Ahead of a November draft report, the Guilford Safe Streets Task Force (SSTF) is continuing in its efforts to get input from residents on the organization’s efforts to make area roads safer for all—pedestrians and motorized and non-motorized users. Residents are encouraged to visit www.guilfordsafestreets.org to get more information and share their perspectives on Guilford’s roadways.

The task force grew out of mounting frustration by residents over two separate multi-use projects going back to 2015-’16 time frame. Past plans for both the Shoreline Greenway Trail and the Nut Plains Pathway generated ire in residents, not necessarily in opposition to the trails themselves, but in the process undertaken to implement them.

Task Force Chair Sam Gerritz said the mission of the SSTF is to provide a clear and transparent set of options for residents to discuss and consider. A draft of a report by a design and consulting firm will be presented in November to residents.

“I think what was happening before was that people just felt they weren’t being heard and they were being asked to say ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ to just one already-decided option. We found they wanted to be part of that process that decides what is going to be voted on,” said Gerritz. “The opposition was not to the projects, but to the process. This draft will hopefully address some of those concerns.”

According to Gerritz, the SSTF is still encouraging residents to contact the organization and to provide input. The task force’s main goal, according to its website www.guilfordsafestreets.org is to balance the unique character of Guilford and its roads, safety of all users, and the costs associated with any municipal project.

First Selectman Matt Hoey said that he is looking forward to the draft report from the consulting firm and of discussing those ideas with residents, which will be presented at a Tuesday, Nov. 16 virtual meeting.

“The community will have the opportunity soon to share comments and suggestions and to figure out the applicability of any implementation,” said Hoey.

Both Hoey and Gerritz highlighted that the report will also include what are called “quick builds,” which are temporary but functional mockups that will allow residents and officials to see firsthand some of what the suggestions actual look, feel, and sound like.

Gerritz noted that task force members share similar goals, but don’t always agree on how to get there, which makes for better solutions.

“The task force is geographically diverse from people who live all over town. We have a lot of good voices, opposition voices, too. We all agree that Guilford roads are a shared resource for all,” said Gerritz. “The task force has been truly fantastic and accomplished a lot of work. I feel very fortunate to be a part of it.”

Hoey also praised the task force and its work on behalf of the town.

“I am grateful to the committee and all their hard work. And especially to Sam for his leadership on this important issue,” said Hoey. “The upcoming presentation will give the community an opportunity to share their comments and suggestions, and hopefully figure the applicability of any implementation.”

SSTF is meeting Nov. 16 at 7 p.m. and at that virtual meeting the draft report of the consulting firm will be presented. The report will be available a week before that date for residents to review. Once that occurs, according to both Gerritz and Hoey, residents can then discuss, debate, and decide what if any of the recommendations the want to prioritize or move forward with.

Gerritz stresses that while no decisions have been made, some suggestions that have already been presented have been highly informative.

“More than anything else, I’ve been intrigued by how many subtle visual cues we receive from the design of our roads. I’ll honestly never look at streets the same way again, and I know there are others on the task force who feel the same way,” said Gerritz. “For example, the white line on the right side of the road is called a ‘fog line’ (see Boston Street for a good example), and this line guides motorists to drive left of the line, leaving a shoulder for pedestrians and cyclists. It’s a very effective safety measure, but many town roads lack fog lines.”

Even something as a simple turn can provide valuable information about how people use and drive on our streets.

“(M)any of our intersections are not squared off, and that not only widens the street (and crosswalk) but also causes drivers to take turns faster because they don’t have to make a 90-degree turn. The left turn from Long Hill Road (going north) onto New England Road is a good example of this,” said Gerritz.

Although the speed of traffic continues to be a major concern for all involved in any discussion of safer streets, Gerritz has gotten feedback from residents on other problems they see on Guilford’s roads.

“A lot of residents have mentioned that there are many destinations (e.g. schools, businesses, parks) to which they wish they could walk or bike safely from their homes, but that there isn’t a safe route. Around the green this isn’t such an issue, but even in town there currently aren’t safe routes to Bishop’s Orchards or the Shoreline Diner,” Gerritz said. “Further out, Guilford Lakes Elementary School lacks a safe route from the east and north. Just to be clear: These are examples of feedback from residents. Our consultants will provide recommendations to the town, and we as a town will decide what follow-up steps we want to take.”

According to Gerritz, the draft recommendations will be presented by the consulting team, the Schmidt Design Group on Tuesday, Nov. 16 at 7 p.m. currently scheduled as a Zoom meeting. This draft document will be available at least a week before the meeting, via the town website www.ci.guilford.ct.us so that residents will have a chance to review it. For more information, visit the SSTF website www.guilfordsafestreets.org.