U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., held a press conference outside the Veterans Affairs Connecticut Healthcare System's West Haven campus on Friday, encouraging the hospital to improve the crosswalks and sidewalks around the facility to keep pedestrians and patients safe, the New Haven Register reports.
According to Mr. Blumenthal, there have been six accidents at the intersection outside the hospital — four of which resulted in injuries and one of which resulted in a fatality — in the last four years.
"After the last pedestrian incident, it brought to attention the lack of sufficient steps being taken for pedestrians in this area," Mr. Blumenthal said at the conference, according to the report. "Pedestrians are not only veterans, they are staff — in fact, the last pedestrian hit by a car was a staff member. This is a tragedy waiting to happen and that is unacceptable and intolerable."
Already, the VA has taken some steps to improve pedestrian safety around the campus. For instance, the hospital replaced a diagonal crosswalk with standard crosswalks at each corner of the intersection, installed new sidewalks with wheelchair-accessible ramps, added new stop signs with flashing LEDs and posted safety officers at intersections during peak hours.
According to Mr. Blumenthal, "It is better than it was, but better is not enough. It should be safe for the people who receive healthcare here."
The senator suggested expediting the construction schedule and, eventually, adding a new parking garage with an elevated walkway that would allow pedestrians to avoid walking across the street at all. According to the report, the parking garage and walkway plans have yet to come to fruition because it has yet to receive federal approval. Mr. Blumenthal blames the delay on a "lack of focus."
"Before any veteran reaches the inside of the facility, he or she needs to be safe on the pedestrian walkway, and there's some very simple steps to take. We aren't talking about building a new plaza or even a new garage — we are talking about walkways and paths and roads to get there," said Mr. Blumenthal. "But ultimately what's needed is a new garage, and I'm going to be a very big advocate of that."
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