Familiesofpedestrians killed in Fairfield press Police Commission for answers

Jul. 14—Calls for traffic safety measures have escalated in recent weeks since a vehicle struck and killed local pedestrian Meghan Raveis on Redding Road in June, marking the second fatality on that street since 2020. Before Raveis' death, three other pedestrians had died in traffic collisions in Fairfield since 2020, according to the University of Connecticut's Connecticut Crash Data Repository.

The Police Commission's agenda for Wednesday's meeting included a traffic survey for Redding Road that would add edgeline painting and centerline rumble strips intended to slow down drivers and keep them from crossing over either side of the lane. The commission voted unanimously to table its consideration of the survey until its next regular meeting in September or at an earlier special meeting so members could spend more time collecting information from traffic studies and feedback from the local community, including Raveis' family.

Centerline rumble strips would serve as grooves along the middle of the road to prevent vehicles from crossing onto the opposing side of traffic, and edgeline painting — or fog lines — would draw a boundary between the outer rim of the driving lane and the edge of the physical roadway.

The vehicle that killed Raveis had crossed into the opposite lane while Raveis was walking in the direction of oncoming traffic, absolving her of any fault in the incident, police said.

Raveis' death happened close to the three-year anniversary of when a drunk driver struck and killed Marileidy Morel-Araujo who was walking her dog while visiting her fiance's family in 2020.

Fernandez, who would have been Morel-Araujo's sister-in-law, chided the commission's decision, saying it just continued the inaction from the town. A petition Fernandez launched calling for traffic safety measures on Redding Road has collected more than 1,700 signatures since late last month.

"I want a timeline to give back to the people on my road to know when this is going to get dealt with," she said, adding she thought it would be addressed at that meeting. "Now you want to push it back to September. How many years do we have to go through this?"

Fernandez said the speed study the police department launched late last month after Raveis' death likely yielded inaccurate results because drivers would slow down when the saw the police cars or to observe the memorial for Raveis near the site of the crash on the southern portion of the road. She sad the risk to pedestrians remains high, including students at the nearby Timothy Dwight Elementary School, which is located along Redding Road.

After the meeting, Fairfield Police Lt. Hector Irizarry said the study's results would come from a "speed traffic monitoring device" that recorded average speed and traffic volume from June 27 to July 5.

He said the study observed 23,308 vehicles driving an average speed of 30 miles per hour in a 25 mile-per-hour zone, with 3 percent of the overall cars driving fast enough to get a ticket.

Irizarry said the department initiated another speed study Wednesday morning to observe traffic speeds further north on the road for a week.

Cathleen Hamill — the sister of Christine McMahon, who was struck and killed by a pickup truck while crossing the I-95 ramp off Mill Plain Road—also questioned the amount of time the town has taken to install traffic safety infrastructure. She said the intersection that feeds into I-95 had sidewalks on both sides of the road without a clear way to cross, causing confusion for pedestrians like her sister.

"There are three fatalities now that have happened at least, and probably more injuries, and so time I agree is of the essence to try and get some of these things implemented," she said. "And I think the public is a little confused as to why it's taking so much time."

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The Police Commission voted Wednesday to install a crosswalk for the I-95 ramp.

Commissioner James Millington, who moved to table the traffic safety improvements, said more community members want input on the traffic safety measures Fairfield takes along Redding Road, including Raveis' family. He said the family is opposed to centerline rumble strips because they're concerned they could push drivers closer to the edge of the road.

He said Fairfield has hired surveyors to observe potential sight line obstruction along Redding Road in which neighbors' property foliage might cross into the edge of the road. He said the commission wants to gather those results before moving forward with infrastructure along the road.

Millington said the commission would consider other traffic safety measures at its next meeting in September or at an earlier special meeting.

"We want people who are stakeholders in this to feel like they're part of the process, and we want them to buy into the solutions at the end," he said. "And that can't be done tonight."

Meghan McCloat, a resident on Redding Road and a former state representative candidate, said she has neighbored two tragic crashes since purchasing her home in the area a few years ago. She pressed the commission on why the body couldn't implement any measures when the safety threat on the road remains such a high level of concern.

"I don't see the argument of a detriment of doing something sooner," she said. "In fact, I see the reverse implication, which would mean the lack of any action at this point could only increase the risk for another unfortunate fatality."