WEST HARTFORD, Conn. — West Hartford is just one of six towns and cities across the state to receive money from a $1.7 Million grant to help improve road safety. Last year was the deadliest year for pedestrians and cyclists in Connecticut with 75 deaths.
State leaders are hoping this will help make the roads safer across the state.
“The 75 deaths last year made Connecticut’s roads the deadliest ever for pedestrians and cyclists, and that’s a trend we need to reverse. West Hartford is going to be at the tip of the spear in reversing it,” said Sen. Richard Blumenthal.
West Hartford will receive $669,000 in federal for a pilot program to have 15 speed cameras at various roads and intersections to help enforce speed limits. It’s part of West Hartford’s Vision Zero initiative to improve road safety.
The cameras would flag divers going at least 10 miles per hour over the speed limit then an officer would review the video before issuing a ticket. For first-time offenders, the ticket would be up to $50 for second offenders up to $75.
Speed Cameras are already in use in Connecticut. This year the General Assembly passed a law that granted the CT Department of Transportation three speed cameras that they could post in various work zones to help enforce speed limits as part of the pilot program.
“About 20% of all vehicles are speeding through work zones, which is just incredibly dangerous,” said Josh Morgan, Spokesperson for CTDOT.
The CTDOT program would clock drivers going at least 15 miles per hour over the speed limit which Morgan said is still far too fast in work zones, but said the speed cameras are making a difference.
“Hearing from the men and women who are working on Connecticut roadways, they said it feels different…they're feeling safer on the roadways, which is great news,” said Morgan.
The CTDOT program is only for the 2023 calendar year and has so far resulted in 550 tickets and more than 22,000 warnings.
The West Hartford program would last for 18 months after beginning which is expected to be sometime in 2024, then town officials will review the data to determine if a long-term plan is needed.
Morgan said the DOT will be providing guidance to municipalities like West Hartford which plan to implement their own speed cameras.
“The DOT is developing a series of guidance documents, which we'll be sharing in the coming weeks to the elected officials in these communities. So, they can make sure that they're following the guidelines following the way the legislation was written and making sure that these devices are rolled out properly,” said Morgan.
The public is encouraged to submit suggestions on where the 15 cameras should go.
West Hartford will hold its next public meeting on Vision Zero on Wednesday, December 6, at the Noah Webster Library Meeting Room (next to the Children’s Room) from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Jake Garcia is a multimedia journalist for FOX61 News. He can be reached at jgarcia@fox61.com. Follow him on Facebook, X, and Instagram.
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