Raised Bike Lane Eyed For Water Street

I would like to see a cycle track get built on Olive Street as well.

Wooster Square is a neighborhood that always comes to mind when it comes to which areas in the city should definitely have bike lanes and a good bike network for the safety of bicyclists. I really would like to see cycle tracks in every part of the city, honestly. Bicyclists never have it as easy as drivers often do. So it would make sense to build more of them to have better bike infrastructure across the whole city.

quinchionn, I take your point - I bike on Olive Street several times each week. But installing protected bike lanes there would require eliminating one or both parking lanes. In light of the current and planned developments in the immediate vicinity, I doubt it will happen anytime soon.

In any case, the Water Street bike lane will be a useful improvement.

I've never felt that I've taken my life into my own hands, while riding in that enormous shoulder. I don't think it would be improved by being raised or having a curb.

Imagine what else could be done with $373,000 instead of making changes to two blocks.

The only way I would feel safe biking on any city streets in any town would be with a nice wall and minefield to protect me from wild drivers who care not for life nor property. Ideally, all of downtown could be closed to all car traffice during the evenings or some hours of a week, ala Ireland. It has to be safe for people to get out and walk and bike but it would be great!!! Can't NH try it out??

There is no such thing as "biking" downtown.

Recently, someone commented to me that he would "...never bike downtown."

We'll, no one does!

When you see someone on a bike downtown almost 100% of them are using their bike as a legitimate and legal mode of transportation. They use it because it can be an easier, more environmentally better way to get from one place to another.

Bikers downtown include interns who go to the hospital, the Mayor, people going to work and people trying to get to the grocery store, the drug store and the Library.

Because I live downtown, to get to the bike lane I have to use the sidewalk because there is absolutely no other way to get to the bike lane. Usually someone bitches to me about it. And with reason, because there are many ways to get around and if we all stick to the rules, it will work.

I too would like to see much more cycle and walking tracks in every part of the city.

Just go visit Groningren Holland and see what a real biking city looks like. Even Paris is getting more bike friendly, like on Sundays shutting down a road along the Seine from 9 AM to 5 PM and they are expanding that idea into La Place de La Concorde.

Sometimes, I go "biking" meaning, I am taking an adventure to where it is pleasant to move through the landscape.

Thanks to the New Haven Coalition for Active Transportation for the work they do to recognize almost every kind of down transportation including walking, biking, rollerblading, walkers, etc.

Finally, I don't think that quibbling about the meaning of biking is unimportant because biking is much bigger than just cruising around downtown. When more people downtown view people downtown on bikes riding to get somewhere and they understand this, then maybe we bikers will get more respect.

We have a ways to go when it comes to putting in more cycling lanes, and as these newly built apartments get filled with people, we who have biked downtown for decades will have more to appreciate.

interesting idea but....will this take as long as the cycle track on Edgewood Ave (approved in 2014 - no progress of note in June 2022)?

I live on Court Street between State and Orange. I don’t own a car and I use my bike for transportation. When I ride home from Union Station, I take my life in my hands when attempt to transition from Union Avenue to State Street. The problem is because State Street is divided into two parts at Blessed Michael McGivney Pilgrimage Center. State Street going north around Blessed Michael McGivney Pilgrimage Center isn’t safe for bikes, so I go on the sidewalk on the part of State Street going south; I ride against traffic by riding on the sidewalk and I’m careful about pedestrians. I hope that State Street will be united when the State Street project that has the grant from the State of Connecticut happens. If State Street is narrowed, all of it could go on the west side of Blessed Michael McGivney Pilgrimage Center; this would help bicycle traffic, and car traffic too. The only problem I have on Water Street is at the intersection of Water, Union and State.

CY2, I've biked throughout the city for years. Other than getting doored once on Whalley Avenue, I've had no serious issues. Whalley is unsafe for cyclists, as well as for drivers and pedestrians, but fixing it will be very expensive and time consuming.

David, you're right that Water Street is not a problem. But it provides a useful connection to State Street, which does need work.

@lookout

As of last week, the paint is finally down between Forest and Winthrop, the bike signals are also installed, but the sensors not turned on yet. The lanes aren't protected yet(except for the small raised portion), but I now bike through every day and it's definitely drawing interest.

Today, I rode on a small but new portion of the Edgewood track, which had recently been painted. Which was nice until a school bus nearly failed to stop at a stop sign.

My journey then takes me to Long Wharf, crossing over this very intersection. I think this will be a welcome change from the current layout, but there are two things that desperately need attention as well - 1). State Street behind the KoC needs to be paved, it's mostly pothole at this point. 2). If tracks like this are to be put in, then they need to be maintained as the stretch of raised bike track further down Water is basically all broken glass now. I love the idea of a bike path, but one that I can use without bursting my tires.

Ultimately, New Haven is doing a good job of increasing awareness of cyclists by building these tracks, but the one last thing that the city needs to do is to follow the lead of major cities around the world and start closing more streets to cars. Whether it's Denver, New York City, Paris, or any number of other examples, cities have found resistance to the idea of closing streets but after doing so anyway, found residents opposed to reopening these streets to cars. Chapel would be the ideal street, you could do a limited bus route from the train station up to Westville and open up an entire thoroughfare that is safe for pedestrians and cyclists.

After all these bike tracks, it seems like the next obvious step to make our city green.

Much wider streets like Whalley, State and Whitney would be better off having protected bike lanes on the curbside with a parking lane that separates traffic from the bike lanes... and I would also imagine there to be dedicated "bus only lanes" in the center of the roadway.

Roads that are more narrow and not as wide would make more sense for cycle tracks.

Making the bike/pedestrian trail connect with dedicated lanes and protected tracks from the Farmington Canal to the State St Station, through to Water Street, and on to Union Station, and then through the Hill and City Point to West Haven and their boardwalk and beaches, to connect with a trail through the shoreline towns west of New Haven, and also through Fair Haven to the East Shore, through East Haven, past the airport, and to the east Shore parks and Lighthouse Park, to connect with the Shoreline Greenway trail, and the shoreline towns east of New Haven, would be beneficial to everyone.
Creating more bike lanes, shared pedestrian and bike cycle tracks, and bike left turn boxes, and safer crosswalks, more pedestrian safe pathways around the city, and traffic calming measures, and better public mass transit schedules and routes, makes all of us safer, and the city more friendly to transit alternatives to a private vehicle, as well as a cleaner and greener planet. Also it would help if the buses, trains and planes made it easier to load your bike on for longer trips, so you can hop on your bike for transportation when you reach your destination.
Think of how nice it would be to ride your bike to a beach, a park, the train, the plane, to a bus stop, to school, or to work, or to shops or entertainment or to eateries, all around the Greater New Haven area, without using a personal vehicle, or worrying about being run over by someone driving a vehicle.

chrisjohngilson...your idea about closing off sections of Chapel is terrific!

Even if it was on just Sunday and only a few times a month to start...it would be fabulous!

I have often biked in NY when they close down one of the major streets and people can bike from the train station (if you're from CT) all the way across the Brooklyn Bridge!

Almost all of this is done with volunteers too!

If we could close down Chapel Street on Sundays from 1 to 5 in the summer, we could see how that goes and maybe increase the Sunday hours....as you said, many other countries all over the world and many with huge tourist traffic (Paris) do it. The tourists can take part along with the locals.

It's an amazing experience biking or rollerblading with the locals. I usually check out these kinds of benefits when going to a new country and bring my equipment if possible.

Once in Paris while living there, I was out rollerblading when I saw a Halloween parade on a side street and went over and joined them. I biked with a group of French doctors who were dressed partially in white coats and other disguises. They were so friendly and fun to be with! And, I thought if I fell and got hurt, I was with the right bunch of people!

Everyone had such a great time biking on the closed streets.

BTW every Friday night in Paris long boulevards are closed and connected and it's quite a sight to see thousands rollerskating through the streets of Paris at 9 PM!

Hi, I just passed the existing "cycle track" on the stretch of Water Street from MBA heading east towards where Sports Haven was. It turns out to be a two-way track, to the south of Water Street (with no matching track on the north side), so that west-bound cyclists are separated by a berm from east-bound auto traffic. I rode alongside the track, on the road, because the track was full of broken glass and litter and was narrowed by the weeds leaning into the track.