Safe Streets Report and Recommendations to Be Released June 25
By John McNamara
A final report of the city’s Vision Zero Task Force is expected to be released on June 25th with recommendations to reduce vehicular and pedestrian accidents throughout the city.
The Common Council took the first step of the Vision Zero initiative last December by adopting a Council resolution, introduced by Assistant Majority Leader Iris Sanchez (D-3), that accepted a $350,000 grant in federal transportation funds and established the task force “to develop a comprehensive Safety Action Plan to identify projects and strategies that will reduce fatalities and serious injuries at high crash locations in New Britain.” .
On June 11th the Common Council adopted a new ordinance to allow the use of automated traffic enforcement safety devices (ATESD) under a state law enabling communities to use the video technology as part of safety action plans. Unanimous approval came after Council Democrats requested and received confirmation of the local approval process and how the city will implement ATESDs at high-risk intersections.
Use of ATESDs will require public hearings, Common Council approval and state Department of Transportation (DOT) approvals for both local and state roads in the city.
Public Works Director Mark Moriarty and Traffic Operations Manager Carl Gandza told the Council that the primary goal of the devices “is not to catch or fine drivers but to change behavior.” They said the benefits can include reduced speeding and red-light running and “increased compliance” and reduced reliance on policy enforcement.” For equitable enforcement the ATESDs are limited to a maximum of two in a census tract to avoid targeting or profiling. For privacy concerns information collected cannot be used for other purposes, the driver and passengers are not identifiable and all personal information must be deleted in 30 days, according to Public Works officials.
Under the AETSD ordinance the camera collects the license ID only and a first-time warning is sent to the vehicle owner. Subsequent violations may result in fines but officials indicated that the cameras are not intended to raise significant revenue.
As a starting point for camera implementation the task force has identified 17 “school zones” especially for children walking within a half mile of school. The plan, however, includes lists of priority intersections and high crash locations throughout the city with possible countermeasures. More than 20 locations, for example, are identified in extended downtown area with “the most pedestrian/cycle crashes” call for stepped up enforcement.
Specific infrastructure improvements are identified in two locations where re-designs such as roundabouts can reduce traffic flow risks. They include Martin Luther King Drive (CT-71) from East Main to North Stanley in Ward 3 and Corbin Ave from Hart to Chamberlain/Brookside streets in Ward 1.
The Vision Zero Task Force working with consultants from Cambridge Systematics has relied on data from the University of Connecticut’s Crash Data Repository to identify trouble spots. The UCONN data shows there were 17 fatalities involving 127 vehicles in New Britain over three years (October 2021-September 2024) and 90 persons with suspected serious injuries involving 141 vehicles in the city over the same period. For all crashes and collisions 5,230 were reported involving 9,607 vehicles between 2021 and 2024.
Related post from December 2024 https://nbpoliticus.com/2024/12/12/vision-zero-task-force-sets-goals-to-reduce-traffic-fatalities/
John McNamara is an alderman from Ward 4 and the Common Council Majority Leader.
New Britain Alderman John McNamara 