Statewide Watch for Me CT program urges town partnerships as pedestrian and e‑bike injuries rise

Amy Watkins, program lead for Watch for Me CT, told the MVCAD Transportation Technical Advisory Committee that her statewide outreach program — funded by the Connecticut Department of Transportation and managed at Connecticut Children’s — provides towns with media campaigns, education, infrastructure guidance and free materials aimed at reducing pedestrian and bicycle deaths and serious injuries.

“We are a program that is statewide that is aimed at reducing the number of road deaths, specifically bicyclists and pedestrians,” Watkins said during her presentation. She said 2022 was an unusually bad year for traffic fatalities in Connecticut, that overall crash deaths for vehicle occupants are trending down, and that pedestrian and bicycle deaths remain a major concern.

Watkins offered concrete resources for municipalities: co‑brandable social tiles, school‑year and holiday campaign kits, walk audits, helmet and light distributions, and tailored infrastructure explainers for roundabouts, road diets and RRFBs. She cited the program’s Waterbury bus‑safety campaign as an example of town‑level work: on‑bus posters and bus‑stop signage designed to reduce risks as riders disembark.

On e‑bikes, Watkins said Connecticut Children’s emergency‑room data showed e‑bike–related visits rose from 32 to 92 year‑to‑date in the most recent comparison, prompting a new e‑bike information page and an e‑bike working group focused on education, consumer protection and ordinances. “There’s a lot of injury happening around that,” she said, and noted enforcement is difficult when bikes are modified after sale.

Watkins and committee members discussed behavioral and infrastructure approaches. She recommended concurrent pedestrian signal phasing with leading pedestrian intervals to make legal crossing opportunities more frequent and reduce illegal crossings during long exclusive phases; she also promoted low‑cost outreach such as crosswalk campaigns that reward safe crossing.

The program partners with AARP on older‑adult messaging, Bike Walk Connecticut, regional councils of governments and local bike‑ped groups, and makes slide decks and materials available for municipal use. Watkins invited interested towns to contact her to schedule walk audits or co‑branding and to participate in a pilot PACE car pledge that gives decals to drivers who commit to speed‑limit compliance.

The presentation materials and Watch for Me CT resources are available on the program website; Watkins offered to follow up with towns and staff who requested assistance.

The committee followed the presentation with questions on enforcement limits, e‑bike class distinctions and where to direct municipal ordinance questions; several members said the working‑group structure (education, consumer protection, ordinances) would help local officials identify appropriate next steps.