"Having driven up that way during foliage, I've seen lines of cars that are pulled over to the side of the road, dozens long, 20, 30, 40, cars per row," Benjamin Brickner, chair of Pomfret's select board (its town council equivalent), told Fortune. "This road is not meant for parking along the side of any number, so to have three dozen cars along the side of the road is just eye-popping."
Last year, Pomfret made the decision to close down Cloudland Road to non-locals. It raised over $22,000 in a Gofundme to contract sheriff patrols and deputies to monitor the road during busy hours, allowing only locals to pass through.
The crowding is particularly bad on Cloudland Road, a winding single-lane path running through the town of Pomfret, home to about 900 people. During the peak of autumn, cars snake up and down the road connecting Pomfret to the neighboring towns.
The traffic congestion is more than just a nuisance for locals trying to enjoy the autumn leafage; it's a public safety issue, according to Beth Finlayson, executive director of the Pomfret Community Center.
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