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Greenwich officials press to adopt Safe Streets action plan as school-zone cameras remain suspended
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Summary
The Board of Selectmen heard a DPW presentation on the town's Safe Streets action plan and an update from the Greenwich Police that school-zone speed cameras are suspended after process gaps; the town aims to resolve signage, contest windows and grant timing before seeking adoption.
The Board of Selectmen on April 23 heard a final presentation of Greenwich's Safe Streets action plan and an update from the police about the town's school-zone speed-camera program.
"We're looking for the board to endorse the final Safe Streets action plan at the next meeting so we remain eligible for the implementation grant," Michael Kieslak, civil engineer for the Department of Public Works, told the board. Kieslak said the plan incorporates public feedback, prioritizes locations with a data-driven approach and includes a toolbox of countermeasures for site-specific work.
Sergeant J.D. Smith of the Greenwich Police Department said the camera program has been suspended after the town learned some steps in the process were not met. "The cameras are currently off," Smith said, adding that no tickets have been issued since the suspension. He told the board that vendor BlueLine reviews images and an officer reviews every potential violation before a citation is mailed.
Smith described the types of speeds the program has captured: "We're seeing speeds of 53 miles per hour in a 30 mile an hour zone," he said, citing instances near Central Middle School and other school corridors. He and DPW staff said observed behavior suggests the program reduced speeds where enforcement and education took place.
Key unresolved items include signage and the period allowed for contesting violations. Kieslak said the town has asked the Connecticut Department of Transportation whether additional time placards for enforcement hours are DOT-compliant. BlueLine has indicated it would be open to extending the contest window from 10 days to 30 days for consistency with the town's processes, Kieslak said. Town staff and counsel are still discussing whether tickets issued during the period in question will be refunded; no decision has been made.
Kieslak told the board the plan will be maintained as an evolving document and revisited roughly every five years or sooner as projects are completed or conditions change. He said DPW has started outreach with neighborhood groups and representative town meeting delegates to identify high-priority locations for any implementation funding.
The board did not adopt the action plan at the April 23 meeting; Kieslak said staff will return for endorsement at the next meeting to meet a compressed federal grant timeline for the Safe Streets implementation funding.
