Group Plans To Make Fairfield Better For Bikes, Walkers

FAIRFIELD, Conn. – Designated bike routes, more sidewalk coverage on major roads and more bike-friendly public transportation centers are among the recommendations from the Fairfield Bicycle & Pedestrian Plan Advisory Committee.

This artist's rendering sows what a road designed with a 'Complete Streets' policy would look like, if Fairfield were to adopt it.
Photo Credit: *Fairfield Bicycle & Pedestrian Plan Advisory Committee*

The Fairfield Bicycle & Pedestrian Plan Advisory Committee has plans for a network of marked bike routes across Fairfield.
Photo Credit: *Fairfield Bicycle & Pedestrian Plan Advisory Committee*

by Greg Canuel

06/07/2013 4:00 a.m.

The committee has been working since 2010 to create a Master Plan to make Fairfield’s roads safer for cyclists and pedestrians. The group presented its ideas to the Board of Selectmen Wednesday.

The main idea of the plan is to adopt a “Complete Streets Policy,” which would work to make Fairfield roads work best for not just cars, but also for bicycles and pedestrians. The policy would follow the recommendations of the National Complete Streets Coalition but would be adjusted to fit Fairfield’s current layout.

“We realize that there are limitations that have to do with the varying road widths, the topography, the New Haven Line, I-95, the Post Road, the historic districts,” committee vice chair Jack Franzen said Wednesday.

The report includes 72 individual recommendations, including changes to Fairfield’s planning policies, educational programs and police enforcement as well as physical improvements to streets, sidewalks and train stations.

In terms of infrastructure, the committee hopes to add more bike lanes in Fairfield, particularly on major streets such as the Post Road, Black Rock Turnpike, Park Avenue and the connecting streets between them. It also wants to encourage businesses and the three train stations to add more bike racks in common stopping areas.

For pedestrians, the committee has identified “sidewalk gaps” between major stretches of sidewalk around town that it hopes will be filled in with new additions. It also has plans for more attractive streetscapes in major walking areas such as Fairfield Center and the beach area.

The committee also has recommendations for institutional changes, such as making a version of its group a permanent part of town government to continue encouraging the Complete Streets program.

The group also made connections with Fairfield Public Schools, the Parks and Recreation Department, the Fairfield Police and other organizations to set up education programs for both kids and established drivers to spread the word on how best to share the road.

“It’s a gradual process in making sure that this is for the overall benefit of the town,” committee chair Andrew Graceffa said Wednesday. “It makes an overall safer environment for everyone involved.”

The group’s “Master Plan” is currently up for a vote by the Board of Selectmen. If the body passes the plan, the report would go to the Plan and Zoning Commission to become a part of the town’s planning guidelines.

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