Community Corner

Route 1: Most Dangerous Connecticut Road for Pedestrians

The Boston Post Road, which runs throughout the shoreline here and driven daily by area residents, had the most pedestrian fatalities in the state over the last three years.

Written and reported by Patch Editor Aaron Boyd.

A newly released report has confirmed what many shoreline residents are already well aware: crossing and walking along the Boston Post Road can be hazardous.

The Tri-State Transportation Campaign — a non-profit focused on promoting alternate forms of transportation — released information Thursday on the most dangerous roads for walking in the region, including a comprehensive map of pedestrian fatalities in Connecticut.

The organization looked at National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) records from 2010 to 2012 and found 111 incidents of pedestrian fatalities in Connecticut.

Boston Post Road (Route 1) and Route 44 were singled out as the most dangerous roads in the state. These major thoroughfares, which often weave through commercial districts and rural areas, were the sites of 11 and four deaths, respectively, over the course of three years.

(The data does not include highways or other areas where pedestrian traffic is prohibited.)

“Arterial roads — multi-lane roads that often have speed limits of 40 mph or more and little pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure — are the region’s most deadly for pedestrians,” the report found. “Over half of pedestrian fatalities in Connecticut occurred on roads classified as arterials, but these types of roads account for less than 14 percent of the stat’s total lane miles.”

The Ccmpaign suggests Connecticut should create special Safe Routes for access to mass transit hubs and increase legal consequences for drivers who injure or kill pedestrians or cyclists.

New Haven and Hartford counties had the most fatal incidents from 2010 to 2012 — 30 and 29, respectively — and tied for the most dangerous counties in the state for pedestrians in 2010 and 2012.

Fairfield County towns reported 24 pedestrian deaths during those three years, with a peak of 11 in 2010. Fairfield County also led the state in 2011, recording seven fatalities.

Connecticut’s 111 fatalities are well behind New Jersey and downstate New York, which saw 442 and 683 pedestrian deaths, respectively, over the same time period. 

Zoom out on the map above to see individual instances reported between 2010 and 2012. Green marks children under 15 years old; Blue for adults, 16-59; Pink for seniors over 60.


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