Cove Weighs How To Slow Down Drivers

Morris Cove residents are asking the city to put more speed bumps, raised intersections, bike lanes, and better sidewalks on Lighthouse Road as it spreads around money on planned safe-streets upgrades.

These ideas were among many suggestions at a public meeting hosted by City Engineer Giovanni Zinn. The meeting is the first step to a redesign project for Lighthouse Road.

Similar redesigns of commercial corridors are planned throughout town over the next couple of years thanks to an infusion of state dollars. The city’s Engineering and Transportation, Traffic & Parking Departments have been making the rounds of different neighborhoods, via virtual community meetings, to hear neighbors’ concerns before designing begins. Similar recent meetings have taken place around Whalley Avenue, Valley Street, and Whitney Avenue.

The initiative’s goal is to make the high-traffic corridors safe and accessible for pedestrians, drivers, bikers, and public transportation. The city’s technical experts called on the ​“road experts” from Morris Cove at Tuesday evening’s virtual meeting to share about what kind of improvements are needed.

The state-funded Local Transportation Capital Improvement Program (LOTCIP) has committed between $500,000 to $1 million to the Lighthouse Road Project, Zinn said.

He said the city team plans to design and construct infrastructure that reminds road users that ​“that this is a street that people live on and it’s not simple an access road to a traffic generator which is the park.”

The project team will collect public input from neighbors until at least April 1 using an online comment too. (Click here to add concerns or like others’ ideas.)

Ron Delvecchio, who lives off of Morris Avenue, said he has had several close calls when pulling out the Morris-Lighthouse Road intersection. To slow down the speeding cars, Delvecchio proposed a four-way stop sign intersection.

“Going to work in the morning, sometimes cars are just flying down and you can’t see them. There’s been a couple of times I almost got nailed,” he said.

After cars slow down for the bend near Marion Street, they speed back up again, making it hard to pull out of Morris Avenue, Delvecchio said. He described it as a blind curve that is often blocked by parked cars on Lighthouse Road.

“I’m thinking I’m clear. Then they come out of nowhere,” he said.

Neighbors at the meeting proposed prospective infrastructure upgrades like more speed bumps, better sidewalks, added bus shelters, and consolidated bus stops to speed up transit buses.

The project will also include repaving Lighthouse Road, Zinn said.

Many neighbors brought up concerns with parking on Lighthouse Road. Some proposed cutting back on street parking. Others raised concerns about there not being enough during seasonal peaks, when overflow beach crowds from Lighthouse Point Park park along neighborhood streets.

Delvecchio doesn’t have to deal with the parking issue like some neighbors because his home has a lengthy driveway. However, he and his wife have seen an increase in litter in front of their home from beach-goers who park on the street.

Concord Street resident Gina Misbach described the road as a speedway. Misbach walks in the area daily. She said the speeds are not safe for pedestrians to use the crosswalks. 

Misbach said her street gets flooded with visitor’s cars, leaving her with no resident parking at times.

“The parking shouldn’t go on our streets. I pay like $6,000 a year for taxes. I can’t even have my family over to park on my street,” she said.

Local safe streets advocate and Lighthouse Road resident Neil Olinski said if some bus stops are consolidated, more street parking could be added along the road. He also suggested street parking be limited to only one side for the addition of bike lanes on the other side of the road.

Before construction can begin, the gas company must replace Lighthouse Road’s primary main, Zinn said. That may take another year to begin.

Neighbors and officials participated in breakout groups during Tuesday night’s meeting.

Assistant City Engineer Dawn Henning reported from her breakout group that not only drivers of cars, but also bus drivers need to slow down. Residents agreed adding more speed bumps would help slow all vehicles down.

Those in favor of adding speed bumps or raised intersections on the comment tool suggested they be added to Lighthouse Road intersections with Douglass Avenue, just after the Marion Street bend, Oceanview Street, and Morris Avenue.

Zinn also floated the possibility of designing wider trail-like sidewalks. He showed neighbors an example from the Vision Trail by Brewery Street.

In addition, Zinn showed neighbors a planned project design for Quinnipiac Avenue, which will straighten out the Hemingway-Quinnipiac intersection at a skewed angle. The design example could be a potential fix for the Lighthouse Road-Marion Street intersection. which neighbors described as ​“deadly.”

The project team plans a follow-up public meeting with the concept design in May, Zinn said.

• Watch for Me CT
• City of New Haven Complete Streets Design Manual
• Safe Street Coalition of New Haven
• New Haven Safe Streets
• The Tom Ficklin Show: New Haven Safe Streets and Active Transit Planning for the Community
• The Key to Safe Streets: Five Cities Humanizing Street Design
• Green Cities: Good Health