Submitted by Nancy Fantin
Rachel Khanna’s accomplishments in her first term as State Rep 149th District are a bipartisan win-win. I am personally grateful for Rachel Khanna’s work acquiring safety improvement funding for Route 1 pedestrian crossings at Byram and Pemberwick Road intersections. Funds totaling $450,000 were requested by our House delegation and granted to CT DOT and TOG.
That section of West Putnam Avenue is deadly. Invitations to cross, an asphalt walk in the grass meridian between bus stops and ADA ramps for access to the rotary, but no crosswalks and signals. I am legally blind. When the guiding eyes of a friend showed me those bus stops for the first time, he informed me of the fatal hit of a pedestrian, a nun visiting from out-of-state unaware of the risks to cross in that area.
For years I got nowhere walking through doors and calling phones at Town Hall to request crosswalks and signals recommended in CT DOT’s 2018 Road Safety Audit of Route 1 TOG, a formal safety assessment of existing conditions of walking and biking routes, intended to identify issues and recommend mitigation measures to improve safety for all users.
Then earlier this year with help from Active Transportation Task Force co-chairs, we met with our House delegation on site. Finally, my voice was heard, and action taken.
“Pedestrian and traffic safety has been a priority of ours and I am thrilled that we will be able to better serve pedestrians in our community and will improve safety on our roadways, bringing us closer to achieving our Vision Zero goals,” said Rep Khanna in the press release announcing receipt of funds.
In contrast, it was stated by opposing candidates during the debate for all three districts that we should not be talking about safety and bike lanes, and buses are a thing of the past, due to infrastructure and density.
CT Transit 311A/B buses from Stamford to Port Chester are packed mornings, some riders live in town, but most live beyond coming to Greenwich to work, biking here also, because they do not have cars or prefer not to drive or unable to drive due to disabilities.
Many take the train then bus to get to work in Greenwich, or ride the bus then bike, buses have a bike rack. Bus ridership has increased over the years and routes added.
I, “Live Work Ride” daily and support local control of zoning. I take the bus to manage properties across town, provide affordable workforce housing, registered as Independent at age 18 but now unaffiliated. I have petitioned against 8-30g applications and opposed Desegregate CT’s forceful bypass approach with “Live Work Ride” in its early stages. Born in Greenwich over 50 years ago, I see the adverse effects of over-development.
Rachel Khanna is also committed to protecting local control of zoning. She broke with her party to vote against a bill that would have required each town to build a number of units mandated by the state. When the transit-oriented development bill “Work Live Ride” was making its way through the House, she worked with Rep Meskers and Rep Arzeno, consulting with WestCOG and Greenwich P&Z to help craft language making sure the bill was truly opt-in with no mandates or penalties.
Another bill Rachel Khanna supported was to allow Greenwich to get more points toward an 8-30g moratorium. Rachel Khanna has kept her promises by protecting Greenwich’s right to decide whether and where housing is built.
Housing is needed across the state, “But this needs to be driven by us because local leaders know best about the town’s issues with density and infrastructure,” said Rep Khanna during one of the debates.
Vote to re-elect Rachel Khanna for State Rep 149th District, to continue moving forward on a bipartisan basis. She listens to all constituents regardless of party and works with both sides of the aisle. And she has brought back close to $100 million in funding to Greenwich and Stamford for new school construction, road and pedestrian safety improvement projects, and local non-profits that serve older adults and children such as River House and Greenwich Alliance for Education. Her work advocating for our community has proven effective, Rachel Khanna deserves another term.
Editor’s note: The deadline for submitting letters to the editor about candidates in the Nov 5, 2024 election for consideration was Oct 29, 2024 at 12:00 noon.