WHEREAS: the City has described the Route 34/Downtown Crossing project
as a plan to transform Route 34 East, from Union Avenue to Park Street
in downtown, from highway stub to slower speed, city streets and to
bridge the gap between New Haven's Downtown (its business, government,
arts and entertainment, and education centers) and its Medical District
and Hill neighborhoods; and

WHEREAS: there is broad public support for advancing the Downtown
Crossing project; and

WHEREAS: the City desires to employ the policies and priorities stated
in the Complete Streets manual in planning the Route 34/Downtown
Crossing project; and

WHEREAS: one-third of households in New Haven do not have access to an
automobile, making the provision of pedestrian, bicycle and transit
access a matter of social justice and moral necessity; and

WHEREAS: providing for pedestrian and cyclist safety aids in the
creation of a livable sense of place; and

WHEREAS: the redevelopment of the Route 34 corridor as a welcoming,
vibrant, and safe destination will link New Haven’s downtown, the
Medical District, and Union Station, creating additional economic
development opportunities and effectively expanding Downtown New Haven
through the Medical District to Union Station.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the New Haven Board of Aldermen
strongly urges city and state officials and staff to grant equal
planning priority to pedestrian, cyclist, vehicular, and mass transit
accessibility and safety in the redevelopment the Route 34 Corridor.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the New Haven Board of Aldermen strongly
urges the city and state to consider the following design aspects in the
redevelopment of the Route 34 corridor:

1)      Roadways designed for the slowest vehicular speeds as may be
safely and reasonably accommodated;
2)      Roadways designed for narrowest lane widths as may be safely
accommodated;
3)      Roadways that provide for the safest pedestrian experience,
including crossing distances as narrow as possible, utilization of
pedestrian refuge islands, raised cross-walks, and exclusive pedestrian
walk phases that grant as much time for pedestrian crossing as can be
reasonably accommodated;  and
4)      Utilization of excess travel lane capacity where possible for
on-street parking;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the New Haven Board of Aldermen strongly
urges the city, state, and local employers to consider and encourage the
expansion of shuttle services that take advantage of underutilized
parking lots so as to reduce the volume of single-occupant cars
commuting into the city.