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To the Editor:

As my wife and I walked into the Center one recent morning we spied the flashing lights of several police cruisers up ahead. When we arrived at the scene we saw two vehicles in close embrace, one at an awkward angle, indicating a side crash. Debris from the collision littered the road. Drivers and passengers stared vacantly, awaiting the arrival of the tow trucks.

Another day, another crash. In fact, by coincidence, last year there were a total of 365 crashes, one for each day of the year.

Vehicle crashes have become an all too familiar part of the daily tapestry of our town. At a minimum they diminish our collective quality-of-life, and at worst they result in serious injuries and deaths.

Following a rash of road fatalities at the end of 2022, town leaders announced that West Hartford was henceforth a “Vision Zero” community, which aspired to eliminate serious and fatal crashes within 10 years. While this is an admirable goal, achieving it is proving to be very challenging. Last year the number of serious and fatal crashes actually increased compared to the prior year.

Town leaders and staff are working very hard to make our roads safer for all users. I know this, because I sit on the Vision Zero Advisory Committee, which is made up of town staff and citizen volunteers. Some road safety initiatives have already been rolled out: raised crosswalks, flashing yellow beacons at crosswalks, a road diet, improved street lighting and traffic signals, etc. Many more will be implemented this year, including curb extensions and a first-in-town mini-roundabout. Important safety features are included in the upcoming redesigns of West Hartford Center, Park Road, and New Park Avenue.

These safety measures alone will not allow us to achieve our Vision Zero aspirations. For that to happen, we need to put a significant dent (no pun intended) in the dangerous driving behaviors that are the proximate cause of these crashes. Spend just a short amount of time observing our roads and you will see drivers speeding, running red lights and stop signs, distracted by devices, etc. Unless and until we can significantly reduce these dangerous driving behaviors, our roads will remain unsafe for all users.

I invite you to become part of the solution to this problem by signing the Vision Zero Safe Driver pledge, in which you will commit to drive the speed limit, stop at red lights and stop signs, yield to pedestrians at crosswalks, drive undistracted by devices, maintain a safe distance from the car in front of you, and pass bicyclists in a safe manner. In exchange for signing the pledge you will receive a magnetic sign to proudly display on your vehicle, announcing your commitment to the community.

The fact that you may draw negative attention from other drivers who see our roads as speedways tells us just how far our community has strayed from norms of caring for one another. But if you think of your safe driving as an act of “civil obedience” done in the service of making yourself, your loved ones and your community safer, you will be undeterred by the occasional angry honk.

If we all adhered to the basic rules of the road that we learned in Driver’s Ed the number of crashes on our road would plummet. Join the team of safe drivers who have committed to do their part in making our roads safer for the entire community. Sign the pledge today … and drive safely!

Link to Vision Zero Safe Driver Pledge: https://www.westhartfordct.gov/town-departments/engineering/visionzero/vzpledge

Edward Pawlak
Chair, West Hartford Pedestrian and Bicycle Commission