Pedestrians not safe in Connecticut

NEW HAVEN, CONN. (WTNH) - A new study says Connecticut is not a safe state for pedestrians.

The Hartford metropolitan area is the most dangerous in the state, the second most dangerous in all of New England.

Hartford is the worst, New Haven is a close second. Whitney Avenue at Audubon Street is notorious for being unsafe for pedestrians. The problem is that you have to walk a full two blocks before you get to a crosswalk.

Earlier this month anonymous advocates painted a makeshift crosswalk of their own. The city quickly washed it away saying, it's not safe. There's a slight hill making it difficult for drivers to see people in the road. But it's hard to find anyone who doesn't cross in the middle of the street.

"It seems quiet but once you step out, here goes the cars, and there's no crosswalk here and it's dangerous," says Melissa Doumbia of New Haven.

Doumbia's daughter attends classes on Audubon, she makes her walk the other way.

"Oh, yeah, absolutely, I actually have her meet me down at the other end most of the time," says Doumbia.

With delivery trucks often parked in the area, visibility isn't the best for drivers and pedestrians.

"People drive crazy here, everyone's rushing, there's a lot of students, there's bikes, a lot of bikes," says Francesca Colasanto of Branford.

A new study by Transportation for America is trying to highlight the problem. Over the last ten years, 373 pedestrians were killed in Connecticut. Pedestrians have only a 15 percent chance of survival when hit by a car going 40 miles an hour, but it isn't always the driver's fault. Even with plenty of crosswalks, and crossing signals, at spots like Church and Chapel jaywalking is rampant.

"I do it, I mean, just because a lot of the blocks are kinda long so it's, people are just trying to get where they need to go," says Colasanto.

A family with little kids, one in a stroller was spotted rushing across the street against the signal. Even the Downtown Ambassadors cross when they shouldn't and have to rush between the cars.

"I am a bit surprised that Connecticut, you would think the bigger cities would but not, New Haven Connecticut, not Connecticut," says Doumbia.

According to the study, a full 12.5 percent of traffic deaths involved pedestrians.