Battle of the Bridge, Round 1: ConnDOT Vetoes "Complete Bridge"

Reporting here from Design New Haven. For additional background, see our post here.

Whitney Avenue Paving: "Everything you’d want out of a local access highway"

Local elected officials and city officials recently announced that the section of Whitney Avenue into Downtown New Haven will not be rebuilt as a "complete street."

The street runs adjacent to the main Yale University campus, and is one of the busiest pedestrian, bicycle and vehicular corridors in the entire city. Reporting from the New Haven Independent can be found here, along with a previous story from January about the initial announcement (which also attracted numerous comments) here. An excerpt from today's piece:

At a meeting of East Rock neighbors, some said the project falls short of the city’s new policy of creating “complete streets” that encourage transit by bike, foot or bus. “It’s everything you’d want out of a local access highway,” quipped East Rock Alderman Roland Lemar at the neighborhood management team’s monthly meeting Monday evening. He said while cars and bikes alike will welcome relief from the treacherous bumps and cracks, the improvements will result in allowing vehicles to zip by at 45 miles per hour. “Only 45?” replied a skeptic in the crowd. “That’s a conservative estimate.”

Plans for repaving Whitney Avenue had been in the works for several years, but had been delayed until this year. In the intervening period, the amount of pedestrian and bicycle traffic on the Avenue has dramatically increased.

On the earlier NH Independent piece, a writer from the CT Energy Blog commented:

In addition to agreeing with Tom Harned's points, I would add that one of the goals of improving bicycle infrastructure would be to protect the lives of the cycling population that already exists. New Haven has the second highest percentage of bicycle commuters in the Northeast. These include not only Yuppies and Yalies (no offense), but children and countless people who can not afford the staggering expense of owning a car in the city. With the exception of highways and freeways, our roads were never intended to be used only by motor-vehicle traffic. Many existed well before the automobile was invented. We've had too many preventable traffic-related deaths and injuries here involving people who were just trying to get from one place to another. It's high time we got our priorities straight and started taking deadly traffic conditions seriously. Again, thank you New Haven for taking this seriously, but we still have a long way to go.

Today, "Truthtopower" writes:

When will the DOT realize that the age of the auto is over? Spending valuable tax dollars to replicate outmoded roads shows that no lessons have been learned from $4.00 gas, air pollution levels, the increase in obesity and the consumption of land by parking lots. People want to be able to walk, bike and take public transit, but money continues to be funneled into projects that continue the old car culture rather than a new 21st century vision. Clearly the people are again ahead of the government on this.

The Independent contains a bit of good news about a new traffic calming project right around the corner, at Livingston and Edwards:

Lemar reported that the city has money in hand to repave Edwards Street between Whitney and Orange Streets. As part of the road reconstruction, the city will incorporate traffic-calming measures at Edwards and Livingston Street, a hairy intersection where a combination of high speed and poor visibility around turns has led to recent accidents.

A member of the CT Livable Streets committee sent an open letter to the City of New Haven's engineer, Dick Miller, on February 23, 2009. Local elected officials also have met tirelessly with key city and state officials, but little progress was made.

Hopefully, further improvements to the bustling street can be installed after paving is completed.

The open letter to Mr. Miller is reprinted here:

Dear Mr. Miller,

Thank you for presenting to the East Rock Management Team tonight about Whitney Avenue and the various bridge reconstruction projects in East Rock. It is excellent that you would take the time to update the East Rock neighborhood with your department's progress, and I applaud you for the significant amount of work that your office has been able to push through state reviews in the past year. Thank you again for your tireless efforts to keep our transportation system in good working order.

As you suggested at the meeting, I would welcome an opportunity to stop by and review the repaving and restriping plans for Whitney Avenue, which are scheduled to begin construction in a month or two. I've copied a few individuals who have been following the design plans for Whitney Avenue for a few years. I am not speaking for them, but I think some of them may be interested in reviewing the plans as well. What times might work best for you?

Please do not take my concerns as criticism of your work to date. Whitney Avenue is an urban corridor through an extremely densely populated area, and I am encouraged to know that you are doing as much as possible to ensure the safety of the community through which it passes. My concern about speeding on the avenue stems specifically from the extremely high volumes of families, young children, elderly and disabled residents, mass transit users, and K-8 public school students who cross the avenue on a daily basis. The avenue has more pedestrians than almost any other street in the city. My concern has been highlighted by the fact that, on two occasions just within the past few months, I have witnessed pedestrians crossing the avenue at dusk (in areas where I think there should be a crosswalk), and have watched helplessly as they were nearly killed, just very narrowly avoiding speeding vehicles in both cases. In one case, a speeding car swerved illegally to try to pass a car (on the right side, not the left side) that had slowed in order to yield to the pedestrian.

Also, the avenue is also one of the busiest cycling routes in the city, connecting Hamden commuters to Downtown New Haven. Anecdotally, I work in an office of just 10 people, and at least three of them use this route to bike to work from Hamden. All three of them believe that the road is inadequate as a cycling route in its current configuration. In an era where people can afford to drive less and less, perceived obstacles like these threaten New Haven's ability to be the economic and social hub for the region.

If the latest design for Whitney Avenue allows the current average traffic speeds of 30-35MPH to persist (or increase following repaving), it is almost certain that there will be additional injuries along the avenue. A few years ago, a prominent Yale University faculty member in the Neuroscience Department was killed by a driver along the Hamden section of Whitney Avenue, and numerous other pedestrian injuries have been reported along the road as well. As has been pointed out in many public meetings in New Haven over the past year, designing a street for 40MPH travel, while expecting drivers to obey the 25MPH limit, creates a massive demand for traffic enforcement which will be an unnecessary future burden on the city's taxpayers.

In the case of Whitney Avenue, I believe that there is overwhelming public support for designing a street that contributes to property values, walkability and safety for road users of all ages and abilities. Based on standards used in other cities, such a street would be designed for strict maximum travel speeds of 20-25MPH, with very narrow travel lanes, and contain a highly progressive system of pedestrian refuges, crosswalks and cycle facilities, particularly in the most urban sections of the street between Edwards Street and Downtown. Given that the new paving standards you have ordered are meant to last 20 years, there may be limited opportunities to reconfigure the avenue once the pavement is poured.

I appreciate all of the time and energy you have put into this project over the past few years, and realize that there are a number of restrictions at play as well. I realize that the project starts soon, but am wondering if there is anything that can be done to create modest safety improvements now, or to ensure that they can be easily added as soon as possible following the completion of paving. Even measures designed to be temporary solutions would be an improvement over having a street perceived as dangerous by walkers, cyclists and transit users of all ages. If nothing can be done at this point, please keep these concerns in mind for future projects.

Best regards,
Mark Abraham
New Haven, CT

Student Hit By Car While Biking to School: Are Road Injuries "Minor"?

Original Post 6/16/09: The crash was reported in the New Haven Independent last week:

A 17-year-old student was struck by a car while riding a bicycle on the way to Wilbur Cross High School Tuesday, police said. The crash took place on Willow Street near the I-91 exit ramp at 7:35 a.m.

The press piece indicates that the boy suffered "minor injuries," thankfully, and was able to continue to bike to school before an ambulance was called to take him to the hospital. We hope that the student will fully recover as soon as possible.

However, in the broader scheme of practice, the word "minor" is often misused when describing traffic collisions. Many studies like this one from Oxford University (Psychological Medicine (2002), 32:4:671-675 Cambridge University Press) show that the impact over time can actually be much greater than initially realized. An excerpt:

Replies were received from 507 (66%) subjects. Although 76% of injuries were medically minor bruises and lacerations, 132 (26%) reported symptoms of psychiatric disorder and 104 (21%) moderate or severe pain at 3 years. There was little evidence of improvement in prevalence between 1 and 3 years, with continuing physical symptoms, psychiatric disorder and reported consequences for everyday life.

Home to Interstate 91 on-and off-ramps, the stretch of Willow Street where the student was hit is known as an extremely hostile, high-speed environment for bicyclists and particularly pedestrians, despite the fact that it is one of the only road connections between the East Rock and Fair Haven neighborhoods of New Haven (it is not exactly like one of the bridges in Portland). The condition of the road prevents thousands of children in the Fair Haven neighborhood from easily using East Rock Park, effectively creating a wall between two directly adjacent neighborhoods. Unfortunately, ConnDOT would have to approve any changes to the current configuration of the roadway.

Apparently, ConnDOT doesn't believe that "minor" road injuries are that big of an issue, considering that they have done nothing to install a simple fix to the situation on the Tomlinson Bridge even after dozens of cyclists have reported being seriously injured crossing its 30-degree railroad track crossing.

Does it take a few deaths before they take action?

A few reactions posted on the Independent article:

Yet we have a responsibility, a moral obligation, to ensure the safety of those students who do walk or bike to school.... The Willow St bridge was constructed in anticipation of the (thankfully scrapped) East Rock Connector. This is a perfect example of excess road capacity leading to unsafe conditions. THIS ROAD NEEDS A DIET.... Anybody want to help me write the Safe Routes to School grant?

It is a good thing the driver was going under 25. When I drive in an urban environment, I try to keep my speed at about 15 mph or below..... I have had several close calls with pedestrians, but luckily have never hit one, and I attribute this in part to driving at a speed that isn't likely to kill.

Making East Rock school more accessible from Fair Haven, via a better pedestrian connection, is crucial. Willow + Blatchley Street, between the school and Erector Square, is currently an unattractive pedestrian "no go" zone, even for able bodied residents. Ask people who live in the area. To say nothing about how a handicapped, blind, elderly or disabled person would feel.

Update 6/18/09: According to reporting in the NH Independent, another student near Fair Haven, this one an 11-year old child, was hit by a car on Tuesday. The crash gave the child "abrasions." According to other reporting the driver was not "at fault."

Candlelight Vigil for Baby Killed in Hit and Run Crash on Mansfield Street

The New Haven Independent reports here on the candlelight vigil for Montez Turner Jr. and Mauricia Stanley, which was attended by over 100 New Haven residents, and lasted well into the evening. An earlier, much more detailed story about the hit-and-run crash can be found here. The deadly collision occurred at the intersections of the Newhallville, Dixwell and Prospect Hill/East Rock neighborhoods, right next to the northeast corner of Science Park.

On the New Haven Independent's main report, there are a number of public comments which have to do with safety. Here are a few:

I am very familiar with that intersection and there definitely needs a mechanism that slow down traffic on that long somewhat winding block of Mansfield between Division and Munson Streets. Drivers speed both ways on that street, and, as walkers could attest, the drivers seem surprised, rushed and even irritated that there are even stop signs at each end.

Streets in front of the Capitol in Hartford have 10 MPH limits and pedestrian safety refuges. Streets in wealthy towns like Darien and Greenwich have 15 MPH speed limits and barriers in the street that make these kinds of crashes almost impossible (unless perhaps you are a trained stunt driver). Kids play out on them.

A speeding car through a stop sign is alarming and this time, tragic; however, how about all those citizens who do the "California roll" and just slow down enough to quickly look both ways and then roll on through. It seems to be the New Haven attitude toward stop signs.

No one expects to get hit by a car speeding through a stop sign. No one expects to their car roof supports to be tested by rolling down a hill. That's why you take EVERY PRECAUTION to protect these precious babies.

The Federal TF Highway Research Center quotes a study of 181 intersections converted to roundabouts which showed a 95% reduction in car crashes with injuries and an 89% reduction in pedestrian crashes with injuries. A single, correctly designed road facility can eliminate 100% of crashes. When you look at the figures of 95% injury reduction on 181 new roundabouts, for example, it is quite likely that at least half of those new roundabouts prevented 100% of injuries, while the other half had more mixed safety records (e.g., a 90% reduction).

Look at this bad community. A hit and run is always happening. But what they need to know is that these streets are dangerous.

And our city celebrates DOT widening Whalley. [see here for details on that]

City Places In-Street "Yield to Pedestrian" Sign

Original Post, 10/17/08: The first in-street "yield to pedestrian in crosswalk" sign in New Haven was installed this week on State Street, and another "test" sign is reportedly planned for the intersection of Lincoln and Trumbull today. New Haven Independent coverage and photo here, and New Haven Register coverage is posted here.

Additional signs have been purchased, and many neighborhood groups have sent in recommendations for where they should be placed. Potential locations include Orange & Wall, Edgewood & West Rock, College & Wall, Mansfield & Sachem, Dixwell & Bristol, various intersections along Howard, State and Orange, and many others.

Click here (Word DOC file) for a copy of the original request letter, which was sent in by Elm City Cycling and the Yale Medical Campus Traffic Safety Group and CC'ed to the New Haven Safe Streets Coalition.

Update: The signs have received great preliminary reviews by local residents: http://www.newhavenindependent.org/archives/2008/10/new_signs_of_th.php

Update 6/13/09: The signs have now been placed in crosswalks all throughout the City of New Haven. Contact the City's transportation department to request more.

Ask Connecticut's Senators to Co-Sponsor the Safe Routes to School Reauthorization Bill

On May 21, 2009, Senators Tom Harkin (D-IA), Richard Burr (R-NC), Bernard Sanders (I-VT), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), and Susan Collins (R-ME) joined together to introduce the Safe Routes to School Program Reauthorization Act (S. 1156). S. 1156 would expand funding for SRTS to $600 million per year, include high schools, simplify regulatory compliance to improve project delivery, and strengthen research and evaluation. All of these changes will make SRTS grants more widely available, and help more schools and communities across the country make it safer for children to walk and bicycle to school.

This is an exciting step forward, as these five diverse Senators have agreed to champion the program. Now, Connecticut's Senators need to hear from more constituents about the importance of strengthening the Safe Routes to School program in the next transportation bill.

Please take a few minutes to contact Senator Lieberman and Senator Dodd to ask them to show their support for the Safe Routes to School (SRTS) program by co-sponsoring the legislation. If you do not already have personal contacts within their offices or do not wish to make a direct phone call, one way to do so is to follow this link: http://capwiz.com/lab/issues/alert/?alertid=13424291. A list of national supporters can be found here.

It is a good idea to personalize your message with a sentence or two about Safe Routes to School needs in Connecticut. Connecticut's school districts have participated in the program in a fairly limited way so far, but interest has been growing over the past two years, and an application for the program is expected to be submitted for New Haven in the coming year.

For more details on the legislation, including a summary of the bill’s provisions, a list of supporting organizations, and the text of the legislation, please visit http://www.saferoutespartnership.org/national.

Hat tip to Keep Kids Alive Drive 25, one of New Haven Safe Streets Coalition's partner organizations, for information that this post was adapted from.

How To Document Speeding Vehicles: Citizen Enforcement

SeeClickFix gives a few good examples here: http://seeclickfix.blogspot.com/2009/05/how-to-document-speeding-101-citizens.html. Citizen led traffic enforcement can play an increasingly important role in traffic safety, particularly as public and shared vehicles become an increasingly larger proportion of local traffic.

A similar example, reported earlier here, was a city science fair project in New Haven, which found oil trucks speeding by a local elementary school at 52 miles per hour. Individuals witnessing these types of abuses should document plates, times, driver descriptions and other information and call the city's traffic safety hotline of 946 6956, as well as other local authorities.

Also see Design New Haven's collection of SeeClickFix "issues of the month," which give a more detailed explanation of how this kind of citizen reporting of nonemergency issues can work from an advocacy perspective.

Updated List of New Haven Petition for Safe Streets Sponsors and Supporters

The following groups and individuals have elected to officially endorse the Petition:

12 of 12 City of New Haven Community Management Teams (CMTs):
+ Downtown-Wooster Square CMT (listserv link here)
+ Fair Haven CMT
+ Westville-West Hills CMT
+ Whalley-Edgewood-Beaver Hills (WEB) CMT
+ Hill South CMT
+ Hill North CMT
+ Newhallville CMT
+ Quinnipiac East CMT (QEMT)
+ East Shore CMT
+ East Rock CMT
+ Dwight CMT
+ Dixwell CMT (DECMT)
These endorsements per official member voting.

Advocacy Organizations and Nonprofits:
+ Yale Medical Campus Traffic Safety Group (listserv link here)
+ Elm City Cycling / (listserv link here)
+ CT Livable Streets Campaign
+ New Haven Urban Design League
+ DesignNewHaven
+ Tri-State Transportation Campaign
+ Transportation Alternatives
+ America Walks
+ Keep Kids Alive Drive 25
+ Yale Public Health Coalition
+ New Haven Environmental Justice Network (listserv link here)
+ Connecticut Bicycle Coalition
+ Sierra Club - Connecticut Chapter
+ Safe Kids Connecticut - Greater New Haven Chapter
+ Connecticut Public Health Association

Neighborhood Associations, Business Improvement Districts and Religious Organizations:
+ Chatham Square Neighborhood Association
+ Christ Church - New Haven
+ Church on the Rock - New Haven
+ Coalition for a Livable Whalley
+ Congregation Beth El-Keser Israel
+ Edgewood Neighborhood Association
+ Edgewood Park Defense Patrol
+ First Unitarian Universalist Society of New Haven
+ Friends of East Rock Park
+ New Haven Bioregional Group
+ New Haven 828
+ Quinnipiac River Community Group (QRCG)
+ Ronan-Edgehill Neighborhood Association
+ Town Green Special Services District, per unanimous vote of Board of Commissioners
+ Upper State Street Association
+ West River Neighborhood Services Corporation
+ Westville Village Renaissance Alliance
+ Whalley Avenue Revitalization (WAR)
+ Whalley Avenue Special Services District (WASSD)
+ Yale College Council (per resolution)

Individual Residents and Businesses:
+ Over 1,900 area residents have signed the petition, along with a number of small businesses.

Local and State Elected Officials:
+ New Haven Ward 1 Alderwoman Rachel Plattus (Downtown/Yale)
+ New Haven Ward 2 Alderwoman Gina Calder (Dwight)
+ New Haven Ward 3 Alderwoman Jacqueline James (Medical District/West River)
+ New Haven Ward 5 Alderman Jorge Perez (Hill)
+ New Haven Ward 6 Alderwoman Dolores Colon (Hill)
+ New Haven Ward 7 Alderwoman Bitsie Clark (Downtown)
+ New Haven Ward 8 Alderman Michael Smart (Wooster Square)
+ New Haven Ward 9 Alderman Roland Lemar (East Rock)
+ New Haven Ward 10 Alderman Allan Brison (East Rock)
+ New Haven Ward 14 Alderwoman Erin Sturgis-Pascale (Fair Haven)
+ New Haven Ward 15 Alderman Joseph Rodriguez (Fair Haven)
+ New Haven Ward 16 Alderwoman Migdalia Castro (Fair Haven)
+ New Haven Ward 17 Alderman Alphonse Paolillo Jr. (Annex)
+ New Haven Ward 18 Alderwoman Arlene DePino (East Shore)
+ New Haven Ward 19 Alderwoman Alfreda Edwards (Newhallville/Prospect Hill)
+ New Haven Ward 20 Alderman Charles A. Blango (Newhallville)
+ New Haven Ward 21 Alderwoman Katrina Jones (Dixwell/Newhallville)
+ New Haven Ward 22 Alderman Greg Morehead (Dixwell)
+ New Haven Ward 23 Alderman Yusuf I. Shah (West River)
+ New Haven Ward 24 Alderwoman Elizabeth McCormack (Edgewood)
+ New Haven Ward 25 Alderwoman Ina Silverman (Westville)
+ New Haven Ward 26 Alderman Sergio Rodriguez (Westville)
+ New Haven Ward 27 Alderman Tom Lehtonen (Westville)
+ New Haven Ward 29 Alderman Carl Goldfield (Westville)
+ New Haven Ward 30 Alderwoman Michelle Sepulveda (West Hills)
+ New Haven Democratic Town Committee Chairwoman Susan Voigt
+ State Senator Toni N. Harp, Deputy President Pro Tempore, 10th Senatorial District (New Haven/West Haven)
+ State Senator Martin M. Looney, Senate Majority Leader of the General Assembly, 11th Senatorial District (New Haven/Hamden)
+ Representative Juan Candelaria, 95th Assembly District (New Haven)
+ Representative Patricia Dillon, Assistant Majority Leader, 92nd Assembly District (New Haven)
+ Representative Gary Holder-Winfield, 94th Assembly District (New Haven)
+ Representative Robert W. Megna, Assistant Majority Leader, 97th Assembly District (New Haven)
+ Representative Toni E. Walker, Deputy Majority Leader, 93rd Assembly District (New Haven)

Local and State Candidates for Elected Office:
+ Katie Harrison, Candidate for Ward 1, New Haven
+ Mike Jones, Candidate for Ward 1, New Haven
+ Minh Tran, Candidate for Ward 1, New Haven
+ Justin Elicker, Candidate for Ward 10, New Haven
+ Moses Nelson, Candidate for Ward 21, New Haven
+ Lisa Hopkins, Candidate for Ward 22, New Haven

Additional sponsors will be posted as they are officially confirmed.

Another Collision in Route 34 "Death Zone"

Design New Haven reports here on yesterday's pedestrian injury at College and Frontage Road in Downtown, and also covers which parts of New Haven's multiple traffic safety petitions have and have not been implemented.

[UPDATE: The pedestrian has died from his injuries. New Haven Register coverage here.: "He had worked at GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals in Pennsylvania for eight years and last November accepted a job at Kolltan Pharmaceuticals in New Haven. His wife remained in Glenside, Pa., and he commuted between the two cities on weekends. On Monday, he was crossing busy South Frontage Road at College Street when he was struck by the bus."]

The Design New Haven article refers to a piece in the New Haven Register, which is excerpted here:

Pedestrian ‘critical’ after being hit by bus crossing S. Frontage (NH Register, Tuesday, May 5, 2009)

By William Kaempffer, Register Staff

NEW HAVEN — A 56-year-old man suffered serious head injuries Monday after being struck by a bus while crossing South Frontage Road, a roadway that pedestrians say is a nightmare to cross.

Speed didn’t appear to be a factor in the latest accident at the intersection of College Street. A CT Transit bus turning left hit Michael Jaye of Glenside, Pa., in the middle of the street at 8:28 a.m., prompting police to close the road for hours as the accident reconstruction team investigated. Sgt. Chris Kenney described the injuries as potentially life threatening.

The scene has repeated itself along the stretch. Two years ago, a Yale public health student was struck and injured in the same area. Two blocks down, Yale medical student Mila Rainoff was fatally struck last year while crossing at York Street, prompting an outcry for safety upgrades and giving birth to a grassroots New Haven Safe Streets Coalition that promotes issues about pedestrian and bicyclist safety.

People who walk and bike across North and South Frontage roads, which parallel the Route 34 Connector with a series of exit and entrance ramps onto the highway, for years have decried it as hazardous.

“All these people are trying to get on the highway. People are getting off the highway. They’re all trying to accelerate to speeds of 65 mph,” said Aaron Cook, a public health student at Yale. Meanwhile, pedestrians are trying to get to and from the Yale medical district and downtown.

“Think about it. If you put two and two together,” he said. “You have people in a hurry. They’re getting off the highway. They’re getting on the highway at very high speeds. You have students who are trying to get to class at all hours of the day, whether it be dark, snow, rainy, whatever. You put those two things together and make it difficult to see when you should and should not be crossing the street.

“This is a death zone.”

Jaye, who was listed in critical condition Monday night, works as a senior scientist for the biotechnology firm Kolltan Pharmaceuticals Inc., which has an office in New Haven. A company official Monday described him as an “excellent colleague and fine scientist,” but declined further comment out of deference to his family.

A Yale-New Haven Hospital spokeswoman said Jaye was in critical condition.

Phil Fry, of CT Transit, said the company is awaiting police reports so it can initiate its own investigation. As it does in all accidents involving pedestrians, the company will conduct a drug and alcohol screening on the driver.

Following the Rainoff fatality, the city painted zebra-style crosswalks across North and South Frontage roads at York Street as an initial step to improving pedestrian safety.

It was unclear Monday whether Jaye was in a crosswalk or crossing with the light; personal items could be seen a few feet from the crosswalk after the accident.

On a larger scale, there are plans afoot to overhaul 12 intersections along North and South Frontage roads, said Michael Piscitelli, director of the Department of Transportation, Traffic and Parking. Intersections from Temple to Orchard streets are slated for full upgrades of traffic control equipment before the end of the year, including the one where the accident occurred Monday. College Street and South Frontage Road do have pedestrian signals, he said. The $3 million project to upgrade the 12 intersections, which is funded by the city and Yale-New Haven Hospital, is being reviewed by the state Traffic Commission and was a result of pedestrian-related accidents.

Speed is a factor on both streets, Piscitelli acknowledged. On South Frontage Road, drivers are accelerating to merge onto the highway, and on North Frontage Road, motorists are coming off a “high-speed environment” he said, “and much of the work we’re doing now is de-escalating that speed.”

Some long-term development plans also could hold some solutions to traffic. The city hopes to rip up and reclaim parts of the Route 34 Connector and has a developer lined up to build a 240,000-square-foot building west of College Street and reconnect the medical district with downtown.

In theory, city officials have said, that development would prompt many of the motorists who clog Route 34 and the frontage roads to seek alternate routes into the city, such as the Church Street bridge off Interstate 95.

Until then, Yale Medical School faculty member Mike Nitabach said the psychology of motorists will continue to put pedestrians at risk.

“You’re in a car and you’re on the highway going 70 miles per hour, and then you suddenly are on a surface street and it’s a whole different mind-set in terms of how you perceive your environment as the operator of a vehicle, and I think that’s part of the reason why Frontage Road is so dangerous for pedestrians,” he said.

Public Transit Users 3X More Likely to be Healthy

Because they walk a few minutes per day: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090326134014.htm

According to the study, people who drove the most were the least likely to meet the recommended level of physical activity. "The idea of needing to go to the gym to get your daily dose of exercise is a misperception," says Frank, the J. Armand Bombardier Chairholder in Sustainable Transportation and a researcher at the UBC Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability. "These short walks throughout our day are historically how we have gotten our activity. Unfortunately, we've engineered this activity out of our daily lives."

Also, see this report by the Robert Wood Johnson Federation: http://www.rwjf.org/pr/synthesis/reports_and_briefs/issue11.html

Obesity is the second leading cause of preventable death in the U.S., contributing to more than 100,000 deaths annually and a growing burden of chronic disease. Traditionally, interventions to increase physical activity and combat obesity have targeted individual behavior change through education and promotion. There is increasing recognition by researchers and public health leaders, however, of the need to expand the focus of interventions to the environments and contexts in which poor nutrition and lack of activity occurs. This focus has spawned a relatively new body of research examining the role of the community “built environment” in promoting or discouraging physical activity.

YDN: Student Death Spurs Action on Street Safety

Coverage from the Yale Daily News: http://www.yaledailynews.com/articles/view/28884

One year ago Sunday, Mila Rainof MED ’08 was struck by a car as she crossed the busy intersection of York Street and South Frontage Road. Her death a day later, along with the death of 11-year-old Gabrielle Alexis Lee in a hit-and-run last June, cast a shadow over pedestrian safety on New Haven’s streets, leading to a public push to reduce traffic accident injuries across the city. While Rainof’s friends and family still mourn her death, they said they have been consoled by city and community efforts to improve traffic safety over the past year.

A month after the accident, local residents united with officials and individual organizations to form the New Haven Safe Streets Coalition, meant to raise community awareness of traffic safety issues. Last October, the city launched the Street Smarts Campaign, which included an initiative funded by the Yale-New Haven Hospital to upgrade 12 intersections around Yale’s medical district, and shortly after, the city installed new crosswalks and pedestrian signposts in the area. The New Haven Police Department also arranged for two police units to patrol busy intersections throughout the city to slow down traffic.

Despite the array of initiatives to improve the safety of city streets, officials from the Safe Streets Coalition said they still see room for improvement and hope to avoid at all costs another unnecessary traffic fatality. Last week, Yale, along with the city’s Department of Transportation, Traffic and Parking, launched the Smart Street Web site to demonstrate how pedestrians, cyclists and drivers should act on city streets.

Yale Creates "Smart Streets" PSA for Pedestrian and Cyclist Safety

See coverage from Design New Haven: http://www.downtownnewhaven.blogspot.com/2009/04/yale-launches-smart-streets-traffic.html

Speeding Driver Slams Into Car, Sending Six to Hospital in Downtown New Haven

Our sympathies go out to the victims of this horrible crash.

Police blocked off downtown streets at rush hour after an SUV driver fleeing the cops crashed into another car, sending six people to the hospital. The driver sped west on Crown Street. He crashed into a Hyundai driven by a Lombard Street man. A passenger was in the car, too. The SUV flipped over. The Hyundai (top photo) was totaled, landing on the sidewalk.

Portland Traffic Fatalities Drop to Lowest Level Since 1925

A very interesting discussion of the factors that might be behind the city's record-low injury rate. Is the national decline in vehicular traffic - even in New Haven - the real cause? 15 fatalities and 5 pedestrian deaths were recorded in Portland in 2008.

How much credit does mayor deserve for 2008's historic drop in Portland road deaths?, The Oregonian Blog, 4/2/09

Savvy politics. But one has to wonder if his staff bothered briefing him on this simple fact about modern commuting: People are driving less -- and, thus, dying less -- almost everywhere in the U.S.

Adams' statement on Portland's fatality numbers didn't mention any of those things. It didn't mention that TriMet ridership was up 2.3 percent. Last year's hand-count of bicycle commuters by PBOT found a 15 percent increase on city bridges and 32 percent at 60 intersections in 2008. Again, not mentioned.

The mayor reminded residents that he promised saving lives and reducing injuries would be his first priority when he took over as the Bureau of Transportation commissioner in 2005. For example, he said, after several "right hook" bicycle fatalities in 2007, where vehicles turned right and collided with bicycles, Adams said his office spearheaded the installation of green "bike boxes" at 14 dangerous intersections.

"Even one death or injury is too much," Adams said, "but our increased safety means
that fewer families had to cope with the terrible tragedy that traffic fatalities bring, and that our neighborhoods are becoming more livable."

April NHSS Coalition Newsletter Posted

Please see http://www.livablestreets.com/projects/new-haven-safe-streets-coalition/safe-streets-update-040109 for a complete update from the Safe Streets Coalition, including a list of upcoming events and coverage of statewide lobbying efforts.

City Encourages Celebration of National Walk to Work Day: Friday 4/3

Mayor DeStefano Urges City Employees to Celebrate National Walk to Work Day, this Friday, April 3

Mayor DeStefano, the Health Department and the Transportation, Traffic and Parking Department will kick-off the Spring Street Smarts Campaign at a National Walk to Work event this Friday at 8 a.m. at the intersections of Court Street and Olive Street, and Court Street and State Street in Downtown. At this event, residents will have the opportunity to sign up for the City’s Street Smarts program, receive useful tips on becoming safer pedestrians, cyclists and motorists. Also at this event, the City will unveil ten of the twenty new in-road pedestrian signs that will be installed throughout New Haven over the course of the next several weeks.

On National Walk to Work Day employees are encouraged to walk for all or part of their commute to work and to aim for a minimum 15 minute walk each way. If you take public transportation, try walking to a further stop before boarding, or getting off a stop early and walking the rest of the distance to work. If an employee’s commute is too long, they can make it a Walk to Lunch Day.

Walking for 30-60 minutes a day greatly reduces risks of heart disease, cancer, stroke, and diabetes. By finding a way to make walking part of each day, experts say, you are giving yourself proven health benefits far beyond any promised by herbs, vitamins, or prescription drugs.

New Haven has the highest percentage of residents who walk to work of any large city in New England. In fact, less than half of all New Haveners take a single-occupant vehicle to work and Prevention Magazine ranks New Haven as a Top 20 "Best Walking City".

As always, employees are encouraged to practice Street Smarts. Street Smarts go beyond simply obeying the traffic regulations or driving below the speed limit. Street Smarts call for attentiveness at all times; patience with others and a willingness to share the road.

National Walk to Work Day is endorsed by the US Department of Health and Human Services and the American Podiatric Medical Association.

(text from city announcement)

Complete Streets Experts, and Fourth Graders, Call for Livable Streets in Hill Neighborhood

[Photo at left courtesy New Haven Independent.]

Experts aim for streets safe for all users, New Haven Register, 3/31/09:

The “complete streets” specialists visited the Hill Monday, scoping out ways to strike a balance among walkers, bikers and autos so they can all safely share the neighborhood’s main roads. Engineers from CHA, a consulting group, Ian Lockwood, an early guru of the “complete streets” movement and James Travers, deputy director of transportation for the city, led the short field trip for a handful of citizens and officials.

The aim is to make streets safer and more walkable through roundabouts, curb bump outs, tree plantings, on-street parking, bicycle lanes and even a raised intersection where needed, to slow down drivers. All of these things have the effect of calming traffic, Lockwood said. Basically, they act as visual clues to drivers to slow down, that they are in an urban environment. “It helps drivers behave themselves,” rather than necessitating more traffic police, he said.

Lockwood said the whole intersection at Congress and Howard avenues could be raised to slow traffic, something other states do around elementary schools as safety measures.

“Complete Streets” Begins in the Hill, New Haven Independent, 3/31/09:

Last year for their science project these three fourth-graders clocked an oil truck at 52 miles per hour and even a school bus racing at nearly 40 by their school, John C. Daniels Elementary. On Monday afternoon, they joined city officials and others on a “walking audit” of their Hill neighborhood to help planners calm traffic and make the streets safer for kids, pedestrians, and bicyclists.

Near Congress and Howard, the crew paused to hear Lockwood suggest safety could be enhanced by the addition of bump-outs at bus stops, and lifting the crosswalk to the level of the sidewalk. “This ramping up puts motorists on the level of pedestrians. It also raises the heights of kids four to six inches when they cross, making them more visible, and therefore safer,” he said.

All along Congress, leading toward John C. Daniels School, Sousa suggested that long curb cuts, such as inappropriate driveways, most holdovers from a previous era when big trucks were making deliveries, should be eliminated. “You want to reward walking and incentivize it with sidewalks that attract pedestrians, not cars.”

The John Daniels students said their this year’s science project would be to expand their own traffic study from the immediate area of their school to all of the Hill.

Activists Tackle Hazardous Bike/Ped Conditions on New Haven Harbor Crossing

The $120 million Tomlinson Bridge (shown at left) represents the only viable east-west connection from Downtown New Haven to points east, yet is completely inadequate for bicyclists and pedestrians. Please see http://www.seeclickfix.com/issues/1300.html to read more about this urgent issue. The state of the crossing has recently attracted additional media coverage within the community.

Hazardous rail tracks mar popular bike route, New Haven Register, 3/29/09:

If you are zipping along on your bicycle on Forbes Avenue heading east toward the Tomlinson Bridge and downtown New Haven, watch out for the railroad tracks that cross the road. The road is popular with bike commuters traveling from the East Shore to New Haven and the angled tracks can send bicyclists sprawling onto the hard pavement.

Within 24 hours of a posting on an interactive Web site, more than 100 people attested to the need to fix the situation, or at least warn people of the angled rail crossing. The state Department of Transportation has heard the complaints and is expected to have a report on it next month, according to its spokesman, Kevin Nursick.

Keri Christie, 24, commutes by bicycle Monday through Friday from the East Shore to her job downtown. When she moved here three years ago, she said she took a nasty spill onto the tracks. “It was really scary,” and like everyone else who had fallen, Cristie was grateful she wasn’t hit by the cars following her. Sometimes she said she will bike on the sidewalk on the south side of the bridge to get out of traffic where she said cars travel at 50 to 60 miles per hour and there is no road shoulder.

“Safeways for bikes and pedestrians to move between the center city and the East Shore are important now, and will be even more critical when construction of the Q bridge commences. This needs to be fixed and protected as a secure route before the Q bridge project goes any further,” said Anstress Farwell, president of the New Haven Urban Design League.

Everyone pointed to Portland, Ore. as the best example of roads and bridges designed to safely carry cyclists and cars. “It’s the benchmark on how to treat a biker on the road,” Feiner said. Beyond simple signage, members of the New Haven cycling community are discussing various options they would like the state to consider to make the bridge safer. They suggested designated bike lanes or a widened sidewalk for mixed pedestrian-cycling use.

“The key is to make it possible for everyone to cross (the bridge) safely, even families who are cycling along with young children in tow,” Abraham said.

SeeClickFix, Transportation Safety Innovation of the Year, Tackles Tomlinson Bridge "Disaster", Design New Haven, 3/19/09:

Opened in 2002, this massive, $120 million bridge represents the only viable pedestrian and bicycle connection from Downtown New Haven to the eastern suburbs of the city, and ConnDOT is currently constructing another, $757 million highway bridge right next to it. Unfortunately, besides the fact that the bridge is not a "complete street" by any remote stretch of the imagination, the railroad grade crossing is at a 30 degree angle to the roadway, and is unsigned for cyclists and improperly paved -- and therefore is extremely dangerous for even the most experienced bicyclists.

Following posting on SeeClickFix, over 500 people viewed the issue and many comments were posted on the site, all of which can be read on the issue itself, whose link is http://www.seeclickfix.com/issues/1300.html. In addition to the posted comments (which are automatically sent to anyone who signs up for the issue with their email address), dozens of local commuters and cyclists emailed one another regarding the number of people they knew who had been seriously injured at the crossing. Frankly, the catalogue resulting from this exercise was frightening and deeply disturbing.

Friends on the Way: Approval for Quinnipiac Avenue Repaving, Roundabouts and Livable Street Designs

With the release of stimulus package funding, the reconstruction of the heart of Quinnipiac Avenue is now scheduled to begin as early as this fall.

The project had been in the works for about ten years. Due to extensive citizen input, over that time it progressed from a standard high-speed ConnDOT design into a more livable street with roundabouts, wider sidewalks and chicanes. The road passes through the heart of the Quinnipiac River District of Fair Haven Heights, one of New Haven's most important historic areas, with homes still dating from the 1760s. See this post for previous articles on Quinnipiac Avenue.

These "livable streets" measures will serve to reduce traffic speeds, which will have the direct effect of raising property values, improving safety, and encouraging people to make more friends (a study from England recently re-confirmed Appleyard's 1969 research on that subject). They will hopefully prevent the types of traffic-related injuries that have been fairly common on this section of road.

Yet questions within the community still abound about when other sections of the avenue -- which is rife with speeding (see photo, courtesy of the NH Independent) -- will be improved. Excerpts from local coverage below:

Public gives thumbs-up to redesign, NH Register, 3/25/09

It took eight years of planning, but dozens of Quinnipiac Avenue residents this week expressed satisfaction with the final version of a city redesign of a portion of the major thoroughfare. The $7.1 million project will extend from Lenox Avenue to Clifton Street and add safety features that will convert it from a straightaway, while providing for protected on-street parking and other features, to the delight of homeowners.

“We’re so looking forward to being able to walk him up the street with usable sidewalks,” said Quinnipiac Avenue resident Ian Christmann, referring to his 11-month-old son, Sawyer, who joined his parents at the community meeting at the Pilgrim Church in Fair Haven Heights.

Miller said the project changes Quinnipiac from Lenox to East Grand avenues by adding roundabouts, bump-outs for parking and chicains, which are curb extensions that alternate from one side of the street to the other, forming S-shaped curves.

Chris Ozyck, another Quinnipiac Avenue resident, congratulated the city on the project and also for traffic enforcement there and on Front Street, which has slowed down vehicles.

Q Ave Residents Ask For More “Redo”, NH Independent, 3/24/09

Bekhrad was one of dozens of local residents who turned out to hear an update from city officials on the status of the Quinnipiac Avenue “re-do."

The city’s plan features a number of traffic calming measures — including a roundabout, chicanes, and bumpouts — designed to discourage cars from flooring it on the straightaway. The project also includes reconstruction of the retaining wall and sidewalks along the avenue.

Dismayed at the state of the avenue, and looking for a public partner for her private investment, Bekhrad went right to the top with a recent request to fix her road. Last month she sent President Obama a letter, asking for his cooperation and financial support on her project. She copied the letter to Mayor DeStefano.

“We haven’t begun to think about the rest of the road,” the mayor replied. “So it could be at least another eight to ten years?” Bekhrad asked. The mayor agreed that yes, it could be as long eight or ten years, but promised to take up the matter. “Between now and whenever we next get together we’ll take a look at areas north and south of Phase One and Two,” he said.

“It’s very difficult to attract people,” Bekhrad said. She’s trying to fill seven of her $800,000 condos. “People came today, they said, ‘Your units are beautiful, but the street stinks,’” Bekhrad said. She didn’t close the deal with the prospective tenants.

Christmann was encouraged by the meeting, and looks forward to a transformation of his street. “We have one of the most walkable areas in town,” he said, describing a local riverside walking route. “But we’re stuck with a stretch of Quinnipiac Avenue that is treacherous — four wheel drive treacherous.”

CT Livable Streets Forms Steering Committee

To assist with statewide-level advocacy. The Steering Committee will grow over time.

• Tokunbo Aanifalaje, Board Member, West River Neighborhood Services Corporation (New Haven)
• Mark Abraham, Secretary, Dixwell Community Management Team (New Haven)
• Kirsten Bechtel MD, Section of Pediatric Emergency Medicine, Injury Free Coalition for Kids, Yale-New Haven Hospital
• Justin Elicker, Co-Leader, Friends of East Rock Park (New Haven)
• Beth Emery, Member, Transportation Alternatives Middletown
• Tom Harned, Board Member, Elm City Cycling
• Doug Hausladen, Chairman, Downtown-Wooster Square Community Management Team Public Safety Subcommittee (New Haven)
• Chris Heitmann, Executive Director, Westville Village Renaissance Alliance (New Haven)
• Ryan Lynch, Senior Planner, Tri-State Transportation Campaign
• Erica Mintzer, Co-Coordinator, Yale Medical Campus Traffic Safety Group
• Juli Stupakevich, Co-Coordinator, New Haven Safe Streets Coalition
• Erin Sturgis-Pascale, Ward 14 Alderwoman, City of New Haven
• Brian Tang, Student, Yale University

From: http://www.livablestreets.com/projects/ct-livable-streets/project-home

Red Light Camera Legislation Passes Transportation Committee at CT General Assembly

Original Post 3/10/09: Today's New Haven Register reports that a pilot bill enabling red light cameras in New Haven has been voted out of the Transportation Committee in Hartford. Currently, the bill -- known as S.B. 149 -- may be tracked at this page. Excerpts from the Register story here:

The red light camera law moved forward Monday in the Transportation Committee as part of a two-year pilot program in New Haven, which is in the middle of a safe-streets campaign. The high-profile deaths of a Yale University Medical School student and a young girl, in separate incidents last year, triggered a citywide coalition of cyclists, public officials and physicians to push an ambitious agenda aimed at traffic safety. "I think it is the first step for making city streets safer and more civil. We can’t put police on every corner," said Mayor John DeStefano Jr.

About half the states in the U.S. either have red light camera legislation, or are considering it, according to the Federal Safety Administration, and it is widely used in Europe. The committee voted in favor of the bill 24-12. It now goes to the Senate, which will refer it to other committees for review before it comes back for a vote. Dr. Kirsten Bechtel, an associate professor of pediatrics at the Yale Medical School, said nationally there were 900 deaths and 153,000 injuries in crashes that involved running red lights in 2007. "I would like nothing more, as a pediatric emergency medicine physician, to reduce the number of children I treat who are injured from being struck by cars running red lights," Bechtel said.

The bill contains many provisions designed to overcome objections that have been raised in the past, including a 50/50 revenue split between city and state that will make it unlikely to generate significant municipal revenue. The bill also contains language requiring a phase-in period, an appeals process, signal timing reviews and warning signage.

New York currently has a similar pilot program with 100 cameras, but the program may be set to expand. Red light cameras are also used in cities including Atlanta, Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Phoenix, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, and Washington, DC, as well as many smaller cities and towns. Additional research is compiled on the IIHS website.

In response to Rep. Lawlor's criticism of the bill, one commenter on the Register site writes:

The concerns about rear-end collision are understandable, but let's look at what has happened in other places. These result in far fewer fatalities and serious injuries. Look at it this way. Instead of 2 life ending crashes, you might get 3 fender benders. The increase in rear-end collisions drops off dramatically over time, though, & most of those statistics come from places where the signage was not as obvious & explanatory as it is now. ... Even if we do have a minor increase in fender benders--which I don't think we'll see, because New Haven tested these before & had no increase in rear-end collisions--I think it's well worth the lives that will be saved & the serious injuries that will be prevented. Fact. The majority of accidents are at intersections from red light cameras. It's very hard for a police officer to ticket this because they have to run a red light to catch the driver. This is a great tool that will really help us reduce death & accidents without endangering the public. Let's get with it! 20 other states do this already. What are we waiting for?"

Red Light Cams Coming to New Haven (WTNH TV, 3/10/09)

It took a News Channel 8 crew less than a minute to spot someone running a red light at the intersection of South Frontage Road and York Street in the Elm City. Pedestrians here know they better look once - and then look again - to cross. "It's rugged, you know," said New Haven resident Rob Davis. "Lot of traffic, people getting off work - and they fly through here.

Update 6/15/09: Despite modifications and negotiations, the bill failed to pass other committees during this legislative session. City officials hope to raise it again next year.

Useful Graphic: Pedestrian Injuries Vs. Speed of Vehicle

The graph at left is courtesy an article in Streetsblog SF (data is from the FHWA, and is linked to elsewhere on this site):

As Streetsblog San Francisco reported last month, cities around the world have timed their traffic signals to favor slower moving modes... Motorists are already seeing a benefit. Initial studies show the re-timed signals improve overall travel time by more than a minute during peak commute hours. Additionally, motorists will save gas and reduce pollution if they drive at a steady 15 mph pace.

If our society wishes to end thousands of deaths and hundreds of thousands of injuries that are completely preventable, it needs to take this graphic into much greater consideration when designing roads, particularly within urban areas. Creating walkable, livable streets with appropriate accommodation for all road users is the only way to eliminate 100% of injuries and deaths. Many other cities around the world are already doing this in various ways.

Perhaps even more disturbing than the number of deaths are the social implications - unsafe streets are major day-to-day barriers preventing people from walking their neighborhoods, shopping locally, playing outside, going to clinics, attending PTA meetings and using cost-efficient transport such as transit, biking and walking. This has ripple effects which undermine local economies and have a disproportionate impact on already-stressed urban neighborhoods.

New Haven Traffic Enforcement Unit Reports Weekly Figures

This report comes courtesy of the New Haven Police Traffic Enforcement Unit. See here for previous coverage of the new unit, and its creation last year. According to city sources, the city issued approximately 10,000 MV infractions in 2007 and 15,000 in 2008. With Chief Lewis's creation of a new traffic detail and expanded enforcement hours, the city is planning to issue at least 20,000 tickets in 2009.

Update: Week of 2/9/09-2/13/09

Enforcement
Infractions 217
Misdemeanors 2
Written warnings 16
Total 235

Violations
Cell phone 41
Red light 59
Stop sign 28
Speeding 68
Seat belt 22

Locations
Elm-York 61
Kimberly Ave. 41
Dixwell-Bassett 20
Whalley-W. Park 19
Ella Grasso Boulevard 15
Whitney-E. Rock 13
State-James 12
Chapel-Yale 9
Frontage-York 9
Howard-Sea 5
Townsend-Tuttle 4

You can view more on the issue here:
http://www.seeclickfix.com/issues/1246

Denham Springs joins with 200+ other U.S. cities in installing red light cameras

City to use cameras at traffic lights, The Advocate, 2/24/09

DENHAM SPRINGS, LA — The City Council voted 4-1 Monday to have a company install cameras to photograph and fine speeders and people who run red lights.

Police Chief Jeff Wesley told the council the program should result in a “dramatic decrease in collisions at traffic lights.”

Although the council still must pass an ordinance that includes a schedule of fines, Wesley said he envisions a ticket for running a red light costing a driver $160. Redflex Traffic Systems, which will provide and maintain the equipment, will receive a portion of each fine collected, Charlie Buckels of Redflex told the council. “There’s no money out of the pocket of Denham Springs,” he said, adding that the city will decide where to place the cameras.

Durbin said the cameras will allow police to do things other than sitting at lights watching for violators.

Complete Streets Coalition Storms State Capitol: SB 735 Awaits Support

Dozens of pedestrian, transit, bicycle and public health activists, including some who helped pass the New Haven Complete Streets Legislation a few months ago, stormed the State Capitol yesterday for a legislative reception. Reporting from the New Haven Independent here: http://www.newhavenindependent.org/archives/2009/02/safe_streets_st.php

A few of the proposed pieces of legislation are listed below, some just placeholders. This is certainly not a comprehensive list of all of the proposals or pieces of legislation related to complete streets; although the first bill (SB 735) is likely to become comprehensive legislation containing some of the other pieces.

1. (Updated 3/06/09) SB 735: AN ACT IMPROVING BICYCLE AND PEDESTRIAN ACCESS: This is in the transportation committee, and originally sponsored by Rep. Kehoe. The two committee co-chairs are both strong supporters. This bill may eventually incorporate some points in the other bills listed here. Key inclusions are 1. Complete Streets (required accommodation for all users regardless of ability/disability/mode), 2. Creation of a permanent State Bicycle/Pedestrian Advisory Committee, 3. Shifting transportation funds to programs that improve biking and walking, such as safe routes to transit, safe routes for seniors, etc. Depending on the amount of citizen pressure at the General Assembly, other proposals may make it into the SB 735 bill, e.g., institution of bicycle education as part of physical education in the state's schools, requirements that walkability be addressed during the planning phase of school construction projects, and a "Vulnerable User of the Right of Way" law. To learn more, check back for details or join the CT Livable Streets Campaign, which is a newly-created group helping to coordinate statewide advocacy this year. http://www.cga.ct.gov/asp/cgabillstatus/cgabillstatus.asp?selBillType=Bill&bill_num=735&which_year=2009&SUBMIT1.x=0&SUBMIT1.y=0&SUBMIT1=Normal

2. HB 5522 (Villano) AN ACT REQUIRING THE ENACTMENT OF A CONNECTICUT"LIVABLE STREETS" PROGRAM. "That the general statutes be amended to require Connecticut to implement a "Livable Streets" program utilizing "red light" cameras at locations having traffic lights in order to improve safe access to all street uses, including motor vehicles, pedestrians and bicyclists, by reducing traffic speed and various traffic violations." http://www.cga.ct.gov/asp/cgabillstatus/cgabillstatus.asp?selBillType=Bill&bill_num=HB05522&which_year=2009
Also see SB 149: AN ACT CONCERNING THE INSTALLATION OF RED LIGHT CAMERAS BY MUNICIPALITIES: http://www.cga.ct.gov/asp/cgabillstatus/cgabillstatus.asp?selBillType=Bill&bill_num=149&which_year=2009&SUBMIT1.x=0&SUBMIT1.y=0&SUBMIT1=Normal

3. HB 5649 (Hennessy) AN ACT CONCERNING THE DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OFARTERIAL ROADS AND MAJOR STREETS.:"That the general statutes be amended to provide that whenever an arterial road or major street is constructed or rebuilt within the state of Connecticut, the roadway shall be designed to safely accommodate the needs of pedestrians, bicyclists and transit users regardless of age or ability; that exceptions to this requirement shall be made when appropriate." http://www.cga.ct.gov/asp/cgabillstatus/cgabillstatus.asp?selBillType=Bill&bill_num=HB05649&which_year=2009

4. HB 5640 (Hennessy) AN ACT CONCERNING THE IMPROVEMENT OF PUBLICACCESS TO TRANSIT STOPS.: "That no less than 5% of any federal economic recovery funds received by the state of Connecticut for highway purposes shall be used to improve pedestrian access to transit stops and that no less than 1% of the state highway budget shall be allocated to improve such access in each state fiscal year thereafter." http://www.cga.ct.gov/asp/cgabillstatus/cgabillstatus.asp?selBillType=Bill&bill_num=HB05640&which_year=2009

5. HB 6227 (Dillon, Walker, Harp) AN ACT CONCERNING THE SAFETY OF WHALEY AVENUE IN NEW HAVEN. "That the Department of Transportation shall monitor the safety of Whaley Avenue in New Haven and shall report its findings and recommendations, including safety measures contained in current and future Whaley Avenue construction projects, to the General Assembly, in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a of the general statutes, not later than February 1, 2010." http://www.cga.ct.gov/asp/CGABillStatus/CGAbillstatus.asp?selBillType=Bill&bill_num=HB6227

6. HB 6069 (Dillon) AN ACT CONCERNING TRAFFIC CALMING. "That the Department of Transportation shall incorporate traffic calming measures in design and construction in areas of urban traffic." http://www.cga.ct.gov/asp/CGABillStatus/CGAbillstatus.asp?selBillType=Bill&bill_num=HB6069

7. HB 6017 (Kehoe) AN ACT CONCERNING THE ADDITION OF CERTAIN CONSIDERATIONS DURING THE PLANNING PHASE OF SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS. "That chapter 173 of the general statutes be amended to require that local and regional boards of education to address walkability and bikeability issues during the planning phase of school construction projects." http://cga.ct.gov/asp/cgabillstatus/cgabillstatus.asp?selBillType=Bill&bill_num=HB-6107

If you haven't yet contacted your state representative and state senator to inquire about their views on this legislation, please do so in the very near future. The group will also need to lobby Governor Rell if the legislation moves forward.

Slam into a pedestrian in the middle of a crosswalk and what happens, exactly?

"Drop a flower pot off a high-up windowsill and kill someone, you might face criminal charges. Slam into a pedestrian in the middle of a crosswalk and what happens, exactly?"

In most cases, nothing. This is shocking to anyone from Northern Europe, but accepted as a basic fact of life in the United States. A nice short piece about this from the Pedestrianist here: http://pedestrianist.blogspot.com/2009/02/privilege-not-right.html

The article also references an op-ed by Walk Bike CT, which argues the point in more detail, citing a few studies that are just as relevant in Connecticut as they are elsewhere.

"In most of northern Europe there is some version of a "vulnerable roadway users" law. In other words, those driver larger, heavier, vehicles have a greater degree of responsibility than those walking or biking. The understanding is that each roadway user is responsible for the safety of roadway users more vulnerable than him/herself. By contrast, under our current system, drivers seem to have an implicit carte blanche to do as they please, and unless they're drunk, they are often given no more than a slap on the wrist when they kill or injure a cyclist or pedestrian."

Streetsblog provides great ongoing coverage of pedestrian injuries and fatalities, including this one about six-year-old Clarente Turner's death last year. Readers often point out that "jumping a subway turnstile gets you in more trouble in this city than killing a person with your car."

Unfortunately, until laws change and traffic safety becomes a top priority across all levels of government, these types of preventable injuries and deaths will continue to be an very common everyday occurrence on our streets.

Downtown Bicycle-Pedestrian Gap Analysis

Design New Haven has posted an in-depth roundup of the city's public meeting, including press coverage, here:

http://www.downtownnewhaven.blogspot.com/2009/01/eliminating-gaps-connected-street.html

From one article: "The suggested improvements found support from residents like Meg Howard, who works for Atelier Ten, a London-based environment-friendly infrastructure consulting firm with an office in New Haven. “I have no car, so I walk or bike everywhere,” she said. “I need safe streets.”"

At the meeting, Nelson/Nygaard recommended improving crosswalk signaling, eliminating right-turn-on-reds, and establishing a safer bicycle route system to Union Station. Funded by SCRCOG, the group has also been working "behind the scenes" on other projects affecting Downtown New Haven, including the 360 State Street development.

Groups Call for Transit, Bike, and Pedestrian Prioritization in Local Stimulus Projects

Advocates for bicyclists, pedestrians and transit users will join Representative Thomas Kehoe and Senator Andrew Roraback in calling for the inclusion of “shovel ready” bike, pedestrian, and transit projects in local communities’ use of federal infrastructure dollars. “We have a unique opportunity to leverage the federal economic stimulus funding to jumpstart shovel ready bike, pedestrian and transit projects in communities across Connecticut. Now is the time to make the changes that matter to the health and well-being of the state’s residents and businesses, to insure that newly funded transportation projects will serve our communities now and in the future.” stated Representative Thomas Kehoe, D, Glastonbury.

Advocates have been working hard to make the case for a balanced transportation system with more choices for walkers and bikers and transit users. “ We envision a state where residents have the option to get out of their cars and have a choice to walk, bike, or use transit to get to work, school, and for recreation,” states Senator Roraback, R, greater Litchfield.

Commissioner Marie has demonstrated a new direction for ConnDOT that emphasizes projects that encourage biking, walking and the use of transit. These are healthy, green and economical alternatives that can break our dependence upon cars and foreign oil while also creating many jobs. With nearly 25% of the federal transportation stimulus being allocated to local projects, we need to ensure that “shovel ready” and transit-supportive bike and pedestrian projects are prioritized, rewarding those communities moving the state towards a balanced mobility system and encouraging others to follow suit. Even repaving projects which provide immediate jobs can include traffic calming and other transit and pedestrian amenities and safety enhancements.

The advocates will present their case at a press conference on January 29 at 11 am in Room 2E of the Legislative Office Building, Hartford.

Central CT Bike Alliance, CT Association for Community Transportation, CT Bike Coalition, CT Commission on Children, CT Fund for the Environment, CT Greenways Association, CT Livable Streets Campaign, Elm City Cycling, Regional Plan Association, Transit for Connecticut, Tri-State Transportation Campaign

How Dangerous is Driving?

See here for a paper on the topic by Todd Litman, of the Victoria Transport Policy Institute. The blog publishing this piece (which had been widely circulating through email among urban planning circles for months), Walk Bike CT, is relatively new and has a number of other insightful articles on ped/bike policy issues around the State.

Excerpt:

"Another little-recognized fact is that per capita traffic fatality rates are far lower in pedestrian-friendly, transit-oriented, smart growth communities than in conventional, automobile-dependent communities. Automobile oriented suburbs have about four times the traffic fatality rate as smart growth communities. This appears to reflect the combination of increased total driving, higher traffic speeds, and society's inability to withdraw driving privileges to high risk drivers in automobile-dependent communities."

"All of those families that move to automobile-dependent suburbs to provide a safe and healthy place to raise their children are mistaken: they have actually increased their children's chance of dying a violent death."

Also see this article in this month's New Urban News, covering a study showing that traffic-dependent areas have traffic fatality rates that are 225% higher than walkable areas.

Excerpt:

The newer cities tend to have more “dendritic” networks — branching, tree-like organizations that include many cul-de-sacs, limiting the movement of traffic through residential areas. They also don’t have as many intersections. The pre-1950 cities, on the other hand, tend to be more grid-like, giving motorists many more routes to choose from.

For several decades, traffic specialists believed a tree-like hierarchy of streets was superior because it made residential neighborhoods quieter and presumably safer. But an American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) study cited by the UConn researchers points out that more-connected street networks tend to reduce travel speeds. That’s important because even a small reduction in speed can boost safety — mainly by reducing the severity of the accidents.

No Surprise: Taxi accident rate shown to be 4x higher than normal

Taxis can frequently be observed violating the traffic laws in New Haven. On one recent day, New Haven Safe Streets Coalition coordinators observed radar equipment as several Metro Taxi drivers drove at speeds of up to 52 miles per hour in a 25mph, residential zone. This type of behavior needs to be immediately stopped before it results in a major injury. Similar concerns have been echoed in New York City for years by NHSS Coalition member Transportation Alternatives and others.

It appears that local residents now have allies in Hartford when it comes to the lack of standards for taxi companies. This text from a December 9th press release by the office of State Senate Majority Leader Martin Looney, a supporter of New Haven Safe Streets Petition:

Senate Majority Leader Martin Looney (D-New Haven) and Senator Edward Meyer (D-Guilford), Co-chair of the Program Review & Investigations Committee, say results of the legislature’s investigation of the taxicab industry in Connecticut are both surprising and troubling. The report shows that the industry has unusually high accident rates, lack of uniform inspection standards, and varying and unpredictable taxicab rates across Connecticut.

“This report should be a wake-up call for anyone who has ever used a taxi,” said Senator Looney. “It raises serious questions about safety, inspections, and the rates that customers pay. I am committed to putting the brakes on these practices that put the public and taxi drivers at risk.”

The Committee’s findings include: 1) Of 43 vehicles recently inspected by DMV and DOT at two train stations and Bradley International Airport, 41 failed the inspection (95 percent failure rate) including at least six vehicles towed from the inspection site, 2)The Connecticut taxi accident rate is twice as high as the school bus accident rate and more than quadruple the passenger vehicle rate, 3) ....

“The Program Review & Investigations Committee has provided a roadmap for reform,” said Senator Meyer. “Their recommendation should be taken seriously as we look to improve service and safety for customers and workers. I look forward to leading this effort beginning with the next legislative session in January.”

Benefits of Complete Streets

Summary and fact sheets are available here: http://www.completestreets.org/benefits.html

DesignNewHaven has a round-up on the ongoing efforts to create complete streets in New Haven.

Traffic Calming Comes to Long Wharf Drive

New Haven Independent reports on the city press conference here. In one of many stories on the Long Wharf Drive drag racing issue, the NHI previously posted some background on the plans, including links to download the plans themselves and an online discussion.

Teenage Driver Critically Injured in Crash

New Haven Register, 10/29/08: A 17-year-old was critically injured Tuesday morning when the Honda he was driving hydroplaned on a wet road and slammed onto a utility pole near Wilbur Cross High School. The youth, who was not identified, was ejected through a window of the car and suffered serious injuries, police said. The crash occurred at 10:14 a.m. on Mitchell Drive between Nicoll and Willow streets near the Cross athletic field. Police believe the youth was driving on Mitchell Drive when he lost control after driving through a deep puddle of standing water that covered almost the entire roadway.

Update: New Haven Independent coverage here: http://www.newhavenindependent.org/archives/2008/10/teen_ejected_in.php

New Haven Complete Streets Legislation Passes Board

On Thursday, October 23rd, the New Haven Board of Aldermen unanimously passed legislation establishing a "complete streets" steering committee. See here for press coverage of the public hearings that led up to this vote, and here for a copy of the legislation.

Committee to examine equal use of streets, New Haven Register, 10/24/08

The Board of Aldermen gave the green light Thursday night to establishing a steering committee which will develop a "complete streets" policy granting equal rights for pedestrians and bicyclists in their daily battle with motorists. The committee ultimately will propose "complete streets" legislation based on these egalitarian principles.

The aldermen approved the measure unanimously after hearing appeals for support from Alderman Roland Lemar, D-9, and Alderwoman Erin Sturgis-Pascale, D-14. Lemar, of East Rock, and Sturgis-Pasacale, of Fair Haven, said street safety is a big issue in their neighborhoods. The vote also came in the wake of a Sept. 22 public hearing in which 40 members of the public submitted testimony endorsing the idea. The steering committee will adopt designs to reduce motor vehicles' speed, guarantee input from all residents and educate everybody about the rules of the road. Lemar said bicyclists, children, the elderly and the disabled are particularly vulnerable to being struck by motor vehicles and deserve to be safeguarded.

Sturgis-Pascale said about 30 percent of New Haven residents don't own a car. "We need to think more carefully about how they're going to get around; how they'll get to work or to school." She said the new policy will not be "anti-motorist" and drivers won't be expected to drive 5 mph. After the meeting, Sturgis-Pascale said Board President Carl Goldfield will appoint the three aldermanic members of the steering committee (she and Lemar are expected to be included) and Mayor John DeStefano Jr. will appoint three city staffers and three members of the general public. "The policy will say all users have the right to equal access," she said. "That's a moral statement. Now it's very lopsided in favor of cars."

New Haven Launches "Street Smarts" Educational Campaign

As part of a community event in Edgewood Park this past Sunday, October 19 from 11 a.m.-3 p.m., the city launched its "Street Smarts" educational campaign to improve safety for all road users. Excerpts from the extensive news coverage are posted below; click on the flyer to enlarge.

City to promote road-sharing efforts, New Haven Register, 10/14/08.

More than 2,000 people signed a grass-roots petition advocating for more pedestrian- and bicyclist-friendly streets, and two like-minded aldermen hope to legislate the goals into law.

On Sunday, the effort will gain another partner when City Hall unveils "Street Smarts," a public education campaign aimed at enhancing road safety for pedestrians, bicyclists and motorists. Its goal is to promote road sharing among pedestrians, bicyclists and motorists in a city where about 14 percent of residents walk to work, more than any other New England city, according to aldermen Erin Sturgis-Pascale and Roland Lemar.

In September, the two proposed a Complete Streets law for the city that would, in support of the coalition’s goals, create a design and engineering manual and require any developer or contractor who builds or rebuilds a city street to comply with specific pedestrian- and bicycle-friendly guidelines.

The safe streets coalition was formed in May, a month after medical student Mila Rainoff was hit and killed on South Frontage Road and a month before Gabrielle Lee, 11, was killed on Whalley Avenue by a hit-and-run driver. Since then, more than 100 organizations, virtually every alderman and more than 2,000 other people have endorsed its goal of "promoting livable, walkable and economically vibrant streets" in New Haven.

The Police Department, under new Chief James Lewis, has made traffic enforcement a renewed priority, with traffic tickets up about 35 percent since Lewis took over in mid-July, compared to last year. Saying losing a loved one to a traffic fatality is no less painful than losing one to gun violence, Lewis said he plans to double the size of the traffic unit next year. The coalition has requested neighborhood-by-neighborhood reports of enforcement data.

Pedestrian deaths spur 'safe streets' movement, WTNH TV-8 (AP story also picked up by Boston Globe, WCBS-New York News Radio and others), 10/14/08

A series of pedestrian deaths in recent years, including those of a Yale student and a fifth-grade girl, has spawned a movement to improve road safety in New Haven.

The "Street Smarts" public education campaign launches Sunday in the Elm City. It comes after more than 2,000 people signed petitions seeking street improvements. They want New Haven's roads improved to make them safer for pedestrians, bicyclists and drivers.

The campaign gained momentum after a Yale medical student was killed in April. Two months later, an 11-year-old girl was killed by a hit-and-run driver as she entered a laundromat. New Haven aldermen say pedestrian safety is critical because about 14 percent of the city's residents walk to work, among the highest percentage of any New England city.

New Haven "Street Smarts" Campaign, WTNH TV-8, 10/19/08

A new campaign is officially underway in the Elm City and aimed at making streets safer for pedestrians, bicyclists and drivers. The Elm City's "Street Smarts" campaign was sparked by a series of pedestrian deaths in recent years.

Bill Mrowka, of New Haven: "Everyday, four-to-five times, I cross this street here." Taskey: "How is it getting around?" Mrowka: "Suicide." It's a battle for 83-year old Bill Mrowka to cross the street near his New Haven home. "Even with this thing in the road (pointing to sign) I get stuck in the middle of the road and can't get to the other side," he said.

The city put up portable cross walk signs at State and Elm hoping to remind drivers to yield to pedestrians. "There's something in the middle of the road, people tend to slow down for something in the road," Ben Berkowitz, of New Haven, said. "So I do see more break lights during rush hour which is nice.

Road rules take priority in Elm City, Yale Daily News, 10/20/08

In interviews, several Yalies said they agree that in New Haven, traffic rules are little more than a formality, and that most students jaywalk to and from class without thinking much of it. Lukas Colberg ’12 said that Yale’s campus is built such that it is convenient to break traffic rules, such as on the stretch of Elm Street filled with students weaving between cars to get to class.

"Street Smarts” Drive Launched, New Haven Independent, 10/20/08

Shawn Perkins (left) took the “Smart Driver” pledge and Alexander McDonough was fitted for his first bike helmet, as officials inaugurated a traffic-calming campaign that grew out of a citywide grassroots movement.

Mayor John DeStefano called the evolution of the Street Smarts campaign a sign of vibrant citizen activism in New Haven. It grew from the grassroots. First there were the two main activist groups focused on single issues. Those groups in turn united with other grassroots neighborhood organizations with broader agendas, such as the downtown management team and Westville Renaissance. Finally, these activists found a city official, transportation czar Mike Piscitelli, who already sympathized with their cause and was eager to try out new traffic-calming ideas.

DeStefano also spoke of how New Haven’s streets were originally dominated by pedestrians and cyclists (and horses) before America became car “obsessed” in the 1940s. “We started forgetting what streets were,” he said, “wonderful places that connected us.” He urged New Haveners of all transit persuasions to “give a little” and “make space for everybody.”

City kicks off Street Smarts program, New Haven Register, 10/20/08

One reason for the awareness campaign, which employees a professional marketing firm, is because physical changes to make city streets safer cost money and take time. But getting people to be more aware of each other can start making things safer more immediately, Travers said.

“Drivers’ habits have changed over the years. What we want to do is change that behavior” to make it safer and “alert motorists that they need to be aware of the bicyclists” and pedestrians on the road, he said.

Street Smarts effort aims to make city safer for pedestrians (Op-Ed by Mayor John DeStefano, Jr), New Haven Register, 10/19/08 (excerpt)

Indeed, thousands of people walk through the downtown area, the medical district and our neighborhoods every day. For many residents and students, a bicycle has firmly replaced the car and cyclists are on city streets at every hour of the day. The combination of higher fuel prices, shifting demographic patterns and the tremendous growth in downtown all suggest that even more people will be walking and cycling on city streets in the coming years. In no uncertain terms, we must be attentive and respectful to everyone using the roadway.

The Street Smarts campaign also responds to a nationwide concern over the number and severity of traffic accidents. In the United States, a pedestrian is killed every seven minutes and another 85,000 are injured every year. These are our neighbors and friends, not just statistics.

Here, New Haven still mourns the loss of Mila Rainof, an amazingly talented student at Yale University, and Gabrielle Lee, an engaging 11-year-old school child. Both Rainof and Gabrielle died in tragic crashes this summer. Many others lost their lives in motor vehicle crashes as well.

In just a few months, the community has been galvanized through the New Haven Safe Streets Coalition of residents, civic leaders, city officials and organizations. Their advocacy has accelerated the pace of change with tangible programs sponsored by Elm City Cycling, Yale University, the Yale School of Medicine's Traffic Safety Committee, the City of New Haven and the Connecticut Department of Transportation.