As part of the Town of West Hartford’s Vision Zero Action Plan, four additional raised crosswalks have been added throughout town.

By Ronni Newton

The Town of West Hartford has been checking off items on the Vision Zero Action Plan throughout the summer, and most recently has added four more raised crosswalks – the latest group located in school zones where they will be put to good use as students return to classes next week.

During the week leading up to the Fourth of July holiday, crews from West Hartford’s Department of Public Works had installed several raised crosswalks – including on Oakwood Avenue at St. James Street, Flatbush Avenue near the Glover Soccer Complex, and Flagg Road near Westmoor Park – as well as three speed humps on South Highland Street.

The latest group of raised crosswalks are in school zones, and include Oakwood Avenue at Sydney Avenue (near Smith STEM School), Richmond Lane at Barksdale Road (near Norfeldt Elementary School), Boulevard at Lemay Street (near Sedgwick Middle School), and on King Philip Drive at the middle school where road reconstruction has been completed.

West Hartford now has a total of 12 raised crosswalks – nine that have been installed this summer as well as three built previously.

Both speed humps and raised crosswalks are three to four inches high and are measures to slow down traffic. The raised crosswalks act as speed humps and are designed to make pedestrians more visible. Many of the locations where raised crosswalks have been installed in West Hartford already had Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacons (RRFB) in place – devices also intended to increase pedestrian safety.

In addition to the raised crosswalks – which are intended to be permanent additions to the roadways – quick-build projects, which are temporary and relatively easy and inexpensive to deploy, are being completed throughout town. Those efforts are a priority and 25 projects were highlighted earlier this year in a supplement to the 2024 Vision Zero Annual Report.

Among the quick builds that have been implemented to date are curb extensions such as those on Sedgwick Road at Westminster, South Quaker Lane at Kingswood Road, and Park Road at Oakwood Avenue, and pedestrian refuge islands such as on Sedgwick Road at Lemay and Wardwell streets.

In the future, quick-build mini-roundabouts are planned for Mohegan Drive at Brewster as well as King Philip Drive at Old Meadow, and a quick-build neighborhood traffic circle will be implemented at the intersection of Elmfield and Somerset.

“We hope to get in a few more quick-builds and two more raised crosswalks this season,” Parker Sorenson, a civil engineer who works for the Town of West Hartford, said in an email. According to Sorenson, the two additional raised crosswalks are planned for King Philip Drive at Aiken Elementary School and Asylum Avenue at Harvest Lane, near Bugbee Elementary School.

A complete list of planned quick build projects can be found here.

Messaging and communication

Over the summer, the town has also ramped up its messaging to the community – both informing people of the progress that has been made on various initiatives as well as proving reminders and tips for safely driving, bicycling, or walking throughout town.

One recent message addressed pedestrian safety in areas without sidewalks, and included the following tips:

Pedestrians should always use sidewalks when available; however, some spots lack proper sidewalks. To remain safe when walking in an area without sidewalks, one should follow these tips:

1. If there is no sidewalk, walk facing traffic and as far from traffic as possible.

2. Cross streets at crosswalks or intersections. Look for cars in all directions, including those turning left or right.

3. If a crosswalk or intersection is not available, locate a well-lit area with the best view of the traffic. Wait for a gap in traffic that allows enough time to cross safely; continue watching for traffic as you cross.

“Speed Matters: Protect Vulnerable Roadway Users” is the subject line of another recent email from the town. The remainder of that message shares the following data:

Between 2018 and 2024 there have been 10 crashes resulting in fatality. Eight of these 10 crashes were pedestrian crashes. This further highlights the need to focus on Vulnerable Roadway Users (VRUs) in the Vision Zero process.

Vulnerable Roadway Users refers to individuals who are at a higher risk of injury in the event of a crash because they are not protected by the structure of a vehicle. This includes pedestrians and cyclists, but also includes motorcyclists, micromobility users (e.g. e-scooters), and other non-motorized users such as skateboarders.

There have been 71 crashes resulting in suspected serious injury between 2018 and 2024. These have predominately been crashes only involving motor vehicles but also included 16 crashes involving pedestrians and bicyclists (23%).

In 2024 there were four crashes involving pedestrians and two crashes involving bicyclists, making 2024 the worst year in terms of fatal and suspected serious injury to vulnerable road users between 2018 and 2024. Overall, crashes resulting in fatality or suspected serious injury have increased from 6 per year in 2018 to 21 in 2024.

Another recent email noted that “proper lighting in areas of pedestrian crossings is a Federal Highway Administration Proven Safety Countermeasure and has been found to reduce nighttime pedestrian crashes by up to 42%,” and the town plans to improve lighting in many areas this year. “Recently, improvements were made at Albany Avenue near Mohegan Drive, Farmington Avenue between Trout Brook Drive and Whiting Lane, and Oakwood Avenue between Caya Avenue and Flatbush Avenue,” the email states.

The community has also been advised that retroreflective backplates – which make the traffic signals much more visible – have already been installed in many intersections with more to come, and are also an FHA countermeasure that has proven to reduce crashes at intersections by 15%, the town’s message states.

On July 30, the town hosted the first of two public meetings on the Speed Management program that is in the process of being finalized. At a second public meeting, scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 3, from 6 to 8 p.m. at Sedgwick Middle School, the list of planned locations for automated speed enforcement cameras will be shared, with the opportunity for input as well as Q&A with the public.

Enforcement has also been ramped up, and this month West Hartford Police Department’s Traffic Division has recently conducted two special enforcement initiatives. On Wednesday, Aug. 6, police identified 106 violations during an eight-hour period.

Another focused enforcement operation took place throughout town (Farmington Avenue, New Britain Avenue, North Main Street, and Albany Avenue) on Wednesday, Aug. 13, and the West Hartford Police shared in a Facebook message that 86 motor vehicle stops were made, with 65 infraction tickets issued, 20 written warnings issued, and two misdemeanor summonses issued. In addition, one verbal warning was issued and two vehicles were towed.

“These proactive enforcement efforts reflect our ongoing commitment to keeping West Hartford’s roads safe for motorists, cyclists, and pedestrians alike. We value the community’s support as we work together to reduce traffic violations and prevent accidents,” police posted on Facebook.

Video messages

The town has also produced several videos in collaboration with West Hartford Community Interactive. Director of Community Planning Duane Martin, Town Manager Rick Ledwith, and Mayor Shari Cantor have recorded the public service announcement type messages, which were shared via the town’s list serve and social media, and can be found on YouTube.

Ledwith takes viewers on a bike tour during his video, speaking about the role of cycling and encouraging road safety, the use of bike lanes and trails, and tips for biking responsibly including wearing a properly-fitting helmet and following traffic signs.

Cantor, an avid runner, focuses on pedestrian safety in her video. She promotes the use of reflective bands and other devices for enhancing visibility while walking or running, and also speaks about the rapid flashing beacons at crosswalks, and the importance of using designated crosswalks.

Reflective safety bands are available to the public at no charge at Town Hall as well as all three libraries.

In his video, Martin reviews the Vision Zero Action Plan projects recently completed, including the installation of speed humps and raised crosswalks around West Hartford and how they aim to slow traffic and increase awareness of pedestrian safety.

Take the Vision Zero pledge

Earlier this year, the town established a Vision Zero Pledge, and has been distributing reflective arm bands such as the one Cantor wears in the video as well as magnets to those who have signed – to further spread the message of the Vision Zero initiative. Any time you click on one of the Vision Zero webpages on the town’s website, you’ll be prompted to sign.

Ed Pawlak, who chairs the town’s Pedestrian & Bicycle Commission and is also a member of the Vision Zero Advisory Committee, told We-Ha.com that he hopes the visible reminders will help create accountability and play an important role in changing the culture.

The pledge (click on the image above) includes the following along with descriptions of why each component matters:

1. Stay Focused – Avoid Distracted Driving
2. Drive the Speed Limit
3. Yield to Pedestrians at Crosswalks
4. Stop at Stop Signs and Red Lights
5. Maintain a safe distance between my car and the one in front of me
6. Give Cyclists at least 3 feet of space when passing

The goal

The goal of Vision Zero is zero deaths and zero serious injuries as a result of traffic crashes within 10 years – which in the case of West Hartford is by 2033. Everyone wants the town to be safer immediately, but while incremental changes can – and are – being made, everything can’t be fixed  overnight.

The Town’s Vision Zero Initiative, posted on a webpage on the town’s website supports the following five principles:

• Deaths and serious injuries caused by traffic crashes are preventable;
• Human life and health should be prioritized in all transportation systems and in all aspects of transportation planning and design;
• Human error is inevitable and transportation systems should be forgiving;
• Transportation planning should focus on system-level changes to influence all individual’s behavior; and
• Speed is a highly important factor in crash severity

“We need to change the culture. Speed cameras, enforcement, everything that we are doing will start to change that culture – will change the driver mentality, hopefully slow people down, stop looking at their phones,” Ledwith said at a June 18 vigil for John Marczak, the second pedestrian who was fatally struck in West Hartford this year.

Plans to convene a Vision Zero task force were announced on Christmas Day in 2022, just hours after a two-car crash on Simsbury Road at 6:49 a.m. resulted in the death of three occupants of the vehicles despite lifesaving efforts by emergency responders. In just over a week during December 2022, a total of five people had lost their lives as a result of several unrelated motor vehicle collisions in West Hartford, and another person was seriously injured. An incident in June 2022 had resulted in the death of a pedestrian in West Hartford Center, bringing the total number of traffic fatalities in West Hartford for 2022 to six.

There were no fatalities on West Hartford’s roadways in 2023, but there were three in 2024.

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