Traffic Calming and Complete Streets Best Practices Toolbox
Deliverables
The Regional Status Quo Memorandum (Task 2) is available here.
The Best Practices Review Memorandum (Task 3) is available here.
Study Overview
This project resulted in development of a Toolbox of planning principles and precepts for residential streets and local roads that reflects best practices. The Toolbox applies to lower-speed (less than 40 mph) roads, streets functionally classified as “local” and is based on consideration of safety and mobility of all users (i.e., motorists, pedestrians, bicyclists, emergency responders), as well as environmental sustainability, economy of construction and maintenance, community cohesion, land use, and utility accommodation. Thus, the Toolbox and planning best practices reflect and are consistent with principles and recommendations for Complete Streets. The study started in August 2024 and was completed in March 2026.
The WestCOG Toolbox provides municipalities with a structured set of strategies for improving traffic safety and supporting multimodal transportation. It organizes solutions into two primary categories. The first category focuses on physical changes to streets, including traffic calming and geometric design measures that influence driver behavior. Examples include curb extensions, speed humps, raised crosswalks, lane reconfigurations, mini-roundabouts, bicycle facilities, and other treatments that reduce vehicle speeds and improve safety. These measures rely on “self-enforcing” design principles, meaning that the physical form of the street encourages drivers to operate at safer speeds rather than relying solely on enforcement.
The second category includes strategies beyond street design, such as policies, programs, and planning approaches that shape how streets function and how people travel. These strategies include Complete Streets policies, Safe Routes to School programs, access management, zoning and land use approaches, and other initiatives that support walkable communities and multimodal transportation networks. By combining infrastructure changes with supportive planning and policy strategies, municipalities can develop more comprehensive approaches to traffic safety and mobility.
The Toolbox was developed through a thorough research and engagement process. The project began with a regional inventory of existing municipal standards and a review of the best national and international practices. These insights were then adapted to the specific context of the WestCOG region, which includes a wide range of development patterns, from dense urban areas to rural communities. A Project Advisory Committee composed of municipal engineers, planners, and state transportation officials provided technical guidance throughout the process. In addition, focus groups were conducted with emergency responders, transportation operators, and other practitioners to ensure that the Toolbox reflects operational realities such as emergency access, maintenance considerations, and constraints posed by historic street networks.
Project Advisory Committee
The Project Advisory Committee consisted of volunteer municipal staff from Bethel, Brookfield, Danbury, Norwalk and Redding, as well as WestCOG and CTDOT
PAC Meeting No. 1 – Presentation
PAC Meeting No. 1 – Meeting Summary
PAC Meeting No. 2 – Presentation
PAC Meeting No. 2 – Meeting Summary
PAC Meeting No. 3 – Presentation
PAC Meeting No. 3 – Meeting Summary
PAC Meeting No. 4 – Presentation
PAC Meeting No. 4 – Meeting Summary
Public Engagement
April 3, 2025 – Focus Group Meeting No. 1 – Presentation
April 3, 2025 – Focus Group Meeting No. 1 – Meeting Summary
June 16, 2025 – Focus Group Meeting No. 2 – Presentation
June 16, 2025 – Focus Group Meeting No. 2 – Meeting Summary
September 9, 2025 – WestCOG Technical Advisory Group (TAG) – Presentation
September 9, 2025 – WestCOG TAG – Discussion Summary
December 9, 2025 – Municipal/Community Toolbox Workshop – Presentation
December 9, 2025 – Municipal/Community Toolbox Workshop – Meeting Summary
February 19, 2026 – WestCOG Board Meeting – Presentation
Staff Contact
For information concerning the study, please contact Mike Wilson at WestCOG, 475-323-2074 or by e-mail at mwilson@westcog.org.