New Britain Residents Complain about Chronic Speeding Problems

On the New Britain City Council February 28th, 2024 public participation session, several residents expressed their concerns over car speeding issues in the city which are causing fatalities, property damage, and a general feeling of insecurity on city streets. These complaints come at the same time as family and friends of Katherine Colon expressed their grievance after she was run over and killed by a speeding police officer in September 2023.

The first to speak was Wanda Martinez who described how her mother who lives on 50 Bassett Street’s School House Apartments, where many other senior residents live, was hit on January 25, 2024 by a car in nearby South Main Street near Dunkin Donuts. Luckily, her mom survived but experienced bruises and lacerations and will require surgery for a broken wrist. She added that previous pedestrians in the same intersection were not as lucky. On November 2nd 2023, 62-year old Brenda Catucci was killed by a driver in a hit-and-run accident. Mrs. Martinez noted that the family of Brenda Catucci are still waiting for a resolution of their case and added:

tenants at the apartment complex are asking for something to be done to avoid future tragedies that have fallen on deaf ears. I am here on their behalf asking for help to find a solution for the dangerous intersection and avoiding future tragedies.

Mrs. Martinez was not the only resident complaining about road safety issues. Carmen Tan and Maria Chan living on 1582 and 1576 Corbin Avenue complained that the section of Corbin Avenue between Queen Street and Mitchel Street has become dangerous with accidents and damage. In three different occasions in the past year electric poles were damaged and as a result there is no streetlight in that area. Furthermore, Maria said this affected her livelihood “We’ve lost lots of wages because of this. I work from home. The power went out two weeks ago.” In addition, Maria described how drivers are speeding even when children are waiting for the school bus,

Just the other day we were waiting at the bus stop and our nephew let the basketball roll out into the street. Do you think that that person (driver) stopped? No, they rolled right over that basketball…(they) never tried to put on their brakes.”

Maria requested that city do something, not just on their street but elsewhere in the city as well,

People are driving down this road unaware of the dangers and unfortunately one of these times somebody’s going to get hurt and I’m here to beg you to please avoid that from happening. Of course this is happening on other streets, but guys, our entire family lives on this block. We need your help and we’re begging you to do something today.

Following public forum, several alderpersons responded to the speeding issues. Alderman Malinowski (R-5) indicated that “something is going on to where drivers are not heading any warnings or anything” and that something needs to be done. Alderwoman Scott (D-3) pointed out that in the area near South Main Street there are “a lot of elderly people that live there and people with disabilities and they don’t have enough time to cross the street without getting run over.”

Alderman Simpson (D-1) noted that a constituent called him the past week to complain about a driver who pulled out several street signs. He added that one solution to reduce speeding behavior is to install speed bumps and speed humps,

it seems that speed bumps are the way to do that. I see them work in Hartford and the North End. All the time I see them work in, I believe, New Haven and other cities.

Alderman and President Pro Tempore Santiago (D-5) added that he lives in the Corbin Avenue area near Queen Street and has personally witnessed speeding and in one case speeding caused a driver to pull a gun on another driver. He noted that in his previous term on the city council two years before, he submitted petitions requesting the city to address speeding problems in that area and noted that the city consistently refused to install speed bumps. Alderman Santiago concluded that,

we need to relook that (decision not to use speed bumps) because …there’s too many casualties, too many people are getting hit, too many properties are getting damaged…if you slow it down, there’s no speeding.

In his concluding remarks, Majority Leader Alderman McNamara (D-4) indicated that the speeding issues will be discussed in a committee upon request by Alderwoman Wilma Barbosa (D-2) and added that,

The committee will be looking at traffic calming policies. We’ve looked at the city of Norwalk. And other things. So, I hope the Council will aggressively look at this and come up with some sustaining solutions.