nothin Edgewood Traffic Calmers Win Stop Signs | New Haven Independent

Edgewood Traffic Calmers Win Stop Signs

Allan Appel Photo

Victorious Edgewood neighbors, with Alder Evette Hamilton in blue in back and Lauren Anderson bottom left.

Edgewood traffic-calmers got one of the three all-way stops they sought on Elm Street — and claimed a victory for neighborhood safety.

The neighbors had originally had originally asked the city to install three all-way stops on Elm Stree at Hobart, Pendleton, and Hubinger to slow down speeders and protect the kids and pedestrians promenading and playing along the narrow thoroughfare in its runs from Ella Grasso Boulevard to West Park.

City traffic engineers declined all three requests because the vehicle volume, speeds, and especially the tiny number of recorded crashes did not justify the moves. The neighbors appealed to the city’s Traffic Commission, which at its monthly meeting struck a compromise.

Edgewood Alder Evette Hamilton and a half dozen of her constituents appeared at the meeting last week in a follow-up to their request last month for an all-way stop at Hobart Street.

Transportation, Traffic, and Parking Director Doug Hausladen had been charged by the commissioners in the intervening month to evaluate not just the Hobart intersection, but all three.

He reported Tuesday that the speed and crash statistics on all three would still not conform with the nationally mandated Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices for installation of stop signs.

His finding collided with neighbors’ continuing anxiety and with the commissioners’ skepticism.

Hamilton at the meeting with concerned Elm resident Myron Rice.

Stop signs are not useful in this situation. Overuse tends to lead to more deadly crashes,” Hausladen said.

If stop signs are not warranted, what do you do?” asked Commissioner Stephen Garcia.

Hausladen recommended speed humps, bump-outs and similar elements that affect speed and which the residents can apply for through the city’s Complete Streets program.

He acknowledged that the applications calling for built-out and engineered elements are backed up, constrained by funding, and don’t happen fast.” In the meantime there are over 7,000 crashes every year in New Haven, he said.

We’re moving quickly as possible but not fast enough for those affected,” he added.

Elm looking east from Hubinger.

Hamilton answered that she and her neighbors had already submitted their Complete Streets application, but were adamant in requesting some more immediate relief.

They found allies in commissioners such as Commissioner Garcia. Aren’t we here for the people? We still fear for our kids,” Garcia said.

The survey doesn’t take in close calls,” added Commissioner Donald Walker, meaning near-accidents.

Interim Police Chief Anthony Campbell helped move the debate’s outcome toward the camp of the Edgewood neighbors when he reported that a recent police survey of the area reported three or four close calls, two of which involved children.

He recommended at least one stop sign at Elm and Pendleton, if humps take too long” to build.

Traffic’s Hausladen and Fischer confer.

That ended up being the compromise, which the commissioners vote unanimously to approve.

No matter the outcome, we’ll continue to look at the crash statistics and speed,” said Hausladen.

The meeting ended with policy and procedure recommendations as well. Commissioner Greg Smith commended Hausladen’s work and the usefulness of statistical studies. Yet how do we collect near misses?” he asked.

We’re a growing city. We need to put more money into the engineering department to keep up with need,” said Traffic Commission Chair Anthony Dawson.

We’re thrilled,” said Lauren Anderson, one of the leaders of the grassroots group. It’s the will of the neighborhood” fulfilled, she said.

Traffic Operations Engineer Bruce Fischer said that the two stop signs on Elm Street at Pendleton will be installed within about two weeks.

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