As the community mourns a man who was killed while crossing the intersection of South Main Street and New Britain Avenue in West Hartford over the weekend people in town say it’s a moment to continue pushing for safer roads.
Nailed to a utility pole are a pair of white shoes with a solemn message. It a memorial for 61-year-old Stephen Mendelsohn who died after he was hit by a car over the weekend.
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WATCH HERE“We believe any death or serious injury on our roadways is one too many,” Katie Lance, a board member with Bike West Hartford, said.
“This state lost a great man in Stephen Mendelsohn,” Peter Wolfgang, a friend of Mendelsohn, said.
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SIGN UP There were calls to act on road safety, especially at the busy intersection where Mendelsohn died.
None more evident when a moment of silence was pierced by the honking of car horns.
“More needs to be done about how can everyone travel safely -- pedestrians, cyclists,” Lance said.
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Mendelsohn is the first pedestrian death in West Hartford this year after three deaths last year.
The town has been implementing its Vision Zero plan to reduce deaths and serious injuries on its roads to zero by 2033.
Edward Pawlak, a member of the Vision Zero advisory committee, said the intersection of South Main and New Britain is a big focus.
“It’s just such a complex intersection with vehicles turning in all directions. Long wide crossing for pedestrians,” Pawlak said.
Town manager Rick Ledwith said the town is looking to have both speed and red light cameras in place by next year.
“This [South Main Street and New Britain Avenue] is among a dozen or so intersections in town that we would address,” he said.
Ledwith said with New Britain Avenue being a state road, it would require action from the state Department of Transportation.
He said the town plans to present recommendations, like reducing the number of lanes to slow down drivers, to DOT.
“In certain sections, a road diet would make absolute sense,” he said.
The town manager said those recommendations should be finalized in the next two months, after which they’ll meet with DOT to present them.
