Westport's Public Works and Engineering teams have been doing real work on traffic and pedestrian safety — new sidewalks, crosswalks, intersection improvements, and the completion of the Safety Action Plan that made federal grant funding possible. Last December, that work paid off: Westport won a federal SS4A grant of $895,000 from FHWA, requiring just $224,000 from the Town (20%), for a total project budget of $1,119,000.

The Board of Finance is now considering returning it.

The grant funds four things Westport urgently needs:

• A Safe Routes to School Plan: Westport has never had one. This is the foundational document for making it safer and easier for kids to walk and bike to school, reducing car trips and school-zone congestion.

• A Pedestrian and Bicycle Master Plan: a community priority for years, now fully funded.

• A Complete Streets Policy: a state mandate Westport will need to fulfill regardless — doing it now with federal dollars is the fiscally responsible choice, and it positions Westport for future implementation grants.

• A school zone safety demonstration program: to measure and improve safety near our schools.

We share the Board's concern about plans that sit on shelves. That's exactly why we believe the current proposal needs work — it should go to competitive bid, and the scope should be negotiated with FHWA. We have advisors with national experience who believe FHWA will be flexible. The answer is to fix the proposal, not forfeit the grant.

Walk Bike Westport is also committed to supporting the creation of a formally appointed Traffic and Pedestrian Safety Committee — a citizen-led body to provide oversight and help ensure these plans actually get built.