Thanks to a Connecticut Department of Transportation grant, the Wilton Police Department will be making pedestrians, cyclists and runners in town a bit safer with free high-visibility safety vests to distribute.
The Department was the recipient of the CT-DOT 2025 Active Transportation Microgrant. With the funds from the grant, Wilton Police acquired 100 high-visibility safety vests. The vests’ bright color and reflective strips will enhance the visibility of pedestrians and cyclists who share the roads with vehicular traffic.
According to a press release, the CT-DOT Active Transportation Microgrant is a program that “provides equitable, safe, accessible and sustainable access to transportation by making conditions safer for people of all ages to walk, bike and roll, encouraging more people to use these healthy and environmentally sustainable modes of travel.”
In 2024 the State of Connecticut experienced 1,655 crashes involving pedestrians and bicyclists with 72 total fatalities. In the Town of Wilton there were four pedestrian crashes last calendar year.
According to Deputy Police Chief Rob Cipolla, the effort is part of the WPD’s commitment to traffic safety. Wilton patrol officers will be equipped with a stock of the high-visibility vests to distribute to pedestrians, runners and cyclists they see during patrol.
Anyone interested in proactively acquiring a high-visibility vest can reach out to Deputy Chief Cipolla via email or by calling 203.563.0254.