Fairfield Way

SAFE STREETS AND ROADS FOR UCONN

The UConn Storrs Campus is a dynamic place where students, faculty, staff, and visitors are constantly on the move. In many ways a small city, campus invites pedestrians, cyclists, bus riders, drivers, and other travelers into a complex transportation network, but this complexity introduces opportunities for conflict, near misses, and crashes. UConn prioritizes transportation safety and accessibility. Whether 8 years old or 80 years old, pedestrians, cyclists, and other travelers should expect comfortable and convenient travel while enjoying the physical, social, and environmental benefits of active transportation. Making travel safer for everyone helps create a more welcoming campus and community.

PROJECT OVERVIEW

With funding support from the US Department of Transportation, the Safe Streets and Roads for UConn project builds on the 2022 University of Connecticut-Storrs Active Transportation Plan (ATP) to strengthen its focus on transportation safety, support future transportation safety funding opportunities, and to advance several planning initiatives.

The project includes four main elements:

  1. A Comprehensive Safety Action Plan: We are updating the 2022 Active Transportation Plan to meet the federal requirements of a Comprehensive Safety Action Plan (CSAP), which will help UConn qualify for future transportation safety funding opportunities.
  2. Development of a Comprehensive Mobility Model: This tool will help us understand how people move around campus, including vehicles, transit, pedestrians, bicyclists, and people using scooters and other small mobility devices, and how potential changes will impact transportation conditions.
  3. A Road Conversion Assessment: Using the mobility model, we will assess the impact of limiting vehicle access on certain roads to prioritize transit, pedestrian, and bicycle traffic. The assessment will include preliminary plans for potential road conversions.
  4. A Sidewalk Inventory and Accessibility Assessment: This will include an inventory and condition assessment of sidewalks on the core campus, with a focus on accessibility for people with disabilities.

What is a Comprehensive Mobility Model?

A comprehensive mobility model shows how pedestrians, transit, automobiles, bicycles, scooters, and other mobility devices move throughout an area and allows planners to model the results of changes such as new traffic patterns, stop signs, traffic lights, or bicycle lanes. The model is based on data collection of existing travel patterns, infrastructure such as roadways and sidewalks, traffic signals, and traffic counts. The model will be used to understand current transportation conditions, support the road conversion assessment, and help UConn evaluate the impacts of the Active Transportation Plan recommendations and future transportation projects on campus.

How can you get involved?

Community input is a critical part of this planning effort. You can participate in several ways:

    Additional opportunities to participate and share your feedback will be posted soon!

    Steering Committee

    UConn established a Steering Committee to help its transportation consultant, SLR Consulting, guide the development and long-term implementation of the Active Transportation Plan Update. The Steering Committee is composed of key stakeholder representatives, including University Departments and Committees, Town of Mansfield Staff, and regional partners.

    Members:

    - Bryanna Anderson, Center for Students with Disabilities

    - John Armstrong, Off Campus and Commuter Student Services

    - Wes Ayers, Facilities, Grounds, and Utilities

    - Coryn Clark, UConn Bicycle Working Group (ad hoc)

    - Derek Dilaj, Town of Mansfield Public Works

    - Antoaneta Fedeles, University Planning, Design, and Construction Director

    - Andy Kelly, Parking and Transportation

    - Nick Lownes, Transportation and Urban Engineering Department

    - Karen McComb, Student Health and Wellness

    - Eileen McHugh, University Planning, Design, and Construction

    - Patrick McKee, Office of Sustainability

    - Chris Renshaw, UConn Fire

    - Elizabeth Sanderson, Capital Region Council of Governments

    - Reynaldo Soto, UConn Building Official

    - Rigel Valentine, UConn Recreation

    - Sean Vasington, University Planning, Design, and Construction

    - Kai Wang, Connecticut Transportation Institute

    - Matthew Zadrowski, UConn Police

    ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION PLAN

    PROJECT PURPOSE

    The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) defines active transportation as any self-propelled, human-powered mode of transportation, such as walking or bicycling. According to the CDC, physical inactivity is a major contributor to obesity, diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and other chronic health conditions in the United States. However, many Americans view active transportation within their communities as unsafe due to heavy traffic and a scarcity of sidewalks, crosswalks, and dedicated or shared facilities. This is true of college campuses as well.

    Beginning in January 2022, UConn developed its first Active Transportation Plan (ATP).  During the planning process, the consultant-led team:

    • Captured the community's vision and goals in an open, collaborative process
    • Identified strategies for achieving the vision and goals over the next 5-10 years
    • Presented recommendations for policies, processes and project formulations

    Now complete and available here, the ATP establishes guidance for:

    • A more coherent, walkable and bikeable campus
    • An organizational framework that connects parking facilities and other transportation hubs with common campus destinations and living communities, including those immediately adjacent to campus
    • Education, processes and policies that raise awareness and make active transportation modes more safe, comfortable and convenient
    • Effective enforcement and evaluation strategies
    • Improved bike parking and storage, and the use of electric bikes, scooters and other forms of motorized, assistive or semi-active transportation modes
    • Connectivity to/from local and regional transportation networks
    • Identifying opportunities and constraints for universal access
    • Metrics, polling, schedules, cost estimates, conceptual plans and other tools to guide planning, design, prioritization and implementation of projects

    The ATP also has an immediate focus on reducing pedestrian-vehicular conflicts and increasing safety and connectivity throughout the campus core via existing north/south and east/west corridors. Proposed improvements include traffic calming measures, identification of complete street opportunities, safer mid-block crossings, intersection alignments and controls, and closures or connections that address gaps in the existing network.

    NOTE OF APPRECIATION

    The University of Connecticut recognizes the design of its campus streets, sidewalks, paths, crosswalks, lighting, and other physical features impact decisions about one's travel to campus destinations. UConn is firmly committed to improving its policies, programs, and infrastructure to support and safely accommodate a variety of transportation choices, ensuring mobility for all. By accommodating and encouraging active transportation users, UConn can be a more environmentally and fiscally sustainable campus and a leader for active and healthy transportation in the northeast.

    THANK YOU to the campus community who provided over 250 comments suggesting improvements that could make walking, bicycling, scooting, skateboarding, bus riding and overall mobility more safe and accessible.  THANK YOU to leadership in the Traffic-Pedestrian Safety Advisory Group and members of our Working Group comprised of students, faculty and staff who helped guide the project with our transportation planning and engineering consultants. Together we identified near-term solutions that may be implemented quickly, as well as those that could be phased over the next 10 years.