Every day in Westport is special. Every day is unique.
But when each is over, we move on to the next.
September 6 will be a day we’ll never forget.
On that Sunday, every Westporter is invited to help create a one-of-a-kind portrait of the town. We’ll do it by taking a photograph that captures one real moment from our day.
Whether it’s a sunrise at Compo Beach, breakfast with family, volunteering at a community event, opening a business downtown, walking the dog, cheering from the sidelines or enjoying a quiet moment at home, every image will become part of a collective portrait of Westport.
“A Day in the Life of Westport” is a collaboration between the Artists Collective of Westport, the League of Women Voters Westport, the David T. Langrock Foundation, and “06880.”
As part of Westport’s America 250 celebration, the project will document the town in its everyday rhythms, creating a lasting record of who we are as a community in this semiquincentennial year.
Inspired by the classic Life magazine photo essays documenting “A Day in the Life of America,” the project invites residents of every age to photograph one moment on Sunday, September 6, then submit it online with a brief caption describing what the image means to them.
Collectively, the photographs will become a real-time portrait of Westport, preserving both extraordinary moments and ordinary ones that define daily life.
Miggs Burroughs, a founding member of the Artists Collective, says, “Every individual photograph tells a story. Together, hundreds — perhaps thousands — of photographs become something entirely different: a portrait of Westport itself. The finished mosaic will reveal not only the beauty of our town, but the connections that make us a community.”
Early September will still be warm enough for a sunrise swim … (Photo/Jimmy Izzo)
LWV secretary James Delorey notes, “Westport has always been a community that shows up. Whether it’s volunteering, voting, supporting neighbors or celebrating together, people here take part. ‘A Day in the Life of Westport’ is another opportunity for everyone to help tell the story of this remarkable town.”
League member Andrea Moore adds, “Westport’s story is written by our whole community. ‘A Day in the Life’ invites everyone to share a special moment or a favorite scene from their day. Each photograph captures a part of who we are today, and creates a record that future generations will be able to look back on.”
Participants are encouraged to photograph every aspect of community life, including all generations, neighborhoods, occupations, traditions, celebrations, acts of service, family life, recreation, arts, faith, work, and the countless moments that make Westport unique.
,,, and photographers can also capture random kids having moments of fun. (Photo/Dan Woog)
Organizers hope the final collection reflects the full diversity of the community, and the many different ways people experience the same day.
Photos must be taken on Sunday, September 6, and submitted by midnight that evening at dayinthelife2026.artcall.org. The submission website will accept photographs only on the day of the event.
Each participant may submit up to 3 shots, each accompanied by a brief caption describing the moment.
Submitted photographs will become part of an online community archive and digital image library (and featured on “06880”).
Organizers also plan to create a large photographic mosaic incorporating every submission, with selected images potentially featured in a public exhibition, commemorative book, and other America 250 legacy projects celebrating Westport’s history and community spirit.
(“06880” is proud to partner with Westport organizations on this project — and to be your hyper-local blog. We rely on reader support. Please click here to help. Thanks for all you do for us!)
Over 3,000 men, women and — especially — children took advantage of spectacular weather to enjoy the 3rd annual Soundview Summer Stroll, on the Compo Beach exit road.
Walking, jogging, bicycling, Rollerblading, and — especially — pushing strollers, they danced to 4 great musical acts. There was face painting, street chalking and water balloon tossing.
Old Mill Grocery by Romanacci and Oggi gelato served up treats. Nearly 20 non-profits handed out swag and signed up volunteers.
Old friends met up. Strangers chatted. Several families who moved to Westport within the past month got a great introduction to town.
And everywhere — up and down Soundview Drive — there were smiles.
The Soundview Stroll is a gift to the town from “06880,” the Compo Beach Improvement Association and the Hirani family. The Parks & Recreation Department provides invaluable help.
“06880” photographer Ryan Allen captured all the action. You can relive it — or, if you weren’t there, see what you missed — here. A second set of photos, from other Stroll-goers, will be posted tomorrow. Away we go!
Ethan Walmark wowed the crowd. Other musical acts were Owen Daniel, DNR and Drew Angus’ band.
Rick Benson promotes the Westport Rotary Club’s Lobster Fest.
(“06880” is all about community-building — online, at the Stroll, and everywhere else in town. Reader support keeps us going. If you’d like to contribute, please click here. Thank you!)
One final reminder: The 3rd annual Soundview Summer Stroll is today.
From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., the Compo Beach exit road is closed to traffic. In place of cars, it comes alive with music, food, face painting, other kids’ activities, and more.
Four musical acts — Westport favorites Drew Angus and Ethan Walmark, Weston’s Owen Daniel and the legendary DNR band — will set up halfway down Soundview.
On one side, Earthplace will run the kids’ zone. On the other, Old Mill Grocery by Romanacci offers food.
All around, nearly 2 dozen non-profit groups will have tables. They’ll run games and contests, and offer giveaways.
The Soundview Summer Stroll is a gift to the town from “06880” and the Compo Beach Improvement Association, with great help from the Parks & Recreation Department.
See you today from 10 to 2, on the beach exit road!
See you at the Soundview Summer Stroll! (Photo/Benji Porosoff)
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Surfing for Daisy rocked the Westport Weston Chamber of Commerce Night at the Levitt Pavilion last week.
The annual event is both a social gather for Chamber members, and an incubator for rising local bands. Notable prior acts include Goose, Eggy and Moonrise Cartel.
Surfing for Daisy is an Asbury Park, New Jersey-based indie folk-rock act. Up next this week for them: Lollapalooza.
Surfing for Daisy: From the Levitt to Lollapalooza. (Photo/Matthew Mandell)
Then last night Desert Highway — an Eagles tribute band — brought that peaceful easy feeling to the banks of the river.
In addition to their parties, kayaking and Staples tour, several 50th reunion-goers enjoyed an early morning private tour of the Westport Country Playhouse.
Along with the usual history and “how we put on a show” details, they had a special chance to check out the set and backstage of the current show, “Agatha Christie’s The Murder of Roger Ackroyd.”
Tour leader and Playhouse archivist Bruce Miller took them down memory lane. Highlights from ’76 included movies (“Rocky,” “Taxi Driver”), Broadway shows (“Godspell,” “Oh! Calcutta!”) — and who was at the Playhouse that summer (Richard Kiley, Eva Marie Saint, Theodore Bikel).
The grads agreed: Arts a crucial part of a community. And they were thankful that those efforts were so evident in Westport, as they grew up a half century ago.
Class of 1976, on the Westport Country Playhouse stage.
As the sign says, dogs are not allowed at the Westport Farmers’ Market.
We’re not sure whether this guy is obeying the sign, trolling it — or preparing to pee on it.
(Photo/Sam Levenson)
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Staples High School Class of 1957 graduate Anna Frances “Fran” Pollak died Tuesday. She was 87.
The Brooklyn native moved to Westport at a very young age. After Berkeley Secretarial School in New York, she worked at Perkin Elmer Corporation in Norwalk, holding top secret security clearance with NASA’s space program.
Later, as an executive secretary at AMF in Stamford, she met her husband of 52 years, Philip.
While raising 3 children, Fran served as the Bridgeport Post arts calendar editor.
Fran loved books, and spent 37 years working for Mews International Literary Agency with Sidney Kramer, owner of the Remarkable Book Shop. She screened and circulated manuscripts, earning a spot in the Literary Marketplace Directory.
Fran and Phil traveled the world. But she was happiest gardening in her backyard, visiting the Metropolitan Museum of Art or reading at Old Mill Beach.
Fran is survived by her children Philip Pollak, John Pollak and Linda (Louie) Wins; granddaughters Holly (Evan) Arsineau and Chelsea (Brandon) Lorah; great-grandson Leighton Lorah; sisters Palma (Bruno) Manes and Antoinette (Paul) Wrubel, and many nieces and nephews.
The Staples High School Class of 1976 reunion is in the books.
The weather last weekend was not great. But that was about the only bummer, for the 150 men and women who attended at least one of many events.
Each reunion is special. But the 50th deserves a shout-out. And — because organizers planned and documented it so well — it might serve as an inspiration for other classes.
And inspire any alum — of any class at any school, anywhere — who is on the fence about his or her own reunion, to put aside preconceptions and concerns, and go!
At least a dozen grads had never been to a previous Staples reunion. Many had not come to one for decades. This time, they traveled from as far as London.
In addition to the usual reunion activities like gatherings at the Black Duck and Compo Beach, they enjoyed a tour of the “new” Staples High School (they graduated just before the first “modernization,” and remember 9 separate buildings), as well as kayaking on the Saugatuck River.
Feedback was great. One alum said they felt like an outcast in high school, and never attended a reunion. But they came this year. After 50 years, they said, they felt totally welcome, and part of the class.
The money quote came from Chris Frey. He said:
Back then we were jocks, freaks, greasers and nerds. Today we are senior citizens, grandparents and (mostly) solid citizens….
Last night [at Compo Beach] we all identified as classmates who lived through our turbulent youths, sharing adventures, heartbreaks, learnings and successes together….
Old wounds were forgiven, or in most cases, forgotten. Silly, fun, uplifting stories were shared, and the chasm of 50 years seemed to almost be erased…
The rain didn’t dampen our enthusiasm for the moment, and I think I can speak for everyone present that a good time was shared by all.
PS: The class is donating to 3 local organizations, to “keep a small bit of the Class of ’76 alive in Westport”: Staples Tuition Grants, the Westport Country Playhouse, and (thank you!) “06880.”
Hanging out at the Duck …
… and Compo Beach.
BONUS REUNION NEWS: Staples Class of 1981 is celebrating their 45th reunion this weekend.
Among the festivities; a celebration last night at VFW Post 399.
From left: Class of 1981 alums Andre Lambros, Dave Arnow, Tony Eason, Patty Kondub, Sue Champagne. (Photo/Dan Woog)
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A reminder: The annual Soundview Summer Stroll takes place tomorrow!
From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday, the Compo Beach exit road comes alive with music, food, face painting, other kids’ activities, and much more.
Four musical acts — Westport favorites Drew Angus and Ethan Walmark, Weston’s Owen Daniel and the legendary DNR band — will set up halfway down Soundview.
On one side, Earthplace will run the kids’ zone. On the other, Old Mill Grocery by Romanacci offers food.
All around, nearly 2 dozen non-profit groups will have tables. They’ll run games and contests, and offer giveaways.
The Soundview Summer Stroll is a gift to the town from “06880” and the Compo Beach Improvement Association, with great help from the Parks & Recreation Department.
See you tomorrow, on the beach exit road!
One way to stroll, on Soundview Drive. (Photo/Benji Porosoff)
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What’s ahead for the Levitt Pavilion?
Plenty of free shows.
Tonight (Saturday): Desert Highway: A Tribute to the Eagles (7:30 p.m.)
Sunday, July 26: Lulada Club: New York City’s All-women Salsa Orchestra (7 p.m.).
Tuesday, July 28: Amelia Day (7 p.m.)
Wednesday, July 29: Hopalong Andrew: Children’s Series (7 p.m.)
the other day, Rozanne Gates interviewed State Senator Ceci Maher, for The Legacy Project USA.
Afterward, the retiring legislator received a Distinguished Service proclamation from the town of Weston.
It was part of the “This Is Your Life” Legacy Project USA series at the Westport Center for Senior Activities.
State Senator Ceci Maher, with her proclamation. She is flanked by Weston 1st Selectwoman Sam Nestor (left) and State Representative Dominique Johnson.
Westport resident Robert Aldrich died peacefully at home on July 19. He was 91, and had been diagnosed with cancer.
The New Rochelle, New York native earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in chemical engineering at Princeton University, while starring in football and playing goalie for the varsity hockey team.
He, his wife Sandra and young son Bobby moved to San Rafael where he began his career at Standard Oil of California. Their daughter Nancy was born shortly before Bob joinedUnion Carbide in New York, where he spent nine years in project development.
The family moved to Rowayton, where they lived for the next 50 years. Sons Ted and John were soon born.
In 1970, Chase Manhattan Bank CEO David Rockefeller recruited Bob to lead the first environmental banking initiative undertaken by a major financial institution. As a pioneering executive, he helped integrate environmental stewardship into banking practices decades before sustainability became part of the financial mainstream. He spent the remainder of his Wall Street career working for Chase and other financial institutions, helping finance companies and projects that delivered environmental benefits.
At 66, Bob embarked on a second career doing something he always loved: teaching. Through Teach for America, he taught science for 5 years in the South Bronx, which he called his most rewarding role.
After moving to Westport in 2005, he became a substitute in the Westport Public Schools. He often surprised his grandchildren and their friends as their teacher for the day. He did this into his late 80s. He also worked as an adjunct professor of chemistry at Norwalk Community College.
Bob and Sandra’s 70-year marriage was celebrated in June of 2026, surrounded by their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Bob served as Chairman of the Norwalk Board of Education during the turbulent, teacher-strike-filled 1970s. and was twice elected to the Norwalk Common Council.
After moving to Westport he served on the Flood and Erosion Control Board. He participate in meetings just days before he died.
Bob loved tennis and pond hockey. He was happiest when he was outdoors and in motion.
He is survived by his wife Sandra; children Robert, Nancy (Brien), Edward (Susan) and John (Margee); grandchildren Farley, Jack (Astrid), Ben (Greer), Tommy, Seixas, and Farrell Aldrich, Will Haskell (Katie) and Annie Kenworthy (Tristram); and great-grandchildren Gaël and Mathieu Aldrich-Parenty.
A service will be held on August 8 (11 a.m., United Church of Rowayton). Memorial donations may be made to the Norwalk Education Fund, 125 East Avenue, Norwalk CT 06851.
The Staples Classes of 1976 and ’81 graduated a couple of decades after the Class of ’57. (The second to last, interestingly, to go through all 3 years at the Riverside Avenue high school.)
There were no songs written about those 2 “recent” classes. And though the Statler Brothers’ tune is about a generic class — not Staples’ — it’s still the best reunion song ever.
(If “06880” helps you stay in touch with your time at Staples, please click here to support our work. And if you never went to Staples, but still enjoy this blog — you can click on the link too. Thanks to all!)
Our 12th annual “06880” blog party was the biggest and best yet.
The weather was perfect. The temperature, blue skies, soft breeze … it all came together (after a summer of heat and severe thunderstorms).
Over 200 folks — those born and raised here; couples who moved in a few months ago; daily readers and casual ones; politicians and normal people — all came to Compo’s South Beach.
Club 203 — Beth Cody and Stacie Curran — was in the house.
They ate, drank, chatted, stayed, and proved once again why “06880” (the online community, and the real-life one) is so warm, embracing and fun.
There was swag (“06880 playing cards from Savvy + Grace; homemade jam thanks to Mary Lou Roels); music by Warren Bloom, plus the Westport Parks & Recreation Department’s help and hospitality.
Jam and playing cards swag. (Photo/Thomas Samaranayake)
And of course, everyone enjoyed another spectacular Compo Beach sunset.
(Photo/Beth Cody)
“06880” — the online community, and the real life one — feels truly blessed.
What to do when the World Cup is over? Two big names in the soccer world — Robbie Mustoe (left) and Joe Pierce — enjoyed the “06880” party.
Well hello, Mary Lou(s)! Weisman (left) and Roels share a moment. Mary Lou Roels provided jars of jam for all.
Bridging the generation gap: Gunnar Eklund and Dorothy Fox. (Photo/Thomas Samraranayake)
Harris Falk won the best-dressed contest. The pin on his tie is from Westport’s 100th anniversary celebration, in 1935.
It’s not an “06880” party without Warren Bloom and his guitar. (All photos/Dan Woog unless otherwise noted)
A small part of the large crowd. (Photo/Carm Roda)
The view from the water. (Photo/Dana Kuyper)
Celebrating “06880” — and America. (Photo/Pam Docters)
Soundview Drive — the Compo Beach exit road — is a Westport gem.
With water on one side and handsome homes on the other, it’s a great place to walk, jog, bike, Rollerblade, or just hang out on the seawall. The only drawback is the traffic.
This Sunday, the road is all yours.
From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m, the Soundview Summer Stroll takes over. Instead of cars, the street will be filled with live music, food, face painting, other kids’ activities, and much more.
Strolling on Soundview Drive. (Photo/Luca Caniato)
This is the Stroll’s 3rd year — and the street festival will be bigger and better than ever.
A couple of thousand Westporters of all ages will meander up and down, meet neighbors and friends, dance in the street, and watch their youngsters race around. It’s 4 hours of community fun, enjoying the town and each other in a unique summer way.
The 4 musical acts — Westport favorites Drew Angus and Ethan Walmark, Weston’s Owen Daniel and the legendary DNR band — will set up halfway down Soundview.
Drew Angus (left) will be back, for an encore performance. (Photo/Benji Porosoff)
On one side, Earthplace will run the kids’ zone. On the other, Old Mill Grocery by Romanacci offers food.
All around, nearly 2 dozen non-profit groups will have tables at the street festival too. Win prizes at the Rotary Club’s “guess the ducks” contest; get tattoos and play beach games with the Cub Scouts; enjoy snacks courtesy of the Westport Woman’s Club and Westport Swim Club, and discover other surprises.
What kid doesn’t like decorating the street? (Photo/Benji Porosoff)
The Soundview Summer Stroll is a gift to the town from “06880” and the Compo Beach Improvement Association, with great help from the Parks & Recreation Department.
The forecast is for perfect weather this evening: Clear, with temperatures in the high 70s.
Of course, the “06880” blog party is always a “cool” place to be.
Tonight (Thursday), we celebrate our 12th annual bash.
We’re all set for 6 p.m. at South Beach — the alcohol-is-fine-except-no-glass-bottles end, furthest from the cannons.
It’s a bring-your-own-food-and-beverages event. If you’ve got something extra to share, feel free!
Bring a beach chair. And we can always use folding tables.
“06880” provides the rest: a chance to meet commenters and lurkers. Each year we welcome old-timers, newcomers, politicians and normal human beings. It’s a chance to talk, laugh and trade stories about this wild, wacky and only slightly dysfunctional town we share and love.
See you tonight!
We’ll be just to the left of this jetty (near the boat and kayak launch). Without the car, though, (Photo/Linda Gramatky Smith)
If you meet Larry Kleinman or Bruce Geller, it’s often one of the worst days of your life.
They try to make it better.
That’s not their main job. The pair — and 75 or so colleagues — are Emergency Medical Services staffers. Their first concern is whatever emergency brought them to you: chest pains, a broken bone, bleeding, dizziness, whatever.
But to treat you well — and, if necessary, transport you to the hospital – they need to make you feel more comfortable, less scared.
And do the same for your family and friends, and the strangers hovering around.
Larry and Bruce are pros. They’ve been Westport volunteer EMTs for 13 years and 18 months, respectively.
You may not have met them yet. Even if you have, you may not have known their names.
But if and when they — or any other EMT — is on your call, you’ll be glad they’re there.
Westport Emergency Medical Services is an umbrella organization (and a division of the Police Department). Their headquarters is in the building next to the police station, on Jesup Road.
WEMS includes a small number of paid EMTs and paramedics, and a much larger corps of volunteers (WVEMS).
Each took a different route there.
Geller was a volunteer EMT during, then embarked on a career in finance. Twenty years later, when a guest had a heart attack at a Wilton country club, Geller provided CPR. The man survived.
His daughter was young. But the incident inspired her to become an EMT. She is now an orthopedic medical assistant. Geller’s son also took Westport’s EMS class.
Geller continued his professional career. But he stopped commuting during COVID. With time to give back to his community, and as a way to spend with his son, he joined WVEMS. He’s since been named EMT of the Year.
Bruce Geller, with WVEMS president Jaime Bairaktaris.
Kleinman’s path was even more roundabout. He earned an engineering degree, became a rock DJ, then ran a software business for 30 years.
At age 60, nearing retirement, he signed up for an EMT course in New Haven. Nearly all his classmates were decades younger.
He learned about Westport’s EMS program, and did a ride-along. Next month, he’ll celebrate his 13th year there.
Along the way he’s been both EMT and Crew Chief of the Year, and honored for responding to the most calls.
Larry Kleinman
Despite their diverse backgrounds, one thing has kept them going: making a difference in people’s lives.
Both software and emergency medicine are intellectually challenging, Kleinman notes. “There’s a problem, and you figure out how to fix it,” he explains.
But EMTs work with human beings, as well as machines. A 911 call is stressful — for the patient, those on the scene and the EMTS who arrive. They work as a team — and the outcome is usually successful.
Larry Kleinman: EMT, and teacher.
“The scene is usually chaotic,” Geller says. “By the time we get to the hospital, things are usually calmer. It’s nice to be part of that role.”
That feeling of helpfulness is only one of the intrinsic rewards of EMS service. Kleinman says he has learned both humility and empathy.
“Neither came naturally to me,” he notes. “You can’t be humble as a radio DJ. But I’ve gotten so much from seeing people in life-and-death situations.”
After all those years though, he is still honing his skills: analyzing a scene, initiating treatment, being calm and reassuring.
Larry Kleinman, on the road.
Geller learns “at least one new thing every shift. Real life is a lot different from textbooks. You never know what you’ll see before you show up.”
The 500-page textbook covers everything from cardiac arrest, splinting and administering oxygen to rattlesnake bites. Kleinman has never seen the latter, but he knows how to treat them.
Still, he emphasizes, “being proficient doesn’t make you an EMT. It’s a team sport. Communication and calmness are vital.”
That team is diverse. Westport’s Volunteer Emergency Medical Services corps range from high school students considering careers in medicine — “really smart and skilled,” Geller says — to men and women later in life who want to give back.
Bruce Geller
Kleinman also praises the teenagers. He recalls 2 girls who were “acting like kids.” As soon as a call came in, “they were in EMT mode. Suddenly, they were 20 years older.”
As for the calls: Some are dramatic. Most are not.
But — whether one ends with a rare life-saving moment, or someone simply feels better after treatment, and reassured — many conclude with heartfelt thanks.
Sometimes the patient and family are still too stressed to say thank you.
That’s okay. Being thanked is not why Larry Kleinman, Bruce Geller and so many others spend so many hours learning, training and on call.
“At the end of a call, I know a made a difference in the life of a total stranger,” Kleinman says. “How many people can say that?”
ONE MORE CALL:Astonishingly — and for reasons no one can explain, beyond “it’s always been this way” — Westport Volunteer Emergency Medical Services pays for all their own equipment.
Everything.
From ambulances (nearly $500,000 each — there are 3 new ones, with a 4th on order), heart monitors and stretchers, to Band-Aids (less expensive, though they use lots of them), our volunteers donate not only their time and expertise, but they fundraise too. Donations come from individuals, businesses and foundations. Click here to contribute.To learn more about Westport Volunteer Emergency Medical Services, click here.
Westport Volunteer Emergency Medical Service pays for their ambulances — and all the equipment in each.
Walk Bike Westport advocates for a town “where children pedal to school without a parent behind the wheel, where a downtown errand doesn’t need a parking space, where the hill that once made cycling to the train station unthinkable simply isn’t a barrier anymore.”
That’s why they support pedal-assist electric bicycles.
A Class 1 e-bike is “a great way to get around,” the organization says. “It’s quiet, it tops out around 20 miles per hour, and it only helps when you pedal. It helps more people ride farther, and tackle hills with confidence — making cycling accessible to riders of all ages and abilities.”
Class 1 pedal-assist e-bike.
But, Walk Bike Westport says, there is a threat: “a different machine wearing the same name … overpowered bikes that tear through traffic at 30 or 40 miles an hour aren’t e-bikes.”
Instead, they’re “motor-driven cycles.” And they generate a backlash that could hurt pro-biking efforts.
Walk Bike Westport wants residents to not get taken for a ride.
According to Connecticut law, a Class 1 e-bike has working pedals and a motor of 750 watts or less. It tops out around 20 miles per hour, and adds power only when you pedal. Like a bicycle, it requires no license, plate or insurance.
But as of last October, a bike with no working pedals, or with a motor strong enough to push past 30, is a “motor-driven cycle or a motorcycle.” You need a license. The most powerful versions need registration and insurance too.
However, Walk Bike Westport notes, the classification is not obvious, and both look similar.
A parent sees an “e-bike,” and assumes it’s a bicycle. The seller has little reason to correct them. “By the time anyone sorts out what category the thing actually falls into, it’s usually because something has gone wrong.”
It’s not the fault of “the kid doing 35 down Hillspoint Road,” the Westport organization says. “The machine (is) mislabeled.”
More and more of these motorbikes are sold with motors several times over the 750-watt limit, and often without pedals.
The best-known is the Sur-Ron, says Walk Bike Westport, which its manufacturer calls an electric dirt bike. Others, like the Talaria, are built and sold the same way.
“The confusion creeps in later, once they hit resellers and online marketplaces, where the same bike gets listed as an ‘e-bike’ and a buyer has no reason to doubt it.”
E-bike? Motorbike? It’s confusing.
Connecticut requires sellers to label a bike with its class, wattage and top speed. But that only works if a buyer knows how to read it, and if someone checks.
“An officer watching a bike go by can’t read its wattage at a glance, and the gap between a fast e-bike and a slow motorcycle is exactly the kind of line that’s sharp in a statute and invisible on a road,” Walk Bike Westport notes.
Our town’s approach leans toward education. Westport Police issued a guide for parents, and held a forum at Town Hall.
“That instinct is the right one,” Walk Bike Westport says. “Most families with a misclassified bike have no idea they have one, and a summons doesn’t fix a problem that started with a misleading listing.
Southington, meanwhile, has a zero-tolerance policy. They issue citations, seize bikes, and even make arrests. But there’s danger, the Westport bike group says, in “treating every bike as a suspect.”
Walk Bike Westport wants to avoid that outcome. The answer to the e-bike problem “isn’t more fear. It’s clarity, and a town built so that the right bikes have somewhere safe to go.”
Walk Bike Westport advocates for safety.
The town and Police “can publish a plain guide that tells a resident, in 1 page, whether the bike in their garage is a bicycle or a motorcycle under Connecticut law,” Walk Bike Westport says.
Some of that work is already underway, they note — “and it’s coming from the people with the most at stake.”
This spring the teenagers on the Westport Youth Commission’s E-bike Safety and Awareness group developed a poster campaign to teach young riders how to ride safely, and teach parents which e-bikes their kids are allowed to ride.
They worked with the Police Department and Walk Bike Westport; put their posters in doctors’ offices, schools and bike shops, and are planning events for this fall.
Youth Commission posters.
“When the kids most associated with the problem are the ones standing up to solve it, the rest of the town should pay attention,” says Walk Bike Westport.
However, the group notes, “most of what makes cycling feel unsafe in Westport has nothing to do with e-bikes, and everything to do with roads built only for cars.”
The town is working on a safety plan with federal funding, including protected lanes and calmer streets.
Walk Bike Westport has one final message: “A pedal-assist e-bike is one of the best things to happen to local transportation.
“(But) a throttle-driven motorbike wearing a bicycle’s name is a different thing entirely. It should be ridden, licensed, and treated for what it is.
“Defend the first. Be straight about the second. And the Westport we pictured (in the first paragraph of this story) gets a little closer.”
Walk Bike Westport and the Westport Youth Commission spread awareness at last month’s “Kickoff to Summer” at Compo Beach.
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Westport Emergency Medical Services is an umbrella organization (and a division of the Police Department). Their headquarters is in the building next to the police station, on Jesup Road.
