New Haven Independent

That message was delivered at a meeting Friday about pedestrian safety.

About 20 people — including Yale-New Haven Hospital administrators, Yale security officials, traffic engineers, the city’s director of transportation, and medical students from the Transportation Safety Group — gathered in a medical area conference room. They listened as YNHH Vice President Steve Merz summed up the safety enhancements already in place on the streets around the Smilow Cancer Hospital.

The improvements include a traffic signal for vehicles coming off Route 34 onto North Frontage Road; a new truck loading dock and a roundabout creating a new exit from the Air Rights garage; road signs to direct traffic onto the Route 34 connector to I-91 and I-95; more visible crosswalks; and curb extensions lessening the distance across three College Street intersections.

In another couple of weeks, said Merz (pictured), electronic signs will be installed on North Frontage off York Street and on South Frontage near Park Street to warn motorists that they are approaching busy pedestrian crossings.

City transportation chief Mike Piscitelli said the state Traffic Commission has approved installing eight of 12 new signals around the medical area, from Orchard Street to College Street — which were part of the development agreement between the city and YNHH, and have been jointly funded up to $3.5 million. The last four signals should be approved next week.

“Then we can advertise the job and get it out for construction,” Piscitelli reported. “Construction’s about a year, and we need about two to three months to advertise it and get the contract documents in order.

But Piscitelli added, “There’s a limit to what technology can do. We’re seeing a very frustrating behavioral thing with drivers right now, because they know there are pedestrians there, and they’re still plowing into the space.”

Several people at the meeting said they appreciate the efforts of the hospital, which Merz said cost almost $10 million). They also said pedestrian safety has not improved.

Karen Muth (pictured), who works at the Yale Child Study Center on South Frontage, said, “I still see trucks on the [old] loading dock.” That was where trucks were forced to back up onto South Frontage Road at York Street. A truck backing up there was part of the scenario that led to the tragic death of fourth-year medical student Mila Rainoff last year, which was the impetus for the formation of the medical area traffic safety group. Click here and here for stories on that.

Merz said the cancer hospital’s new underground loading dock, when fully implemented, will mean that trucks use the old one only for late-night deliveries.

Nancy Angoff, associate dean of student affairs at Yale Medical School, said, “I’m concerned that I’m hearing there won’t be any tangible improvements in pedestrian safety for another year.” She said she fears one of the “improvements” — the signs directing vehicles onto the interstates via Route 34 — encourage motorists to speed up on Frontage Road, “because they see they are almost there” to the highway.

Doug Hausladen (in photo at top of story), vice-chair of the Downtown-Wooster Square Community Management Team, asked for clarification of the timing between opening the cancer hospital and finishing the traffic improvements.

Merz said the original plan was to finish both at the same time. But when the traffic engineers the hospital hired got into the project they discovered it was much more complicated, necessitating more time and money.

“At that point [October 2007], the signal construction was delinked with the opening of the Smilow Cancer Hospital,” Merz said. “There’ve been statements that the Smilow opened inappropriately because the signals should have been upgraded,” but he said only a few dozen patients are being seen there now, and there won’t be a big increase in occupancy until early 2010 — still, many months before the signals are upgraded.

Fourth-year medical student Natalie Spicyn (pictured), a new co-chair of the transportation safety group, said she was surprised to hear that the delinking happened that long ago. “Everything I heard from my predecessors who ran this group after Mila’s death, [indicated] that linking was still there,” she said. “What was done on your end to push the timeline?”

Joe Balskus, with Tighe & Bond engineers, responded, “We have bugged the STC [State Traffic Commission] to no end on review of this project.”

“This is a long-term work in progress,” Piscitelli said. “The city is very pleased with the effort the hospital’s made.” He said it fits into a bigger proposal to redesign the whole Route 34 corridor.

Regarding proposals at the meeting to lengthen the timing of existing walk lights, change the surface of intersections, or install immediate pedestrian signage, he said, “Let us think about it.”

After the meeting, Spicyn said, “I think the problem is just so big that these changes are good but insufficient. They’re better than good, but necessary pre-requisites to do more to change the way people feel when they’re crossing the street. When I’m crossing the street I don’t feel safe.”

Reached by phone after the meeting, Piscitelli summed it up this way. “I believe our commitment at the meeting was that we would take the extra time and sit down and see what additional work makes sense that’s complementary to the fuller signal projects. I’m not sure offhand what might work, but there may be a solution to kind of tide us over for a year.” He said whether the city needs approval from the state traffic commission for any of that work depends on which improvements might be pursued.