New Haven Independent

A living room’s worth of Fair Haveners gathered at the Perkins Street home of Christel Manning to review some of the traffic-calming proposals made during a charrette last June led by nationally known consultant Dan Burden.

They wanted to formulate specific plans to submit to the city for “shovel-ready” projects for the non-highway transportation funding in the $800 billion stimulus package currently being debated in Congress.

Stewart Hutchings (pictured at top of story) said he just returned from a visit to England, where he saw roundabouts everywhere. “They both slow down traffic and keep it flowing,” he said, vowing to find some photos on Google Earth to share with the committee. Hutchings, a bow hunter, has brought home his share of deer, but he said the venison topping served on Wednesday night’s pizza came from another hunter.

Alderwoman Erin Sturgis-Pascale (pictured), a leader of the citywide traffic-calming movement, said several of the top priorities from the charrette featured roundabouts, but these might be less likely to get funded than other, less expensive projects. The group discussed striping Grand Avenue to create more parking for businesses along the neighborhood’s main thoroughfare, and striping part of Front Street to create more parking by Quinnipiac Park, parallel to the river.

Lee Cruz referenced the meeting held last week to unveil proposals to make downtown more bike-friendly. He suggested trying to find projects that could connect to efforts to expand bike- and pedestrian-friendly proposals out from downtown into Fair Haven.

The neighbors discussed how the intersection of Grand Avenue and Ferry Street is one of the worst in the city, where gridlocked drivers have a hard time getting into the C-Town parking lot and accessing other stores. And for cyclists and pedestrians — it’s a nightmare. “This is a good opportunity to work with GAVA,” Sturgis-Pascale said, referring to the Grand Avenue merchants’ association.

Ultimately the group decided to draft a letter to city Chief Administrative Officer Rob Smuts, referencing Dan Burden’s proposals for traffic calming, which won wide support in the neighborhood. The letter will ask for some of the transportation money that will be coming to New Haven to take on part of what he proposed, focusing on Grand Avenue from Perkins Street to Front Street, then turning right on Front along the river.

They decided to ask for what they wanted, including aesthetic touches like bump-outs and flower tubs, and try to get some of that funded in other ways if it can’t be funded with the stimulus money.

And they enjoyed the pizza.