Greenwich To Embark On Increasing Roadway Safety For All

GREENWICH, CT — Greenwich will soon take the first step toward increasing roadway safety for all users.

The town on Friday touted $400,000 in federal funding it received as part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and in support of the U.S. Department of Transportation.

The money will be used to develop a comprehensive, data-driven safety action plan aimed at improving road safety for all modes of transportation. The funds are provided through the Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) grant, which supports initiatives to enhance safety and help prevent deaths and serious injuries on the nation’s roadways.

First Selectman Fred Camillo was joined by Selectwoman Lauren Rabin, Selectperson Janet Stone McGuigan, U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), and U.S. Rep. Jim Himes (CT-4) for a brief news conference at Greenwich Town Hall.

"This is something that means a lot to us. It's something we've focused on for the last four years during our administration. Pedestrian safety and public safety have been the two top priorities, and this is in keeping with that," Camillo said.

Himes called the grant money "a down payment" on transforming Greenwich into a more pedestrian and bicycle-friendly town.

"The good news about this planning grant and the projects that will flow from it is not only will pedestrians be safer, but it will just be easier to walk to work, to walk the Avenue, to get on your bike in Cos Cob and go into Stamford," Himes said. "Right now, that feels a little scary because we don't have the infrastructure."

As part of the safety action plan, transportation-related data from across Greenwich will be collected and analyzed to identify and prioritize which areas in town need roadway safety improvements. Improvements will keep motorists, pedestrians and bicyclists in mind.

The plan will consider a range of low-cost, high-impact strategies and adopt innovative technologies to promote safety throughout the town. The plan will also develop a toolbox of safety improvements and countermeasures that DPW will draw from for future projects.

Creating a safety action plan will allow Greenwich to be eligible for future implementation grants.

Deputy Commissioner of Greenwich Public Works Jim Michel said the department will get to work over the next few months. It will then take another 12-18 months to get to the final report and have a safety plan put together, he noted. Michel also pointed out there will be opportunities for public input throughout the process.

Blumenthal said he believes Greenwich's roads are among the most beautiful in the entire state.

"To run in the fall in Greenwich is to be in heaven, but a lot of roads can be perilous, and that is even more true of roads all around the state of Connecticut," he said. "Bikers, pedestrians, walkers and runners deserve safer streets."

The year 2022 was the deadliest ever on Connecticut roads, Blumenthal said, with more pedestrian and bicyclist deaths recorded than any other year in the history of the state.

Data for 2023 will be known soon, but Blumenthal said there's no reason to believe the trend is reversing.

"The fact is, the rates and deaths of injuries on our roads have been increasing over the years. The reason, quite simply, is more people are walking and biking — that's really healthy. But cars are bigger. The bigger and heavier the cars, the more likely the impact is to be fatal. Unfortunately, drivers are more likely to be impaired or distracted," Blumenthal said.

With the holiday season in full swing, Blumenthal offered some advice to families who will soon gather and perhaps head out for a walk or some exercise.

"Be aware, be wary, walk against the traffic and show common sense, because you can't count on the driver to be aware that you're on the road," he said.

Simultaneously, the town will utilize a state grant for planning and development work on a multi-use trail from Old Greenwich to Stamford.

Bob DeAngelo, an avid cyclist, an advocate for roadway safety and a member of Greenwich's Active Transportation Task, helped spearhead the multi-use trail initiative. He was at Town Hall on Friday to thank the political leaders for their support in securing the latest funds.

"It's just a really exciting time, and we can really now shift the paradigm and create a culture of shared roads for adaptive users, for scooters, for pedestrians, runners, everybody," he said. "A lot of towns have it, and we're getting started and we'll make great progress on this."

For more information about the Safe Streets and Roads for All Program, click here.