First draft of West Hartford Vision Zero action plan out for public input

Creating safer roads for all. The town of West Hartford has created a first draft of an action plan to stop tragedies on the streets.

“It’s really not a pedestrian- or bicycle-safe town," said Michelle Janowitz, who gets anxious riding bikes by Trout Brook Drive in West Hartford with her daughter.

“People don’t stop on red lights, even with the pedestrian sign. We almost got hit at Trout Brook and Farmington,” she said.

That’s an area being addressed by the town’s Vision Zero initiative, which focuses on eliminating traffic deaths and serious injuries by 2033.

The first draft of an action plan was published this week and includes installing traffic cameras.

“We’re hoping to get that off the ground next year. The town is also interested in red light running cameras. We don’t have a formalized program yet, but that’s something we’ll explore,” Duane Martin, West Hartford's director of community development, said.

There are also plans to adjust and create new road designs to slow down traffic like this stretch of North Main Street.

The town says pavement marking reduced their speeds, cutting crashes by more than half from 11 in 2021 to five in 2022.

“We’ve proved that this road diet could work and now, let’s find elsewhere in town where we can replicate that success,” Edward Pawlak, a member of the Vision Zero task force, said.

After six pedestrian deaths last year, the town says there have been none so far this year. The Vision Zero task force says the current push is to change driver behavior, so they share the road and slow down.

“Our system is still designed for speed and throughput of vehicles,” Pawlak said.

The public will be able to give their thoughts on the action plan until Dec. 18. After that, any changes will be presented to the town council for approval next month.