WeHa's Roadway Safety Plan Topic Of Dec. 6 Forum

Town of West Hartford

WEST HARTFORD, CT —Nearly a year ago, West Hartford was beset with a spree of fatal pedestrian/vehicle accidents, including a triple-fatal on Christmas Day 2022, that shocked the town and kickstarted a movement toward public safety.

On Wednesday, residents are invited to learn about West Hartford’s commitment to improving roadway safety at a public meeting on Wednesday, Dec. 6.

The meeting will be at the Noah Webster Library Meeting Room (next to Children’s Room) from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

It is an open house-style meeting with a brief presentation at 6 p.m.

Earlier this year, the West Hartford Town Council approved participation in the Vision Zero movement, which commits the town to do whatever is necessary to eliminate injuries and death on local roadways.

The resulting draft Vision Zero Action Plan will be available on the Vision Zero website by Monday, Dec. 4. Comments will be accepted until Dec. 18.

The town’s Vision Zero initiative 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

"Our residents and visitors deserve to be safe as they move about Town, whether walking, bicycling, driving or taking public transit and our Vision Zero Initiative will play a pivotal role in achieving those safety goals," wrote the Town of West Hartford in an announcement.

Since the town embarked on the Vision Zero path, it has hosted other forums, including one in September.

Those who cannot attend and would like to share thoughts or ask questions, should email VisionZero@westhartfordct.gov.

For more information on the Vision Zero Program in West Hartford, click on this link.

From Sept. 17: 'WeHa's Dangerous Roads Topic Of Public Forum Tuesday'