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The following letter, shared with We-Ha.com for publication, was recently sent to the mayor on behalf of the Pedestrian and Bicycle Commission.

Dear Mayor Cantor:

On behalf of the West Hartford Pedestrian and Bicycle Commission, I am writing to express our concern regarding unsafe traffic conditions around neighborhood schools. Over the past several years, the commission has heard numerous complaints from residents about vehicle speeds, traffic congestion, crossing safety, and student access near school campuses. As you know, schoolchildren are among our most vulnerable road users. The April 30 motor vehicle crash involving a student at Aiken Elementary School underscores the urgent need to make the transportation environment around all of our schools as safe as possible.

Our commission strongly encourages the town to engage a qualified consultant to conduct a comprehensive, town-wide study of transportation conditions at each school and to recommend practical improvements that would maximize student safety. We believe such a study should examine not only current hazards, but also opportunities to create safer, healthier, and more efficient ways for students to travel to and from school.

At a minimum, we recommend that the study include the following elements:

• Engagement with all relevant stakeholders, including school administrators, teachers, students, parents, police, emergency responders, Public Works staff, and pedestrian and bicycle advisory/advocacy groups.
• A detailed assessment of the existing transportation environment at and around each school, including traffic circulation, crossings, sidewalks, bicycle access, parking, and pick-up/drop-off operations.
• Recommendations for safer school transportation systems, including clearly designed pick-up and drop-off areas, raised crosswalks or intersections, traffic calming measures, 20 mph school zone speed limits, protected bicycle facilities, and continuous accessible sidewalks.
• Identification of Safe Routes to School and School Zones for every school in town.
• Strategies to encourage and support walking and bicycling to school where feasible and safe.

The commission would welcome the opportunity to participate as an active stakeholder in this process and to support the town in advancing these important safety goals.

Thank you for your continued leadership and for your attention to this important matter. I trust that you will treat our recommendation with the urgency that it deserves. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you would like to discuss this further.

Very truly yours,

Edward M. Pawlak, Chair
West Hartford Pedestrian and Bicycle Commission