nothin Downtown Crossing Critics Press On, Online | New Haven Independent

Downtown Crossing’s
Critics Press On, Online

Allan Appel Photo

Bianca Mugyeni, Yves Engler, & David Streever.

The DOT plan [for Route 34] is progressive. It’s come a long way, but not enough.”

That’s how alternative transportation activist David Streever characterized the present state of plans for Downtown Crossing, the federally funded remake of the Route 34 Corridor into two urban boulevards” and plopping high-rise mixed development in between.

Along with Elm City Cycling, the Urban Design League, and other non-auto-centric folks, Streever has helped put together a website to collect suggestions for more pedestrian and bike-focused solutions to help move the planning away from cars.

That site is up and running as of today.

Click here, here, and here for summaries of public forums on Downtown Crossing’s planning process so far.

(And click here to read an in-depth critique and proposal by Jonathan Hopkins.)

Critics of the original plans suggested creating more places for humans to meet and interact along the new byways, more tree-lined streets, non-car vistas, more primacy given to bike lanes, and an active street frontage that appeals to pedestrians

Streever’s remarks came at a reception for a new book called Stop Signs: Cars and Capitalism on the Road to Economic, Social, and Ecological Decay. The event was held at the Institute Library on Chapel Street at just around 6 p.m. Saturday, the time the planet by some calculations was facing the beginning stages of its destruction.

The planet survived, and along with it the car-centric culture that critics such as Streever feel gets too much emphasis in the Route 34 designs. The $31 million project has been allotted $16 million in Tiger Two” federal Department of Transportation money with additional matching amounts of $8 million committed by the state and $7 million by the city

Click here for the city’s description of Downtown Crossing.

The authors of Stop Signs, Bianca Mugyeni and Yves Engler, are on a 40-city tour across Canada and the U.S. To make the point of their book, they take only public transportation or walk.

We just walked here from the Greyhound Station [i.e. Union Station], and most of what we walked by is parking,” said Engler.

Streever said that while city officials are philosophically kindred spirits with the alternative coalition, At the end of the day they’re going to have to agree with who pays the bills. In the end of the day, the city sees the economic gains, and well they should.”

Streever described modest progress in trying to convince the state Department of Transportation to reconsider the planned four lanes of traffic in each direction. We got them to consider three lanes as a compromise. They’re potentially willing to consider a three-lane road, but they were careful not to commit.”

After the book reception, Streever added that DOT’s position might well be they’d consider three so it could be raised to four later, whereas the coalition would like to see three ultimately reduced to two lanes.

The glass can be half full for both of us.”

Streever said the coalition’s next step is to bring in potential business developers to make the case to DOT that fast-moving urban boulevards” full of cars will not be conducive to bringing in customers and business.

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