[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aAmJ-14wtjI[/youtube]

Tri-State’s recently released Most Dangerous Roads for Walking report identifies US-1 and US-5 as the deadliest roads in Connecticut for pedestrians. One would hope that government would respond with promises of action. But a ConnDOT spokesperson instead told the Stamford Advocate that most pedestrian fatalities on Boston Post Road/US-1 were caused by pedestrian error, and said it was up to walkers and drivers to “obey very basic rules of the road.”

Of course individuals bear responsibility for their actions, but governments cannot avoid blame when roads are dangerous by design, without sidewalks and crosswalks. As WTNH reporter Chris Velardi put it,  “When you go out for a walk, what you want to find is a sidewalk. But on two of the state’s busiest roads, Route 1 and Route 5, it’s sometimes hard to find a sidewalk — even near a bus stop.”  The point was underscored by West Haven bus rider Tara Williams, who must walk on the side of Route 1 to get to her bus stop, often with her young daughter. “Yeah, it is [scary],” Williams said. “That’s why I keep her on the inside and we end up climbing over snow mountains and things in order to stay out of the road.”

The TSTC report finds that over 60% of pedestrian fatalities in the tri-state area took place on “arterial” roads characterized by fast-moving traffic and few pedestrian amenities.  Earlier analysis of federal data by the Surface Transportation Policy Partnership has shown that most pedestrians are killed where no crosswalks can be conveniently accessed. ConnDOT Commissioner Joe Marie should make it clear that his department has a basic responsibility to make travel safe for all road users — especially given the citizen mandate for safer streets embodied by the state’s new complete streets law.

Video: Via WTNH’s YouTube account.