Special Edition of The What: Pedestrian and Road Safety
This is a special edition of The What, our free weekly newsletter, focused on pedestrian and road safety across southwest Connecticut.

Monday, January 13
Happy Monday! For years walkability and pedestrian safety have been buzzwords across the region, but at that same time pedestrian and traffic-related deaths have soared across Connecticut and the county.
As our local communities are reimagining their streets and redesigning some of the most troublesome intersections in the region, we dove into pedestrian and roadway safety issues and highlighted some of the solutions local officials are working on through our Getting Around series.
Unsafe Roads in Southwest Connecticut
Walking across the street to pick up mail from a mailbox. Going for a walk on the side of the road. Crossing the street in a marked crosswalk.
These are just three ways that residents of southwest Connecticut lost their lives over the past two years as the region and the state as a whole grapple with a growing number of pedestrian and traffic-related deaths.
Across the state, at least 689 people lost their lives in traffic deaths in 2022 and 2023, according to data from the UCONN Connecticut Crash Data Repository.
“It’s no secret that our roadways have become more deadly, and we are laser-focused on doing everything we can to ensure travelers in Connecticut are safe,” Garrett Eucalitto, commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Transportation, said in a statement.
Learn more about why roads are unsafe in our region.
Reimagining the Streets of Southwest Connecticut
What would our streets and roads look like if they were designed to truly accommodate all of its users, including drivers, pedestrians, cyclists, and public transportation? Communities across southwest Connecticut are looking to answer this very question.
Vision Zero, Complete Streets, a Safe and Livable Streets Ordinance—these are just some ways communities in southwest Connecticut are reimagining their streets.
Explore how Norwalk, Stamford, and Fairfield are reimagining their streets.
Reinvesting in the Streets
Across southwest Connecticut, there are many dangerous and confusing roads that are challenging for all users—drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists—to navigate. However, some cities are now working to make these roads safer and easier to use, thanks in part to many federal and state grant programs. We explored a few projects taking place in communities across the region, including Washington Boulevard in Stamford and Wall Street in Norwalk.
See the latest on this work.
Since our three-part series was initially released, we’ve had some updates, as Norwalk adopted its Complete Streets ordinance, Stamford advanced its Vision Zero plans, and Fairfield is making its own Vision Zero pledge.
You also might have noticed some new designs coming to local roadways.
Roundabout Revolution Comes to Southwest Connecticut
For Stamford Representative Virgil de La Cruz, cutting the ribbon on the Greenwich Avenue–Pulaski Street roundabout project—the first roundabout in the city—was a long time coming.
“I cannot tell you how grateful I am for being here and finally seeing this project done. It’s been over 25 years advocating for this,” he said at a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the roundabout on October 21.
“This roundabout is all about enhancing the connectivity, about improving pedestrian safety, about protecting residents,” Mayor Caroline Simmons said. “This eases congestion for Waterside residents, and it looks absolutely beautiful.”
But Stamford isn’t the only community adding roundabouts around southwest Connecticut. Fairfield also broke ground on a new roundabout at the intersection of Redding and Dunham Roads, and Norwalk is designing a roundabout to go in front of the new South Norwalk School.
Explore why communities are adding roundabouts to their local roads.
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Have a great week,
Kelly Prinz
Founder, Reporter at Coastal Connecticut Times