I was rear-ended at this exact spot, and I see it is a very common occurrence. This ramp design is one of the worst and extremely dangerous!

Stop signs on entrances to the parkway are a perpetual problem in CT. Unfortunately, I'm not sure there's much that can be done; I believe the state has converted the ones that could be converted to stop sign-less.

I don't mean to be preachy, but when you purchase a vehicle, you need to think about where you live and will drive the car. Anyone who has to drive the Parkway in CT, and has to negotiate these entrances, should buy a car that can accelerate quickly. Frankly, that's the easiest, most practical solution. I have a sports car, and I quite honestly look forward to these entrances because it's one of the few times I get to actually legally enjoy the car, and I never have any difficulty merging with traffic.

I'm not saying you need to buy a Corvette, but any car with 250+ horsepower should allow you to drive more safely, and I don't think the mileage hit will be as significant as you might think. Safety has to come first, and in this case, a faster car is absolutely a safer car.

You, CWR, are completely ABSURD and your advice is not only insane but selfish. So YOU can "enjoy" your hotrod "I" need to buy a faster car?!?!?! WOW, you are definitely PERFECT mindset for the state of Connecticut - "The All-About-Me State".

Grow up! This isn't about YOU, its about preventing accidents.

If you want to speed in (oh, sorry, "enjoy") car, take it to a race track - because you certainly don't belong on the roads with that mentality.

P.S. If it was a better merge, it wouldnt be a problem for us slower cars. I have no problem getting on SAFELY when there is no stop sign.

'E', you have offered no rational refutation of my argument, you've just vented like an irrational fool.

The problem is an entrance with a stop sign, which causes certain cars problems, but NOT ALL. If it were so easy to completely rebuild that elevated merge, don't you think it would have been done by now? And why should everyone who doesn't have a problem negotiating the entrance have to deal with the cost and hassle of rebuilding because you and/or the OP drive too-slow cars?

I've offered a rational and practical solution that solves the OP's problem - buy a faster car. The road is what it is. CT is an old state with old infrastructure and limited rights of way to expand. There is a reason why the auto market offers scores of different models, because not every car is ideal for every market and use.

It's a shame that you can offer no rational solution to the problem, and instead took to a personal attack on me.

I agree this is a terrible place to try to get on CT 15. It is poorly designed for today's trafiic but probably will not be changed. Buying a gas guzzler just because you want to get on a particular road doesn't make any sense. I have a small car too (with a 5 speed transmission) and I don't have that much trouble getting on but I rarely come to a complete stop. One thing I have learned about CT drivers since moving here is that they are not very polite but they don't expect you to be either so if they see you merging they will move over (just make sure they have the other lane open). The other alternative is to avoid this ramp altogether which I try to do. I think the stop sign should be changed to a yield sign.

Thank you AHTR - and I agree with you. People like CWR only add to the problem. When ever I approach any onramp, I get over to the left to allow them to get on. Many do not. I am a very considerate driver but unfortunately the majority of CT only think of themselves (as seen here in this thread). The only problem is, I live very close to exit59...thankfully, I rarely go Southbound. Also, its not a hard or costly fix at all - swapping out a stop sign for a yield sign is a very cost effective solution and install a new sign to ask drivers to move to the left for oncoming traffic when safe to do so.

'E', you can't just place a Yield sign in place of the Stop sign - the merge lane is too short. That's the whole reason there is a Stop sign there, not a Yield sign! They'd have to undertake an enormous project to acquire air rights from nearby residents, and then physically build a whole new elevated roadway. So strike one.

Secondly, where in America have you EVER seen a sign encouraging drivers to move to the left lane so people can enter? Give me a break, that's not possible. You can have a sign warning of 'merging" or "entering traffic', but you can't ask people to move over. There's only two lanes to begin with and there's a lot of congestion there due to the tunnel. So strike two.

Here's a grand slam - buy a faster car. Problem solved.

CWR, every time you post it just proves how small minded you really are. Buy a faster car? Are you serious?! You are so self involved and proves how little you care about others and this planet.

Uncle Egg, you couldn't make a valid argument, so you resorted to a personal attack. Way to go.

I told E to buy a sufficiently fast car. Doesn't have to be a sports car. Problem solved.

This has been posted for 7 months, and only 6 people want this fixed, despite the fact thousands of people use that entrance daily. So we should undertake a huge legal and construction project for the sake of a few people?

People like you and 'E' want the government (i.e., your fellow citizens) to pay for something that you could more directly and readily take care of yourself. Shameful, and completely indicative of what's wrong with America today. E in particular should consider relocating to a commune somewhere.

And the only thing that you prove CWR is that you are a selfserving-being who has no problem increasing problems for our planet.

What about those of us who cant AFFORD a faster car? Do we just not use the highways? I have a very sturdy and well running 1989 standard dodge dakota but being a small, old truck, the acceleration is less than stellar and takes me a good 30 to 40 seconds to reach the speed limit on any other highway on ramp from a dead stop let alone trying to get the old girl up that hill.

the state does not own enough land around rt 15 to make the on-ramps larger, so on most onramps there is a stop sign. whine all you want, but unless the state purchases private land, there is nothing that can be done here. the best suggestion is try to find another place to get on the highway if you do not feel confident in your or your car's ability to get up to speed in a timely manner.

If you can not merge safely into the speeding traffic here, wait until the cars pass. Your safety is worth more than someone's convenience. If people have to wait in a line of more than 10 or 15 minutes to get past this ramp (which is a perfectly acceptable amount of time in more congested cities), they will start using another highway entrance.

In the long term, speeds should be reduced by narrowing the travel lanes, increasing enforcement and installing speed control devices. Not only would lower speeds save lives, they would allow us to use less asphalt. Many other industralized countries have taken these steps to make their highway systems safer and more efficient, and their policies are paying off because they have smaller budget deficits. They have also invested in transit and better regional land use policies, which is far more efficient as well.

We can either consider measures like these, or continue to plunge our children into greater debt.

The biggest problem is drivers going southbound on CT15 often continue to drive in the right lane (where the onramp is located) even when they have ample room, time and what not to actually drive in the left lane to allow drivers to get on...like you are supposed to do. The best thing about SCF is that maybe now people realize the problem and will be a bit more respectful of people trying to get on. I always (of course when able) get over when coming up on an onramp...wish more drivers would.

the bottom line is this is rte 15- wilbur cross/merritt parkway. It is designed deliberately to be this way. the more changes that are made to steamline it (And I know -- what is it, Norwalk? -- has that long on-ramp) the more its original character is ruined. The speed limit on this highway is 55. If speeders make it difficult to get on, they need to drive slower or we need to wait for an opening.

It is not like other highways. It is a historical landmark. It is a parkway

Changes should be made to the road to encourage slower driving - like narrower lanes. You can either have a modern, 75MPH highway with massive lanes and on-ramps (which costs many millions to maintain), or you can have a traditional car parkway where lanes are narrow and speeds kept to 40-50MPH. Having a design that is somewhere in between (e.g., combining old access ramps with modern highway geometry) is a very bad idea. Let's hope DOT fixes this.

This issue was recategorized from Uncategorized to Other.

Issue Closed