas Lamb, a DOT official.
At the moment the plan is being shopped around to contractors for the best price. Lamb was only willing to give a tentative timetable, according to which the project will be awarded in the spring.
While this review and construction will improve the safety of Washington Street, many want the public to remember the victim that spurred the calls for change.
“Dorris Hallie was a very active and enriching member of the community, a fact which her funeral attests to,” said John Hall, minister at First Congregational Church in Middletown, who presided over Hallie’s funeral.
Professor Nelly Bruce echoed this statement, noting that her funeral was quite crowded.
Minster Hall also expressed worries about the future of Washington Street and Oddfellows Playhouse.
“There are a lot of children crossing the street there and a lot of occasion for people to drop children off,” Hall said.
Wesleyan students echoed these concerns.
“I’ll walk out into the street thinking I’ve got it made and then you’ll hear the beeping and screeching,” said Simon O’Conner ’05, whose has lived across Washington Street for the past two years. “I would say I’ve almost been hit by cars on half a dozen occasions.”
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