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NORWALK, Conn. What is normally a four-lane speedway was temporarily calmed into a street safe enough for kids on training wheels at a bike ride to support bike lanes near the beach this weekend. It was thrilling to see kids enjoying Calf Pasture Beach Road as a safe public space the way it should be all the time.
Norwalk may soon be getting top-notch bike lanes on Calf Pasture Beach Road: Mayor Richard Moccia came out to give his endorsement of the idea, as did Common Councilman Nick Kydes, who rode with the group, and state Rep. Gail Lavielle. They joined a few dozen kids who hope their trips to school will soon be a lot safer. The sunshine Gods were upon us as dozens of riders, many Marvin Elementary School families, set out from Marvin down the road to the beach Saturday.
Preliminary plans call for the right lanes on Calf Pasture Beach Road to be replaced with bike lanes with a buffer zone between the bike lanes and the road. In addition to creating a major recreational resource and improving safety for kids biking to school, this will also make the narrow sidewalks along the road more tolerable by creating a large buffer between the traffic and the sidewalk. Dangerous conditions for kids walking to Marvin Elementary have been a major concern for neighborhood parents.
Long-term, the mayor acknowledged that the sidewalks on Calf Pasture should be widened, but that will require a lot of construction funds. But restriping Calf Pasture into a safer road with bike lanes can be done for next-to-nothing. In the words of Nick Kydes, "It's a no-brainer."
Congratulations to Paul Zullo and Donna Bonato for organizing Saturday's ride and to all the families who participated. With continued persistence we'll hopefully all be enjoying this new resource for Norwalk next summer.
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