New Haven Independent

Posted by: anon | July 18, 2008 3:32 PM

Lights mean nothing. You need to improve safety through design, not by adding lights. The streets need to be significantly narrowed here. How much does the plan reduce the crossing distance by? 10%? It needs to be at least 50%. A roundabout needs to be considered. Curbs must be bumped out along the entire stretch of all roads leading into the intersection, and medians added, so that the pedestrian crossing distances are no more than 10 feet. Raised and painted crosswalks are a must. The road should be designed with a top vehicle operating speed of 15mph.

Otherwise, more people will die. You can guarantee it.

It's amazing that our engineers are still using 1950s traffic planning principles on such a busy pedestrian intersection. Is Yale having any say into this? What about the donors who are giving $800 million for the new colleges to be built down the street.

Slower, calmer and safer streets -- streets that are designed as such -- will do much more towards encouraging bicycling and walking than any number of bike lanes, turn lanes, new sidewalks or pedestrian signals can ever hope to accomplish.

Posted by: JackNH | July 18, 2008 10:36 PM

That intersection drives (pun intended) me nuts. It's never clear when it's safe to cross the street on foot. Something has to be done before hundreds of Yalies are housed in that area. iPod-wearing, clueless kids crossing whenever will be mowed down by speeding motorists going thru right lights . . . Welcome to New Haven!

Posted by: observer | July 18, 2008 10:40 PM

"For them and other violators, the plan also includes camera and video detection systems."

Hey, wait a minute. I thought we've been told that state law would have to change before New Haven could install cameras at intersections, to identify traffic violators. If they can be planned for this intersection, why not others? Or was this just PR nonsense that was fed to the meeting? Or, as the article seems to suggest, are these cameras going to be meant only to monitor pedestrians? What's going on here?

Posted by: observer | July 18, 2008 10:46 PM

By the way, speaking of roads and intersections, whatever happened to the meeting the state DOT supposedly was going to be holding in early July to discuss the widening of Whalley Avenue? Am I wrong? Did I miss it? Repeat question, what's going on here?

Posted by: East Rockette | July 19, 2008 8:34 AM

I totally agree with Anon and Jack. That intersection drives me nuts too - whether I use it as a driver, a pedestrian, or a cyclist.

As a pedestrian, there are no reliable walk signals - WTF, on a major pedestrian thoroughfare traversed by probably thousands of people on an average day?? As a cyclist, the lanes are cramped and confusing, esp if you're coming from Prospect.

And as a driver, I approach the intersection with trepidation. Even when you get a green on Trumbull, it's not clear if you can safely turn left onto Prospect, because the Canal traffic is staring you in the face. And this is GOOD! Confusion and uncertainty slow drivers down.

So this redesign had better have a lot of confusion and uncertainty built into it. Otherwise it will be as dangerous as the crosswalk at Trumbull and Lincoln, where cars fly through at speeds of 50+, because they've got a straight run to the lights at Whitney and all they can think about is getting there before the lights change.

I'd like to see Yale put their foot down, on behalf of the safety of the large walking/biking population that they're in loco parentis for. I'd like to see the streets and intersections around the campus treated like pedestrian precincts - raised brick crosswalks, planters, bump-outs whatever it takes to indicate to drivers that they are passing through a zone that prioritises pedestrians. Everything Anon said, and more.

Posted by: anon | July 20, 2008 4:06 PM

Thanks for agreeing, East Rockette! What people don't realize also is that whatever gets built here, we all have to live with for the next 40 years. So let's do it right the first time instead of rushing the job. Call the city and ask them to revise the plan so that it promotes traffic safety above everything else. Traffic deaths and injuries are simply unacceptable.

Regarding the DOT public hearing about the conversion of Whalley into a 4-lane boulevard, apparently that's scheduled for July 31st from 5-8pm. There's some info posted on the events calendar at www.newhavensafestreets.org.

Posted by: pedro | July 21, 2008 6:58 PM

I don't think that making the roadways safer for pedestrians and also better for vehicular traffic are necessarily mutually exclusive things.

Don't forget, Whalley's horrendous design, while also contributing to the recent pedestrian fatality also has contributed to scores of vehicular accidents over the years due to it's poor design.

The illogical interchange at Trumbull and Prospect I also don't think makes for a "safe" design because it inconveniences cars, there has to be a way of satisfying both goals: slowing down cars where there is a critical mass of pedestrian traffic but also making for smooth and orderly flow of traffic.

The biggest problems with many new haven intersections are an utter lack of clearly marked pedestrian markers to alert drivers that they need to slow down or stop to let foot traffic by.

For me, the most notorious is the intersection of Wall and Temple. It is a mid block crossing with ZERO pedestrian markings or lights.
Worst of all, the people who DO stop in their car are frequently honked at due to drivers who can't see the crossing.

Large pedestrian crossings with traffic CAN be redesigned so that everyone's experience is improved. Imagine the Woolsey hall intersection with raised and textured pedestrian crossings and clearly marked turning lanes with a seperate cycle for turns (so that it was clear when traffic was turning and students could cross without worrying that a car was turning into traffic.

I also think New Haven should invest in intersections such as this:

https://cms.amherst.edu/offices/facilities/capital_projects/project_archives/crosswalks_college

Amherst college has a student population right at the intersection of two major roads in the town, and they have managed to redesign their intersections so that they improve the quality of life for both drivers AND pedestrians.

Posted by: observer | July 21, 2008 11:08 PM

Excellent post, Pedro. Excellent! There is also another page at that web site that shows what they've done at a different intersection.

https://cms.amherst.edu/offices/facilities/capital_projects/project_archives/crosswalks_spleasant

And thanks to Anon for the DOT meeting info.

Posted by: anon | July 22, 2008 10:47 AM

I agree, observer and Pedro! Someone really needs to organize the area residents, students and faculty who use this intersection (and the one at Wall & Temple), and get them to create a petition calling for the area to be redesigned along 21st century principles that emphasize pedestrian safety as the #1 concern.

In a dense city like New Haven, the public should no longer put up with dangerous intersections. It is simply intolerable.