Jenna Petok and Markus Marty are co-directors of Walk Bike Westport. They write:
Last December, Westport won something many towns compete for and don’t get: a federal Safe Streets and Roads for All grant of $895,200.
Next Wednesday, October 7 (7:30 p.m., Town Hall auditorium), the Board of Finance will vote on an appropriation of $1,119,000. If approved, the town would then be reimbursed 80%. Westport taxpayers would be responsible for just $224,000.
Without approval, Westport can’t accept the money.
We hope they say yes. If you agree, now is the time to make your voice heard:
- Email the Board of Finance (click here)
- Come to Wednesday’s meeting.
This isn’t the first time the Board has looked at this grant. In May, members raised fair questions. Were we funding 3 overlapping studies? How much staff time would it take? And would any of it lead to real improvements, or just more reports?
Those were the right questions. Public Works took them seriously, and the program coming back to the Board is different.
The 3 separate plans are now one coordinated plan, with 1 advisory committee and 1 review process. The planning builds directly on the town’s adopted Safety Action Plan instead of repeating it, and it’s designed to work alongside the Plan of Conservation and Development, not duplicate it.
Most importantly, a dedicated share of the budget now goes to building safety improvements on our streets.
Last fall, Walk Bike Westport co-direct Markus Marty (front) led a walk from Jesup Green to Saugatuck. The event drew many local candidates, and interested residents.
The total cost and the town’s share are the same. What Westport gets for it is better.
Here’s what the grant buys.
Real projects on real streets. This is the part we’re most excited about. The grant funds up to 4 temporary safety projects on town roads, measured before and after. If something works, the town can make it permanent. If it doesn’t, it comes out. We’d call that responsible spending: test first, then invest.
A Town-wide Pedestrian and Bicycle Master Plan. It defines a realistic walking and biking network for Westport, one that fits our New England streets, with priority projects, planning level costs, and a path to implementation. Inside it:
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A Safe Routes to School Plan. Westport has never had one. Many parents would like their kids to walk or bike to school, and many kids would like to. This plan looks school by school, public and private, at the crossings, connections, and traffic patterns that make that harder than it should be, and lays out what to fix first.
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A Complete Streets Policy. A practical framework for considering every user when the town builds and maintains streets, recognizing that one size doesn’t fit every Westport road.
An ADA Transition Plan. A town-wide look at sidewalks, curb ramps, and crossings, with a prioritized plan to make them work for people with disabilities, seniors, and parents with strollers.
This grant didn’t come out of nowhere. Westport’s Public Works and Engineering teams, along with the Traffic and Pedestrian Safety Committee, have spent years on the unglamorous work of making our streets safer: new sidewalks, crosswalks, intersection improvements, and a Safety Action Plan the town adopted in 2025.
That plan is already producing results, including improvements underway on Kings Highway North, and it’s what made Westport competitive for this funding. It’s a good example of a modest local investment paying off many times over.
Last fall, dozens of Walk Bike Westport enthusiasts gathered at Jesup Green, for a walk. (Photos/John Videler for Videler Photography)
The math is simple. For every dollar Westport puts in, the federal government puts in four. And plans like these are what position a town for future implementation grants, the kind that pay for sidewalks and crossings rather than studies.
We know the Board takes its responsibility to taxpayers seriously, and we respect that. The questions asked in May made this a better program. Now it deserves a yes.
Westport worked hard to win this grant. Let’s make sure we keep it.
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