The state wants to hear from residents as they work on a transportation project to make municipalities like Bridgeport easier to navigate on foot or bike.
Such a plan would help residents like Luis Lage, an avid cyclist who wants more bike lanes across the city.
“I find it really hard to get around without a car, even in a city like Bridgeport, which is so dense and should be so walkable,” Lage said.
Lage was among a group of residents who were at Bridgeport’s Margaret Morton Government Center Wednesday night for an open house with state Department of Transportation officials. Residents spoke with them about ways they believe city streets could be made safer for cyclists and pedestrians.
The project, known as the Active Transportation Plan, started in 2024. This month the Connecticut Department of Transportation is hosting a series of similar open houses across the state, seeking community input.
Mary Bruce, who also lives in Bridgeport, uses a walker to get around. Bruce wants safer crosswalks. She said the Broad Street and Fairfield Avenue intersection is particularly dangerous, noting that pedestrians there have been killed by drivers in accidents.
“You have to stare at the driver and put your hands up. Don't, slow down. Slow down,” Bruce said.
Conversations about making parts of the city safer for pedestrians and cyclists have been ongoing for years, according to previous reporting from Hearst Connecticut Media.
Lage also runs Car Free Bridgeport, a mass transit advocacy account on Instagram.
Lage’s girlfriend, Blaze Lovell, said cycling around the city can be dangerous due to aggressive drivers.
“Drivers actively harass the bikers, even on these roads, even though it's everyone's road, in the end,” Lovell said.
Local and state officials were also at the open house, including Ernie Newton, a city councilmember . Newton said the East End, which he represents, is particularly dangerous for pedestrians, noting three roads, Boston Avenue, Connecticut Avenue and Stratford Avenue.
Connecticut Public reached out to a city spokesperson for traffic accident data in the East End, but the city did not immediately respond.
According to the state Department of Transportation’s site, The East End is dangerous for pedestrians, and multiple parts of Boston Avenue are highlighted in the state’s Crash Emphasis Dashboard.
Other sections of the city such as The Hollow, the West End, and the Downtown areas are recorded to have numerous pedestrians hit by cars.
Stamford, New Haven, Hartford and other cities also have large accident clusters. Bike accident clusters are more common in the downtown area. All of those cities have either been visited or will be visited by the state’s open house.
Lovell, who grew up and lives in nearby Trumbull, said growing up, it was hard to commute without a car. She carpools with her boyfriend sometimes when she wants to commute between Bridgeport and Trumbull. They both complained that bus service in the city can be unreliable.
Attendees at the meeting stuck post-it notes on a poster board listing several reasons why the plan mattered to them, from the economy, to safety.
The state Department of Transportation says the plan should be ready by 2026.
