Edgewood Cycletrack Finally Out To Bid

Oh my god finally. Gonna be great for connecting Edgewood/Westville to the rest of town and make the whole area more attractive to people who don't want to be stuck in cars.

Obviously an absolute NIGHTMARE for THREEFIFTHS, who will have to be content with the Traffic Paradise that is Whalley Ave.

And the waste of money continues - and I just can't wait for the school year to start with all those buses. Edgewood will be a nightmare. But hey, the six bike riders will have luxurious lanes on which to pedal. If they build it...nobody will come.

Next do Whitney Ave!

Actually people will come! I'm so excited because this WILL encourage more people to bike (in turn relieving traffic and making people and the environment healthier and happier). I have lived in cities with cycletracks like this, and it really does make a difference. Next let's build more!

This is great. Lets get more in the works. What will the next ones be?

Thanks to all the people who pushed this through... Alders Brakeen and Marchand I presume? Perhaps others as well? Nice work!! Hopefully one of many more dedicated cycle lanes to come.

Noteworthy is actually right. The lack of safe infrastructure makes it seem like only a few people desire to ride bikes (i.e. the 6 most adventurous people in New Haven). With more projects like this we will hopefully see that it's safe for all ages and abilities. Kids and grandparents should be able to ride bikes in New Haven, not just thrill-seekers.

Bike riders must stop and wait for the school buses when the bus red lights are flashing and the stop sign is out.

Well, I guess 4 years late is better than never. Very excited about what this means for the west side of town. Many neighbors have been asking about the status for months/years.

I would like to see a two-way cycle track on Crown Street between State and Howe. Personally, I always liked the idea of Crown Street being with only one travel lane and one lane for parking with a protected area for bikes included... rather than with the current 2-lane traffic with no safe place for bikes to travel in that area. I think Crown Street needs a change.

Meanwhile the streets surrounding our schools and parks lack basic traffic safety measures and the intersection of Chapel St and Yale Ave remains high risk, as it has for more than 30 years. The City is promising the construction of a roundabout in the Spring of 2020, but the neighbors prefer a 4 way stop. And in the interim there will be NO modification. Apparently, it's too much of a challenge for Traffic to put in a 4 way stop sign.

Traffic has a fascination with shiny new toys and big government projects - failed bike share, failed college music hall, and putzing around with driverless shuttles for yale. Not to mention the electric scooter project and it's fantasy of raising $400k in revenue at a time when Cities which have already launched electric scooters are regretting the decision. Nashville is considering a ban. Boom in electric scooters leads to more injuries, fatalities
https://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory/boom-electric-scooters-leads-injuries-fatalities-63536968


Dennis Serfilippi
https://www.facebook.com/ournewhaven.org

I think the 'problem' with e-scooters isn't so much the e-scooters but more about people in cars: "...Hardy was crossing the street on an electric scooter in downtown Los Angeles when a car struck him at 50 miles per hour." The real problem is people speeding, as well as streets with unnecessary extra lanes that allow motorists to treat city streets like highways. Take away the one of the lanes on Crown Street (or George Street or Grove, etc) and you make it harder for motorists of automobiles to speed = safer for everyone.

Bring on the gridlock! A few years from now we will be removing this boondoggle, like other cities are doing already. Bike infrastructure is fine. Poorly planned bike infrastructure is counterproductive and potentially dangerous.

@Cove'd

• Exactly. You bring up a solid point about drivers speeding down city streets as if they are highways. It's indeed true, and a big part of that reason is because most streets (particularly) in the Downtown area are mostly one-way streets. Which is not good. It makes pedestrians and bicyclists unsafe when drivers have more opportunities to drive fast. Also, unnecessary extra lanes on certain streets should either be converted into bike lanes, parking, or they could become two-way streets.
  
  For example, Crown Street would likely be better as a street with just one travel lane and a lane for parking with a protected bike path. Then for streets like Grove, Chapel, Church, Elm, Howe, Dwight and maybe George - Those would be better as two way streets, possibly with bike lanes in both directions.

@Westville Voter, you write: "A few years from now we will be removing this boondoggle, like other cities are doing already." What other cities are those? In my travels, what's remarkable is how wonderfully bike lanes work in cities from NYC to Seattle, and many in between. Not to mention countries like The Netherlands, where you can bike basically the whole country. I'm interested in opposing views on the desirability of bike infrastructure, but only if they take into account real facts from other cities; there is plenty of evidence out there in real life, so no need to just write from our prejudices.

@Mark. Baltimore, Boulder, Toronto, Des Moines, soon Minneapolis, maybe even San Francisco. Use the google. There are more. When these things are poorly planned in ways that (deliberately?) create misery for drivers and residents they fail. Drive down Edgewood between 3:30 and 4:00 on a school day and witness the current mess around Amistad. Imagine how much worse it will be when a lane is removed for the cycle track. People will promptly lose patience with this and the cycling cause will be hurt. Bad plans produce bad results.

@westville (and why not use your real name?) I just used the Google on a couple of those cities, and don't see anything about removing bike lanes. By all means, provide links. But taking just Minneapolis as an example: the city if FILLED with bike lanes. Maybe some of have been removed or moved, but even if so, the lesson from that city is that a place like New Haven needs way more. Toronto, too (were you referring to the minor "war on bikes" and the "pinkos" who use them waged by the city's buffoonish, crack-smoking ex-mayor? https://www.theguardian.com/environment/bike-blog/2011/aug/11/toronto-bike-lanes-removed ) I bike Edgewood daily, and have hit the traffic slowdown you are talking about often. It's annoying but brief, and utterly inconsequential compared to cities with real traffic problems. I mean, really, is it ever more than a 5-minute bottleneck? Usually it's less. Maybe it could hit 6 or 7 minutes. But usually less. Sometimes non-existent. This is like when New Haveners complain about having to walk a block for parking. Um, yes: when we move to a more pedestrian- or bike-friendly city, we will lose 2 or 3 minutes, even 5 from time to time. What we get in return is worth it many times over. This is what I mean about the provincialism: it seems you can't see past the car culture we inhabit, a tax regime that favors cars over other forms of transit, and you refuse to take the broad picture of the numerous cities that take for granted a multi-use infrastructure that we sorely need.

All this for the handful of people that bike downtown. Couldn't we spend 1.2 million of state money on something more impactful like: youth/veteran/family homelessness prevention, domestic violence initiatives, substance abuse treatment, substance abuse education, job training, education for boards and commissions, better training for police, gun buybacks, community centers, new fire apparatus, sidewalks, pothole repair, lead abatement, studying something that will make our city stronger and a million other worthwhile issues.

Now, if that pot of money is available only for bicycle related infrastructure improvements than I'm fine with it. Although I'd ask why the state is spending that money when it's broke and giving Department of Housing 4.5 million as compared to 252 million in prior years for capital projects (say goodbye to affordable housing low interest loans from the state).

I am sure the two people I see riding their bikes down Edgewood every morning will be happy as clams to do so in a designated lane. Maybe there could be an education component for the two other bicyclists I see occasionally who break every goddamn traffic rule and show no consideration for anyone on the road.

This thing will be fine. Some people will complain as they always do. Some people will like it. And some people will in short time come to see it as just an everyday part of the city. Pertaining to those that complain - this city is by and large set up on a street grid despite the one-way streets. Modify your travel route a little bit and you'll be ok.

"Bike riders must stop and wait for the school buses when the bus red lights are flashing and the stop sign is out." - as if many such riders obey any traffic signals? For the sake of safety for all users of the roadways, everyone needs to do better obeying traffic laws - motorists, cyclists, and pedestrians.

Ben, the vast majority of that cost is related to long-overdue crosswalk improvements so pedestrian safety can safely cross the street. Currently, there are no crosswalks/walk signs. The bicycle infrastructure is a small piece.

Are you against basic infrastructure that allows children, people with strollers, people in wheelchairs, and senior citizens to safely use crosswalks to cross the street?

They have that type of infrastructure all throughout Greenwich, East Rock, and West Hartford; do you think that a poorer neighborhood like Dwight does not deserve it?

I'm very glad that we are not making decisions based on traffic at two specific times during the day 180 days a year. If you are so worried about the traffic, ride your bike or walk. Or if you really have to drive, you could just go on Whalley. Also, I know that Joel LaChance has been trying to get bike education into the public schools. Maybe Achievement First would be open to doing some bike education. If more kids rode their bikes to school (and middle schoolers totally could, depending on where they live), that would also reduce the bus traffic.

"Oh I can't wait for Edgewood Ave to be gridlock with all the buses."

Then take literally any other road that doesn't have a bike lane. Whalley Ave. George St. Legion Ave.

Must every single square foot of this city be covered in roadway for your pollution-spewing vehicles so you can't possibly stand the minor inconvenience if people who actually enjoy their commute on a bicycle?

I went to Copenhagen recently and it was covered in bike lanes and truly wonderful. People ride all over the place and it was great.

There's still plenty of roads for you to sit in traffic and hate your lives, don't worry so much.

All you people with your "$1.2 million for the 6 cyclists". Sheesh.

Sure, let's just keep the status quo, that's working out perfectly for everyone.

Oh, and while we're at it, let's wonder why and complain that young people don't want to live here. Gee, I wonder why - but let's make sure cars own every road in town.

I live basically on Edgewood. There are far more cyclists than 6 and there will be even more when they have a safe place to ride. I've watched it happen in other places and it will happen here.

"Oh, but wait, an article about bicycle infrastructure? Let's make damn sure to complain about people breaking the law, because car drivers NEVER do such a thing around here. That'll surely hammer my point home! Hah! Gotcha all there! Scofflaws!"

Come for the article, stay for the comments...

Bicycles make life possible for people from all walks of life. Poor people who can't afford paying for buses or cars every day use bicycles for transportation. Bike infrastructure can help slow down traffic and make it safer for pedestrians too. While all you people in cars complain as if you own the roads, remember that all those other law-breaking cyclists and pedestrians own them too. This is all a people problem. People deserve safe ways to get places. Just because you can afford to drive a car doesn't make your rights worth a penny more than anyone else. (And let's not start the "I pay more in taxes for the roads" argument because it's a false narrative.)

I think for the few naysayers out there, it seems as if you just don't see the many, many riders that are trying to safely navigate the streets. And accidents happen precisely when bicyclists are a) not seen, or b) not considered by other drivers. In New Haven you are not supposed to ride on sidewalks, leaving only the roads as options. Those who choose to ride should feel safe.

As someone who bikes through the exact intersection pictured in this article, I can tell you that this infrastructure will be used and appreciated by the, again, many, many riders (there are dozens of us!) that use Edgewood to access downtown and beyond.

@ anonymous

If the majority of the money is going to sidewalk improvements, great. I don't care what neighborhood it helps. Its money well spent. If it was going to cost 1.2 mil to stripe and delineate these bike lanes and put up some bollards, that made no sense to me.

I don't see two way streets as enhancing safety. For pedestrians, it means two directions to be wary of cars coming at them. Elm Street between York and College would be cluttered with Yalies' bodies, creating great inconvenience for townie motorists and bicyclists alike. Ottawa has lots of broad, one-way streets, but no left turns allowed anywhere in downtown. It, also, has separate lanes and traffic control signals for bicyclists.
Modern Toronto is just a sprawling, Canadian LA, except its 401 is even wider and less prone to standstills.

@Ben Trachten,
Anonymous is correct about the cost. Glad you're in support.

This is fabulous news! As a father with young children, I rarely bike to work from upper Westville due to the distracted, speeding drivers and bus drivers I've encountered on my rides. It just isn't worth the risk to my family right now, so I drive, even though my biking time is the same door to door as driving. With the cycle track I will feel safe enough to help prove Noteworthy to be mistaken.

From my car commutes I can imagine where there will be several minutes each morning and afternoon when school buses will cause commuter delays at Amistad, but these are easily avoided via a turn down Sherman or Orchard to Whalley, or by taking any of a number of other routes downtown. Cars do not lack for options, and New Haven traffic is pretty laughable. Shift your commute by five minutes and you'll enjoy your flow.

One final note: I might be mistaken, but I believe New Haven landed these funds because the State decided to earmark a tiny amount of its Transportation budget towards sustainable transportation / pedestrian improvement projects. New Haven has some visionary leaders who'd thought about these issues before the state RFPs (Hausladen, Zinn) and had workable proposals ready to submit when the State needed projects to fund. Let's celebrate the good behind that!

For the record, Minneapolis is investing heavily in expanding its network of separated bike lanes, adding around 3 to 5 miles per year. Most of these are upgrades to striped bike lanes to widen them and add plastic posts and/or curbs. I am not aware of any threatened with removal. Saint Paul is investing at a similar rate, as is Hennepin County.