Griffin Health, Safe Kids mark National School Bus Safety Week

Know the Rules to Keep Schoolchildren Safe

Each school day, millions of children ride school buses. 

Did you know that the school bus is one of the safest vehicles on the road? Less than 1% of all traffic fatalities involve children on school transportation vehicles.
However, children are more at risk when approaching or leaving a school bus. 

That's why Griffin Health and Safe Kids Greater Naugatuck Valley remind all drivers, as well as parents and students, how important it is to understand school bus safety.

Get more info at https://www.nhtsa.gov/road-safety/school-bus-safety

Klarides-Ditria: DOT to start immediate repairs on Commodore Hull Bridge

The Connecticut Department of Transportation (DOT) announced immediate repairs on the Commodore Hull Bridge - which carries Route 8 over the Housatonic River between Shelton and Derby. According to the DOT, “during a special inspection of the bridge in preparation for a future project, advanced deterioration on the gusset plates was noticed. These plates connect the truss members together to support the weight of the overall bridge structure and traffic load on the bridge.  Due to the additional deterioration found, starting this week CTDOT will begin milling off the bituminous wearing surface (pavement), and posting a 32-ton weight restriction for all vehicles.” There are 12 gusset plate locations anticipated. Travel lane shifts in both directions will likely be required, as well as closure of on/off ramps directly adjacent to the structure while repairs are being completed. The objective is to maintain two lanes of traffic for Route 8 NB & SB.  The bridge remains safe for the traveling public. DOT urges drivers to slow down, move over, and use caution when traveling through this area to keep themselves and workers safe.

Sincerely,

Ansonia Police issue traffic advisory for downtown construction delays

Traffic Advisory: Construction Alert

Attention, drivers! Please be aware of construction at the intersection of Main Street, N. Main Street, State Street, and East Main Street in Ansonia. Expect delays and lane closures in the area.

This construction is expected to continue into next week. We strongly recommend using alternate routes to avoid congestion.

Thank you for your patience as we work to improve this intersection! Please plan accordingly and drive safely.

Shared from the APD Facebook page. 

Derby Police Department reminds drivers of back to school safety

 Derby students return to school Tuesday.

Seymour Public Schools facing bus driver shortage

Shared from Seymour Public Schools' Facebook page.

Recuperation journey: Pet peeve, third edition

I really don't want to keep writing about pet peeves but on Saturday a driver angered me again. 
And I think what happened is worth sharing to raise awareness.

My husband, Ralph, drives a wheelchair accessible van, as regular readers of our newsletter no doubt know. 

He received a lovely note on his windshield Saturday because he took up two spaces in the East Main Street parking lot in Ansonia. It was so lovely that the writer felt the need to use the F Bomb to make his or her lovely point. 

OK, sometimes when the parking is tight, or there are no handicapped spaces, Ralph needs to take up two spaces to drop the lift so he can exit the van.
I'd like to ask our friendly note writer how he or she would feel if someone they cared about needed to drive or be driven in a wheelchair van and someone was extremely rude to them. 

This isn't the first time we've gotten a lovely note from a friendly driver. For some reason the F Bomb is always included. Interesting.

I know we're not the only family that deals with this nonsense. 
Earlier this year a mom with a daughter who uses a wheelchair posted on an Ansonia Facebook page that someone constantly parked in the handicapped parking space at the Joel E. Smilow Clubhouse on Howard Avenue. 
That person did not have a handicapped permit and his or her rudeness routinely made the mom's life and that of her daughter much more difficult.

By the way, my husband is chairman of the Ansonia Cultural Commission and was one of the main organizers of Saturday's Ansonia Harvest Festival. 
He got the note after 11 hours of volunteering on Main Street during the fabulous fest.

Our family agrees anger only drains our energy and we should feel sorry for ignorant people who go through life being rude toward others.

Recuperation journey: Another pet peeve

I'll try not to make this pet peeve stuff a habit, but it's related to my pet peeve post from Monday.

Scene: You are the first one in line stopped at a red light. The light turns green. 

The idiot behind you HONKS at you if you don't put your foot on the gas in a nano-second. 

This goes on all the time, and I was reminded of it today when the person behind me honked as I was taking my life in my hands driving in downtown Ansonia.