New Haven Independent

WEB Considers Roundabout

by Allan Appel | December 19, 2007 9:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (8)

nhi-webdec%20004.JPG When Erin Sturgis-Pascale brought her gospel of traffic calming to Whalley Avenue, not everyone was ready to accept the new faith.

Sturgis-Pascale, a Fair Haven alderwoman, has made a crusade of slowing down drivers and making city streets safer. She spoke of her efforts at Wednesday night’s Whalley-Edgewood-Beaver Hill (WEB) management team meeting.

At issue was the chronic speeding and sometimes chaotic traffic conditions around Hillhouse High School, specifically the dangerous intersection where cars racing down curving Crescent Street cross Munson. Cars nudge perilously out trying to cross or turn.

The vehicle issue is also complicated by the many pedestrians — often kids in groups from school or going to or from nearby Bowen Field — who were described as taking their lives in their hands.

nhi-webdec%20001.JPG Currently there is a stop sign and a blinking light, but the squeal of breaks and accidents are commonplace, according to area alderman Moti Sandman (pictured). The city’s traffic and parking office has done a study confirming some remedy is required. “It’s a miracle,” he said, “no one has been killed yet.”

The question Sandman and other WEB members debated was which remedy should be applied. Francine Caplan was all for a full-fledged light with walk and don’t-walk signals. Sandman wasn’t certain of that approach.

So he brought his aldermanic colleague and the city’s traffic-calming guru, Sturgis-Pascale, to explain the advantages of a roundabout to a full-fledged light.

“The idea here is to reduce speed,” she explained to, among others, (left to right in the photo at the top) Nadine Herring, chair of the Whalley Avenue Revitalization Committee; Stephanie Fitzgerald, secretary of WEB, and Jennifer Blennings of ALSO-Cornerstone, Inc, “With a light, a driver will often just speed up just to get through it. A light will likely not achieve the goal.”

Instead Sturgis-Pascale recommended a roundabout or rotary, which would force people to reduce from 40 to 20 miles per hour. “With warning signs that a rotary is coming and zebras in both incoming directions, that’ll do the trick.”

Francine Caplan and Robert Caplan, WEB’s chair, were unconvinced. They challenged Sturgis-Pascale about the effectiveness of the roundabout recently installed at Woodward Avenue in the East Shore, where there have been reports of less than great success, including poor visibility of the roundabout at night.

“Plus,” added Francine Caplan, “the issue is more than speed on Crescent. It’s lots of people crossing, at high volume times to games at Bowen Field or for events at Southern. Plus, rotaries are known in Massachusetts but not here. People don’t understand them.”

Sturgis-Pascale concurred that education of drivers is in fact critical, but maintained that it could work. She also pointed out that dollar for dollar a traffic light and a roundabout or island costs the same. “However, a light over the years costs a lot to maintain whereas a roundabout is virtually self-maintaining.”

nhi-webdec%20003.JPG WEB member Peaches Quinn (pictured in the background) suggested the real problem is not the single Crescent-Munson intersection, but the entire traffic pattern in the area and what Quinn called a lack of city leadership to promote sensible driving. Sturgis-Pascale said amen. “I’m fearful,” said Quinn, “we’ll be reactive, solve one problem but only at one intersection, and it’ll be a band-aid without addressing the larger issue.”

(On the larger issue, the city has instituted a “Pace Car” campaign. Click here to read about that.)

So where would Alderman Sandman come down on all this?

“Come here, Francine,” he said. “You know the problem is not just ours but Southern’s and Hillhouse’s. It’s their traffic in the area. And also let’s not forget there’s speeding there from drug dealing. It’s a kind of a drive-by drug market on Crescent and Ellsworth. They call ahead by cell phone, arrange a deal, stop, and speed off. We need to talk to all these parties and not go it alone. I’m going to secure the funding first.”

“So we’re not going to go for the light?” Caplan asked.

“At this point I’m neutural about the device, light or roundabout, but I will be very active in securing the funding first, and I think we can get the relief if we push for it. Then we bring all the parties together and figure out the best solution.”

“As long as it won’t take forever,” she said. “There’s a fatality there waiting to happen.”

Bike Racks For Hillhouse

In a related transportation and safety matter, Sandman reported that he received an approval from Hillhouse’s principal, the police department, and Sue Weisselberg, coordinator of school construction, to have bike racks installed at Hillhouse. Currently there are none for the entire 1,200 students at the school.

In the past month kids — often truant from school — have been stashing their bikes for safety in the backyards of houses on Norton Street. “When an old person on Norton Street,” said Sandman, “looks out their window and sees a kid in the bushes with a bike, that’s not the way it’s supposed to be.”

No one seems to know how many kids ride bikes to Hillhouse. Sandman said he expects the racks to be up in January. There will also be some indoor storage space for the bikes in the bad weather.

Bad Guys Don’t Go Away in Winter

nhi-webdec%20002.JPG In other news from the WEB, Harry’s Package Store, long a community eyesore at Blake and Fitch, has finally been demolished, to be replaced by, yes, another Dunkin’ Donuts. This one, apparently has its caffeinated eye on the java drinkers from Southern.

District manager Sgt. Stephen Shea reported that car thefts, burglaries and robberies — especially of pizza and more recently Chinese food deliverers - are troublingly on the increase. But shootings are way down.

“I attribute that,” he said, “both to the good work of a force that up until the new recruits arrived, was depleted but still really working hard. That, and also the truces effected by the Street Outreach Workers. That’s made a major difference.”

As the eggnog was being stirred for the holiday party to follow this briefer than usual WEB meeting, Shea also advised people against leaving their cars running in parking lots during the cold weather while they run in to do a brief errand. “There are people who will try for your stuff while you’ve dashed inside. Bad guys don’t go away in winter.”

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Comments

Posted by: Nan | December 19, 2007 10:32 AM

Great coverage of our Whalley-Edgewood-Beaver Hill (WEB) management team meeting! Keep it up.
The management team meetings handle important neighborhood issues. It's very helpful to be able to read about the issues right away in the NHI.

Posted by: charlie | December 19, 2007 11:15 AM

Given the billions of pages of articles written on why universities are one of the future drivers of local creative economies in cities throughout the world, why isn't Southern CT State involved more in it's neighborhood? The State of CT has NO VISION! The Dunkin Donuts could have been incorporated into an attractive, mixed-use building that defines and brings vibrancy to this neighborhood. Instead it will just be another strip mall eyesore eroding property values for blocks in every direction and contributing absolutely nothing to the city.

Also, roundabouts are the best idea ever. Cheaper than traffic lights and about 80 times safer. We need much stronger leadership from the City to get them installed there and elsewhere in the city. The people in this neighborhood aren't traffic engineers so of course they are going to be initially opposed. It would be nice if they had a more open mind about things, of course, but it's really up to better leadership to change the environment.

Posted by: JackNH | December 19, 2007 3:28 PM

Sigh. NOTHING would improve the quality of life more in New Haven than if motorists and pedestrians obeyed the rules. I live in Fair Haven and I not only watch almost everyone speed, but I regularly see even police and school buses go thru stop signs and red lights. What gives?

Okay, roundabouts might help. Traffic lights are clearly ignored, so don't waste money on them. The best solution? TICKET VIOLATORS. I once remember a city official saying that it was "simply" "part of the culture" of New Haven to run lights and jaywalk, and therefore hard to change. Well, a few stiff tickets will cure our fellow citizens of that!

Posted by: Chris Gray | December 20, 2007 2:58 AM

I recall being shocked when I received a jaywalking ticket, in 1971, crossing at the corner of Stuart and Tremont Streets in Boston with my fiancé and my sister.

I had long since been signing the men's room wall graffiti in Yale's A&A building "The Resident", so was used to York and Chapel or York and Elm and Broadway, where you make your own rules or, so, it seemed.

Roundabouts remind me of divided roadways, such as upper Edgewood Avenue and northern Norton Street and the other examples of elegant, practical design elements still left in place by Frederick Law Olmstead, who also gave us Edgewood Park. Actually, he gave a lot to Massachusetts, New York, Chicago, and America, in general, but he did not ignore the Elm City.

A good coat of bright, reflective paint should solve the night vision problems.

Posted by: elmcityexpat | December 20, 2007 7:19 PM

Roundabouts? Are you kidding me? I have just returned to New Haven after 12 years of living in the UK and I can tell you that they do NOT necessarily solve traffic problems nor are they particularly "elegant". They are often confusing, and require a great deal of clear signage to allow motorists to understand which turning they will need to take in order to reach their destination. Does the city have it in their budget to provide for signs as well as a roundabout? And when it's rush hour -- hooo boy. Have you ever seen a traffic jam at a roundabout? You might just cry.

They are also an absolute nightmare for pedestrians to cross, often requiring them to make several crossings instead of just one to reach their destination. How does this make them "80 times safer"? Especially if the cretins that pass for licensed drivers in this town have no clue what one is in the first place? Hey, if we're really going to push the traffic boat out and go all British-like, the city could introduce some beautiful pedestrian underpasses underneath the roundabout -- nothing like those for attracting undesirable elements! Ahhh, brings back beautiful memories of such structures in Coventry and North Oxford...the dripping water...the threatening kids in hoodies on bikes...

Nothing beats an intersection with proper traffic lights and pedestrian crossing lights, in my opinion. Clear, simple, and people know how they work, even if they ignore them half the time.

Posted by: Chris Gray | December 22, 2007 2:54 AM

Yeah, well at least Olmstead planned a hundred years ahead and his works have stood up, despite the abuse, even if the philosophy behind them has proved flawed. But, I wax nostalgiac.

Elmcityexpat, your points are well taken.

Posted by: Chris Gray | December 22, 2007 8:34 PM

Though, traveling through the giant roundabout that is Elm, Broadway and York, with its central parking lot, today reminded me that slowing and frustrating drivers are not such bad things. Perhaps a roundabout with lights would be better.

It would also, coincidentally, create another archaic form, a village square though, due to traffic noise, the traditional soapbox must give way to the sign or banner and the bullhorn.

Posted by: Walt | December 28, 2007 2:51 PM

Have any of you folks ever gone to the State Capitol?

YOU TAKE I91, Go off at the Capitol Ave, Exit and head for a roundabout such as some New Haveners apparently desire.

At each of the 5 (4?) entrances you encounter a Stop Sign, requiring entering traffic, to wait for a gap in the heavy traffic before entering the circle, which is already teeming with other folks speeding toward their jobs or business in the many State and other offices in the area, and the novices who say the hell with these stupid Stop signs, then careen into the speeding circle , endangering all the other impatient drivers, all of whom think they have the rightofway and will challenge every other driver as to who really has the decision or power to go ahead.

Slows traffic? Sure.

Efficient? Hell, no.

Dangerous? Hell, yes.

Then, when you want to go straight again, you have to go at least to the second exit, cutting in front of those entering at the first street.

Often those incoming cars will force you into the inner circle for safety, meaning you cant get to the exit of your choice, and, at least in theory, must circle indefinitely unless you can scare another driver into allowing you to cut back through traffic to reach the exit you desire.

If they would dig up the current roundabout and install a traffic light, properly programmed, IMHO a more efficient and much safer interchange would result.

Those proposing the roundabouts for New Haven should be required to negotiate the existing Hartford Mixmaster Roundabout during rush hours before inflicting a similar mess on New Haveners.

...or visit the Dupont and other circles in the D.C. area. Terrible during busy parts of the day.

WEB Considers Roundabout

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