New Haven Independent

Posted by: john | January 6, 2009 11:25 AM

why cyclocentric headline?

not that i don't sympathize with the plight of cyclists here, there, and everywhere, but it's not just bikers' relief that's at stake on whitney--the suspension on my car has taken quite a beating going down whitney.

Posted by: Frankly | January 6, 2009 11:30 AM

All hail Roland Lemar!- king of pork for his district! Seriously, does this guy have something on DeStefano or Smuts? Lemar gets more goodies than any alder I have ever heard of.

Posted by: robn | January 6, 2009 12:46 PM

GREAT!

Posted by: Alphonse Credenza | January 6, 2009 12:50 PM

Another of the radical bikists to blatantly flout the law and ride on the sidewalk when it suits their needs! How many have been riding on the sidewalk after this last snowstorm? Dozens that I've seen! (Do they think it must be safer there, perchance?)

After paving, bikists can ride with the Big Dogs on a major thoroughfare during Rush Hour. ...but only until the next snowstorm or their personal convenience dictates!

FINE THEM. The City needs the revenue to pay for paving.

Posted by: Ben | January 6, 2009 1:27 PM

Speeds on Whitney at rush hour are too fast for cyclists to be safe.
In personal and biased opinion State Street is the best and safest direct route to Downtown from East Rock.
Please put sharrows on State Street to increase cyclist comfort on the road.

Posted by: WalkBikeCT | January 6, 2009 1:35 PM

"Frankly",

How is repaving a roadway "pork"? It seems to be that it's one of the city's most basic responsibilities. With all due respect, your comment is completely ridiculous.

Posted by: Hood Rebel | January 6, 2009 2:14 PM

What the hell??? With all this talk about budget cuts and no money for the homeless and helpless??? Please..give me a brick!

Posted by: Kevin | January 6, 2009 2:27 PM

To Frankly

Not that Roland or the project need defending, but only about 1/4 of it is in the 9th ward-the rest is spread over three other wards.

Posted by: nfjanette | January 6, 2009 3:28 PM

The project isn't new -- funds have already been budgeted for and were approved by aldermen over a year ago. The city has already secured a contractor to do the work. The state required the city to come back to the board for a second approval because over a year had passed since the first approval and the project still hadn't gotten under way.

The city was waiting for the Ferry Street Bridge to be done before embarking on this project, Mayorga said.

Obviously the same ace city team that closed the Ferry Street Bridge and left it for years without a plan for the repairs. In private industry, such people would be called: unemployed.

Posted by: David Streever | January 6, 2009 3:38 PM

Finally! Very cool.

I bet you never have a problem with snow, even in your car :D

Posted by: Matt Uva | January 6, 2009 3:41 PM

"Rob Smuts, the city's chief administrative officer, said there's no room on Whitney to add a bike lane."

Ever heard of Sharrows, Mr. Smuts?

Posted by: SO DISAPPOINTED, AGAIN | January 6, 2009 8:37 PM

Hey Alphonse Credenza, you are living in an alternate universe. I dare you to ride your bike during morning and afternoon rush hour on Whitney Ave, up and down, back and forth, every week day.

Dare you. Do it. Really. Then post a comment about it. I love my family and myself enough to be SAFE. Get with it - DRIVERS DO NOT UNDERSTAND HOW TO SHARE THE ROAD WITH BIKES. PERIOD. EXCLAMATION POINT.I SHOULD KNOW, I ALSO DRIVE A ...CAR!

When the police start ticketing the drivers for speeding (very much), turning right into bikes, running red lights, yellow lights, etc... THEN they can ticket RIDING ON THE SIDEWALK with no complaints...don't you think? Really.

Give me a break - how many bicycles have run YOU OFF THE SIDEWALK? HUH? GEEZE!!!!!!!! Let's all risk OUR lives to make Alphonse Credenza FEEL BETTER!

Posted by: SO DISAPPOINTED | January 6, 2009 8:57 PM

oops! oh dear Alphonse Credenza. Was your post (perchance) sarcasm? Uhmmm..really?

Posted by: ParkStTaxPayer | January 6, 2009 9:31 PM

as a cyclist, I avoid Whitney at all costs; it's just too dangerous for skinny bicycle tires.

add in rush hour traffic and motorists on their cell phones while changing the satellite radio or fiddling with their GPS, and that's just suicide. Sidewalks are often the only recourse. you just can't compete with a 2,000lb car and expect to win, when you're on a bicycle.

I'm glad they're going to repave this nightmare road!!!

Posted by: John Wysolmerski | January 6, 2009 9:59 PM

So here is a suggestion. I personally think that Whitney Avenue has plenty of room for bike lanes. What it does not have room for is four lanes of traffic! I can't stand the jerks who come zooming up the right lane and then have to merge into a standing line of traffic when there is a parked car or a bus. Plus, cars go way too fast on the weekend or in off peak hours. Therefore, I suggest that when they repave the road they make two lanes of traffic and a center turning lane and use the extra space to generate bike lanes separated from the traffic by another curb (if there is room, bag the curb if not). If one wants to encourage more efficient transportation, this would provide a powerful incentive to ride a bike, car pool or take a bus since it would definitely slow down car traffic into the city during rush hour. But, it would provide a great commuting route into downtown for cyclists. It would get me back on a bike - I got too scared trying to commute across town! Landscaped, separated bike lanes would look nicer and be a valuable recreational resource as well. And, it would be a great forward-thinking statement about the community and its values. I know, I know - everyone in cars will scream about what a stupid idea this would be and how it would create gridlock etc. But, after a bit of adjustment, I bet it would work out great. Anyway just a thought!!

Posted by: David Streever | January 6, 2009 10:59 PM

If the city is going to claim a road is too narrow, I'd like to see a measurement on that road.

Personally I'm dissapointed in this.

This stretch of Whitney has been AWFUL for years--3 that I know for a fact.

WOW! You managed to pave a road, and it only took.... THREE YEARS!

John Wysolmerski is completely correct. It is foolish, impractical, & dangerous to continue this stretch of Whitney as a 4 lane. Residences are all along this street, a huge quantity of foot traffic, & a great deal of bike traffic.

If the city was interested in being progressive in road design & infrastructure, they would listen carefully to Mr. Wysolmerski on this.

His suggestion is practical & timely: similar designs are being implemented in many other places.

Posted by: Jude | January 7, 2009 8:59 AM

I would like to see an article encouraging cyclists to wear reflectors on their person & on the bike at night. When people are dressed in dark clothes, it is very difficult to see cyclists at night when I'm drivng ~ especially when they are riding against traffic. I have had too many close calls with cyclists who are not riding responsibly.

Posted by: Bruce | January 7, 2009 9:34 AM

Thanks you for paving, this is great news. I think Whitney is a state road, so the city's options for redesign is limited.

I would love it if Whitney was three lanes -- two travel and one turn lane. That might work, but then again the heavier congestion gets the more people tend to veer off onto smaller residential roads like Orange and Prospect. Other options:

* Widen the street to include a proper, separate dedicated bicycle lane.
* Turn the sidewalk (one side of the street only) into a shared use sidewalk/bike path on one side of the street. That is a pretty big sidewalk. One side of the street would still be foot-traffic only.

Posted by: Jack | January 7, 2009 10:43 AM

hey Al, bikes are here to stay.

Posted by: Alphonse Credenza | January 7, 2009 11:30 AM

I agree. Bikes are here to stay...and they should stay on the sidewalk.

Posted by: Jason | January 7, 2009 12:06 PM

It would be a dream if they would convert Whitney into a COMPLETE STREET consisting of one lane of traffic in each direction with bicycle lanes also going in both directions.

The leftover space could be used for car parking on one or both sides of the road (except near intersections). At each intersection, a third lane would be created for cars waiting to turn left. The thru or right-turning traffic would temporarily detour slightly to the right of this new lane into the space where cars would otherwise be parked.

Traffic throughut: HIGH
Car speed: DECREASED
Cyclist and pedestrian safety: GREATLY INCREASED
Liveability of Whitney Ave: GREATLY INCREASED

Unfortunately, since Whitney is considered State Route 10, ConnDOT will veto anything this sensible.

Posted by: WalkBikeCT | January 7, 2009 1:19 PM

All-Phony,

Bikes are here to stay and they're going to stay in the road,where they have the legal right to be, no matter how much you whine.

The future of transportation is going to be cleaner and involve more walking and biking and less driving and polluting. Most people see less pollution and increased transportation choice as a good thing. I'm not really sure why you don't, unless you're one of those people that enjoys taking contrarian positions because it makes you feeler smarter and more original.

You can pound out angry posts all you want, but the city is changing for the better, and you're not going to stop that sitting in front of your computer moaning and groaning about cyclists.

Seriously, get over it.

Posted by: Tom Harned | January 7, 2009 1:22 PM

Jason,

Here's some good news. Whitney Avenue is not owned by the state within the city of New Haven. It only becomes a state road when you hit the Hamden town line. In other words, on the New Haven portion of Whitney, ConnDOT has virtually no say over the design.

-Tom

Posted by: DingDong | January 7, 2009 2:02 PM

Fortunately, I think Whitney is not under ConnDOT's shortsighted control within New Haven. I think ConnDOT takes over at the Hamden line, isn't that right?

A three lane road (two travel lanes and one turn lane) can carry almost the same number of vehicles as a four-lane road, because turning cars get out of the way of travelling cars and all the stopping and swerving and merging is avoided.

Unfortunately, City Hall's traffic engineer seems as obstinate and backwards as ever. (To be fair, perhaps he studied the issue and had a good reason not implement a more progressive design but I have my doubts).

Posted by: Ned | January 7, 2009 2:32 PM

Spotted on the bumper of Alphonse Credenza's horse-less buggy...You should see him ride too!

Posted by: nfjanette | January 8, 2009 12:45 PM

You can pound out angry posts all you want, but the city is changing for the better, and you're not going to stop that sitting in front of your computer moaning and groaning about cyclists.

Aside from the polemic posting of cycling advocates on NHI, are there any recent studies or other observations that show a notable increase in cycling in the Elm City? Anecdotally, I've seen no notable increase, even when fuel prices were at the highest.

Posted by: Josh Smith | January 8, 2009 5:20 PM

Please, New Haven city government -- don't adopt ConnDOT's stance of "there's no room for a bike lane" in your repaving of Whitney. If neither Whalley nor Whitney end up with a dedicated bike lane, I may not move back to New Haven when I'm done with school. I hear Portland, Oregon has some bitchin' bike lanes and paths, and now they even categorize them as Class 1, 2, and 3! Maybe I should give Portland my tax dollars when I graduate from school, because that's a city that's serious about bike infrastructure... And you know, even Manchester has bike paths to and from Hartford along I-384, so it's not impossible, guys!! Please shape up and be the progressive city we know you can be. Not everyone wants to drive their car 100% of the time, especially for a mile-long trip to buy groceries or attend a city meeting. If you continue to bend to the will of those who only drive (and those who refuse to play nice with cyclists on the roads), you'll lose at least one potential resident, and I won't miss the higher crime rate either.

Posted by: Tom Harned | January 8, 2009 10:30 PM

NFJanette,

This fall the city recently did its first official count of cyclists and pedestrians in the downtown. As time goes on and more counts are conducted they'll have a better of idea of the trends in cycling and walking in New Haven.

Based on bicycle parking occupancy and demand at a number of places including Union Station, bicycling does appear to be up pretty significantly.

The general belief is that cycling is up quite a bit, and the results of the counting program and other studies are expected this out. I guess we'll see.

Posted by: Bruce | January 9, 2009 9:04 AM

Hi NFJanette,

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.

Posted by: robn | January 9, 2009 1:12 PM

If Whitney Avenue is wide enough for 4 car lanes, the it is wide enough for 2 car lanes, 1 center turn lane and two .5 wide bike lanes.

2 + 1 + .5 + .5 = 4

The traffic engineers may think this is impossible, but I dare them to just try it out...all it will take is just paintlines and some mods to signals for left turning.

Honestly, it might be worth risking the money it would require to change it back...we can real world test it and the payoff might be dramatic upticks in bike ridership and downticks in automobile traffic.

Posted by: westvillecairns | January 11, 2009 11:40 AM

I had to give up taking my scooter to work, as I have to regularly go from our Hamden to New Haven office - Whitney Avenue is a nightmare for two-wheeled vehicles, motorized or not. I have been nearly flung off my scooter while traveling Whitney Avenue, especially when trying to ride in the right hand lane towards downtown. I do not have the option of taking to the sidewalks. And while we are on the subject of massively damaged roadways, what about the section of Edgewood Avenue across from the park on the residential side? My car is nearly shaken apart on that stretch, and it makes the homes in the area look like a war zone. I pay an extortionate amount of taxes to this City, is it too much to ask that it stops looking like what people in the suburbs like to point to when deriding it?