More pedestrian carnage in New Haven

A round-up of recent reports on the continuing trend of pedestrians being hit and nearly killed, or killed, in New Haven. New Haven Safe Streets will follow up to see if the pedestrians involved have survived.

Pedestrian critical after being struck in New Haven 
March 27, 2014 (New Haven Register)
A male pedestrian is in critical condition after being struck by a car at North Frontage Road and College Street early Thursday morning. (This is the same intersection where a Yale-affiliated researcher was run over and killed while crossing this area of Route 34 in 2009 - see http://downtownnewhaven.blogspot.com/2009/05/biotechnologist-critical-after-crossing.html for coverage. The area is now under heavy construction as the future global headquarters of Alexion Pharmaceuticals).

Pedestrian Struck in New Haven 
May 1, 2014 (NBC)
A pedestrian suffered minor injuries after being struck by a vehicle in the 200 block of Main Street in New Haven this morning. 

Motorcyclist Strikes Elderly Pedestrian 
May 6, 2014 (New Haven Independent)
A 73-year-old man was apparently crossing against a Don’t Walk signal at Whalley and Orchard around 8:20 p.m. Monday when a motorcyclist hit him—and may end up having killed him. The pedestrian, Willie Gay, was pushing a shopping cart across the roadway when the motorcyclist—a Waterbury man with a female passenger—struck him, according to Hartman. Gay was taken to Yale-New Haven Hospital, where his condition is considered critical and his injuries life-threatening. The motorcyclist and passenger were treated at the scene for minor injuries. The police did not charge the motorcyclist with an offense. (See http://www.streetsblog.org/2009/06/17/a-failure-of-design-in-downtown-new-haven/ for an article about pedestrian safety in this area)

Pedestrian struck by car in New Haven 
May 22, 2014 (WTNH)
A pedestrian crossing a busy New Haven intersection was struck by a car Thursday morning. The pedestrian was hit in a crosswalk at the intersection of Church and Elm streets, just before 10 a.m. Witnesses tell News 8 this was almost a hit and run. They say people who saw the car hit the pedestrian also stopped the car from getting away. "He came and last second he tried to tap the breaks," said Art Voivin of Watertown. "But there was a gentleman there, one guy jumped out of the way. That guy got hit, did a cartwheel on his head. Then the car seemed to try to take off." Witnesses pointed to a dark blue Honda parked about halfway down the next block as the car involved in the incident. Elm and Church streets were shut down for about an hour. Police would not say if the driver was arrested and have yet to release a cause. Emergency officials arrived on scene to find the man lying face down in front of the courthouse. He was transported to a hospital where police said he is excepted to recover. Witnesses say the traffic light was still red when the victim was crossing the street.

8-year-old girl hospitalized after hit and run crash at same intersection where 64-year-old man was killed a few months ago

Excerpt from the New Haven Register, 3/18/14:

"Police are searching for a white van that hit an 8-year-old city girl at Ferry and Pine streets Tuesday morning, police spokesman Officer David Hartman said."

"The girl is in stable condition at Yale-New Haven Hospital, where she was taken following the hit-and-run, Hartman said in a press release."

"The van, which has double rear doors with windows, is believed to have damage to the front passenger side near or involving the headlight, the release said.  Hartman said officers were called to the scene at about 7:30 a.m. The girl was treated for non-life-threatening injuries at the hospital."

As we previously reported, a 64-year-old man, John Mucha, was killed in the same place a few months ago.

Pedestrian Killed in Fair Haven

Excerpt from the New Haven Independent:

"a collision left a 64-year-old man dead in Fair Haven. The incident occurred around 6:30 p.m. at the intersection of Ferry and Pine streets. Here’s what happened, according to police spokesman Officer David Hartman:

“Two employees of a local tire business were returning from a service call. They were driving in their company pick-up truck, heading south on Ferry Street, when the pedestrian, 64-year-old John Mucha, of New Haven, entered the roadway. The truck struck Mucha as he crossed the street. Mr. Mucha was rushed to the hospital, where he was pronounced deceased

“The NHPD Crash Investigation Unit responded and commenced with their investigation. The driver and passenger of the truck remained at the scene and cooperated fully with investigators. The driver has not been charged in the accident. The investigation is expected to take some time and a final report and conclusion isn’t expected for several months.”

http://www.newhavenindependent.org/index.php/archives/entry/pedestrian_killed1/

311 Request: Need crosswalk for children crossing from family housing to the grocery store. New Haven DOT response: We don't care.

This issue was open for a year, with six citizen votes to fix, then was suddenly closed and archived by the City because there is a crosswalk already in place at the next street intersection.  

In its response here, the City is essentially asking that the hundreds of residents living across the street from the market (who consider Franklin & Grand, or the market entrance drive & Grand, as their "intersection") shouldn't cross at their own nearby intersection to get there.  

The City is saying that, within a very high crime area, these persons should have to walk all the way down to the next street intersection, cross there, and then walk back along the blank facade of the market.  

This response is not acceptable - when every person is crossing at a location, then the appropriate infrastructure must be provided to make it safer for all road users.

For discussion of a similar issue at another nearby supermarket, click here: 

"Self Enforcement" Street Improvements Planned for Clinton Avenue in Fair Haven

Among New Haven neighborhoods, Fair Haven has long been an epicenter of grassroots citizen demand for slower, more livable streets and traffic calming (self-enforcing) street designs. Fair Haven is one of the oldest sections of New Haven, having been developed as a separate fishing village in the 1600s, and therefore was build around walking. Until very recently, slower neighborhood streets existed throughout the neighborhood and helped foster a very strong sense of community there. You can view the history of these efforts by clicking here and scrolling down.

Today comes news that the neighborhood will be seeing some additional improvements. According to Alderwoman Stephanie Bauer's post on the the Chatham Square Neighborhood website:

Jim Travers was able to get Richard Miller out to Clinton Avenue to discuss traffic calming measures. Street humps on Clinton between Pine Street and Grand Avenue will be placed, however an exact date has not been set as of yet. As soon as one has been set I will post that information. As a long term project, Jim is looking into aquiring the funds necessary to place a center pedestrian island on the wider part of Clinton Avenue, other options are currently being discussed to follow the current traffic calming manual.

Local resident, Lee Cruz, replies (excerpt below):

Great move toward more complete streets in Fair Haven, thank you to all who made it possible. To help calm traffic we should consider participating in the Urban Resources Initiative Greenspace program. Dan Burden, the traffic planning expert who we hired with our own money and with help from The Community Foundation and City says trees help slow down traffic, link here. Trees also have other benefits. Our neighborhood traffic report is to big to post here but if anyone is interested in seeing it I will look for a way to get it up online and post a link here on this site.

First Annual "Fair Haven Family Stroll": Saturday, May 7

Come out to the Quinnipiac River Park (corner of Grand Avenue and Front Street in New Haven) on Saturday, May 7, 2011 from 11am - 3pm for the first annual Fair Haven Family Stroll. The event is a fundraiser for four Fair Haven-based childcare centers - Alexis Hill Montessori School, Centro San Jose, Farnam Neighborhood House, and the Heights' Friends Center for Children.

The event will include a "stroll" around the Bridge Loop over the Quinnipiac to raise money to support existing families and to expand programs to reach more neighborhood families. All who register for the stroll or sponsor a "stroller" for at least $10 will receive a grocery tote bag filled with information about local resources, including a family resource map of Fair Haven and Fair Haven Heights.

Also, between 11am and 3pm there will be a festival in the park, with family-friendly activities including story-telling, yoga, dance, interactive music, food, and lots of arts and crafts.

Ongoing Crashes at the Tomlinson Bridge in New Haven: State Board Called for Speedy Resolution Last Fall, but Few Actions Taken

As we have reported multiple times in the past two years, the Tomlinson Bridge in New Haven has been the subject of local, state and national news coverage because of the extreme danger presented by the combination of an oblique rail crossing and a high speed road. The Bridge is the topic of a SeeClickFix issue that has received over 14,000 hits.

The Connecticut Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Board has highlighted these concerns in their 2010 annual report, as one of the most severe issues in the entire state. Their report, and a history of correspondence on the issue which includes calls for a "speedy" fix to the problem, is available here as a PDF.

Please contact us if you would like to add more reports of crashes to the list below. More information on the Tomlinson Bridge may be found on Wikipedia (in the photo here, it is shown on the left hand side). There are also more comprehensive articles on the history of the controversy on Design New Haven as well as on our site. The bridge is a crucial connection between Downtown New Haven and all neighborhoods, urban and suburban, located towards the east side of Downtown.

The following bicycle injuries have been documented at this railroad crossing. This is an incomplete list that only highlights some of the more severe falls:

**June 26, 2010: Two cyclists fall on tracks during the annual New Haven Century. One of them breaks his femur.

**September 26, 2009: Two cyclists fall and are injured while riding during a Yale Cycling event.

**September 25, 2009: A cyclist falls during an evening group ride over the tracks, and suffers minor injuries.

**September 13, 2009: A cyclist falls after his wheels become stuck in the tracks.

**August 30, 2009: A cyclist is involved in a hit-and-run incident on the bridge and severely injures his arm and shoulder.

**June 24, 2009: A cyclist falls on tracks while biking to Lighthouse Point and fractures her wrist.

**August 2008: A cyclist crashes on the bridge, due to a passing car, and breaks his elbow.

**August, 2007: A cyclist falls on tracks and seriously injures his left shoulder rotator cuff.

According to local bicycle shops and avid riders, many other cyclists (including city officials) have reportedly crashed while cycling over the tracks, suffering broken arms and collarbones.

Local bicycle advocates, including members of ElmCityCycling, have urged city and Connecticut Department of Transportation (ConnDOT) officials to take action to prevent further injuries at the crossing. To date, signs have been posted warning cyclists of the crossing, but injuries persist. Cyclists have commented on the limited visibility of the signs. To date, ConnDOT has not adequately addressed the situation.

14-Year Old Killed by Hit and Run Driver in Fair Haven

From reporting in the New Haven Independent at http://www.newhavenindependent.org/index.php/archives/entry/teen_cyclist_killed/:

A 14-year-old was riding his bike on Front Street near Grand Avenue early Saturday morning when he was hit by a car. The teenager was pronounced dead a short time later, according to police spokesman Officer Joe Avery. Police identified the victim as Keyshawn Moore of Orchard Street.

An accident reconstruction team is investigating and police are seeking witnesses. Police are asking anyone with information about the incident to call (203) 946-6316 or (203) 946-6304.

Friends on the Way: Approval for Quinnipiac Avenue Repaving, Roundabouts and Livable Street Designs

Original Post, 3/20/09: With the release of stimulus package funding, the reconstruction of the heart of Quinnipiac Avenue is now scheduled to begin as early as this fall.

The project had been in the works for about ten years. Due to extensive citizen input, over that time it progressed from a standard high-speed ConnDOT design into a more livable street with roundabouts, wider sidewalks and chicanes. The road passes through the heart of the Quinnipiac River District of Fair Haven Heights, one of New Haven's most important historic areas, with homes still dating from the 1760s. See this post for previous articles on Quinnipiac Avenue.

These "livable streets" measures will serve to reduce traffic speeds, which will have the direct effect of raising property values, improving safety, and encouraging people to make more friends (a study from England recently re-confirmed Appleyard's 1969 research on that subject). They will hopefully prevent the types of traffic-related injuries that have been fairly common on this section of road.

Yet questions within the community still abound about when other sections of the avenue -- which is rife with speeding (see photo, courtesy of the NH Independent) -- will be improved. Excerpts from local coverage below:

Public gives thumbs-up to redesign, NH Register, 3/25/09

It took eight years of planning, but dozens of Quinnipiac Avenue residents this week expressed satisfaction with the final version of a city redesign of a portion of the major thoroughfare. The $7.1 million project will extend from Lenox Avenue to Clifton Street and add safety features that will convert it from a straightaway, while providing for protected on-street parking and other features, to the delight of homeowners.

“We’re so looking forward to being able to walk him up the street with usable sidewalks,” said Quinnipiac Avenue resident Ian Christmann, referring to his 11-month-old son, Sawyer, who joined his parents at the community meeting at the Pilgrim Church in Fair Haven Heights.

Miller said the project changes Quinnipiac from Lenox to East Grand avenues by adding roundabouts, bump-outs for parking and chicains, which are curb extensions that alternate from one side of the street to the other, forming S-shaped curves.

Chris Ozyck, another Quinnipiac Avenue resident, congratulated the city on the project and also for traffic enforcement there and on Front Street, which has slowed down vehicles.

Q Ave Residents Ask For More “Redo”, NH Independent, 3/24/09

Bekhrad was one of dozens of local residents who turned out to hear an update from city officials on the status of the Quinnipiac Avenue “re-do."

The city’s plan features a number of traffic calming measures — including a roundabout, chicanes, and bumpouts — designed to discourage cars from flooring it on the straightaway. The project also includes reconstruction of the retaining wall and sidewalks along the avenue.

Dismayed at the state of the avenue, and looking for a public partner for her private investment, Bekhrad went right to the top with a recent request to fix her road. Last month she sent President Obama a letter, asking for his cooperation and financial support on her project. She copied the letter to Mayor DeStefano.

“We haven’t begun to think about the rest of the road,” the mayor replied. “So it could be at least another eight to ten years?” Bekhrad asked. The mayor agreed that yes, it could be as long eight or ten years, but promised to take up the matter. “Between now and whenever we next get together we’ll take a look at areas north and south of Phase One and Two,” he said.

“It’s very difficult to attract people,” Bekhrad said. She’s trying to fill seven of her $800,000 condos. “People came today, they said, ‘Your units are beautiful, but the street stinks,’” Bekhrad said. She didn’t close the deal with the prospective tenants.

Christmann was encouraged by the meeting, and looks forward to a transformation of his street. “We have one of the most walkable areas in town,” he said, describing a local riverside walking route. “But we’re stuck with a stretch of Quinnipiac Avenue that is treacherous — four wheel drive treacherous.”

Update 1/5/2011: Phase One of the project nears completion. According to reporting in the New Haven Independent, many neighbors are cheering the progress:

Traffic-calming techniques, meant to improve safety, are a vital part of the Quinnipiac reconstruction. Read about their significance here and here . Roundabouts and separators have been installed, but there’s work in this area left still.

Hit and Run in New Haven Sends Pregnant Woman to Trauma Room; Cyclist Struck by Vehicle: Both in Areas Noted on SeeClickFix for Dangerous Conditions

Yet more crashes on sections of Fair Haven area roads that are nowhere near in line with the city's complete streets policy. Some of the details below are via the New Haven Independent:

A pregnant woman is in trauma at the Hospital of St. Raphael’s after a driver hit her on Foxon Boulevard at 6:44 p.m. Wednesday, then fled the scene.

This area of Foxon, far from a complete street, is known for speeding in excess of 70 miles per hour, drag racing, and New Haven School (First Student) buses and CT Transit buses running red lights.

Also, a pick-up truck driver hit a 14-year-old bicyclist who was crossing the street at East and Humphrey at around 3:50 p.m. Wednesday. He was treated at Yale-New Haven for a “very minor” “foot/leg injury. The area of East and Humphrey is marked by poorly maintained pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure, such as the "unsafe pedestrian crossing" on East reported on SeeClickFix, and the lack of proper bicycle infrastructure connecting Fair Haven to Downtown and East Rock.

Safe Routes to School Expands to Fair Haven, Foreshadows Citywide Approach

Elizabeth Benton's excellent article on the Safe Routes to School Program, a Federal program that will be implemented at a school in Fair Haven beginning this year, was published today by the New Haven Register.

The work reported on here builds upon the extensive public involvement in the Fair Haven traffic calming master plan, completed in 2008 with assistance from the City of New Haven and the Community Foundation for Greater New Haven. That process resulted in a series of very well-attended public meetings and "walkabouts" with Dan Burden, and in fact was one of the key events resulting in the creation of the citywide New Haven Safe Streets Coalition (PDF here).

The Fair Haven implementation, combined with the increased national focus on how the built environment plays a critical role in obesity prevention and child health, has sparked an interest in the program within New Haven's other neighborhoods. For example, Elm City Cycling's 2010 Bicycle Plan recommends gradually expanding Safe Routes to School to other schools in New Haven.

Program Promotes Walking to School, New Haven Register, 2/11/09

By Elizabeth Benton, Register Staff
(Copyright New Haven Register)

NEW HAVEN — Fair Haven School gym teacher Travis Gale estimates as many as half of his students, from kindergarten to eighth grade, are obese.

And of the 650 kids that attend Fair Haven School, only about 250 walk to school, he said. “It’s a problem,” he said. “Students are more into the video games. And the environment I teach in, the parks aren’t playable or possibly not open. They need more exercise in their life.”

Gale has been part of a team pushing for safer walking routes to school in Fair Haven, spearheaded by former Alderwoman Erin Sturgis-Pascale. After almost two years of work, the team has secured a $477,000 federal Safe Routes to School grant, which will be used to improve walking infrastructure around the school, including new sidewalks and crosswalks along Grand Avenue and Exchange Street and two pedestrian islands on Grand Avenue at the intersections with Bright and Atwater streets.

“This summer, some very significant and aggressive traffic calming infrastructure remodeling is going to happen on Grand Avenue,” Sturgis-Pascale said.

The Safe Routes to School program originated in Denmark in the 1970s as the country looked for ways to reduce the number of children killed walking and bicycling to school. The effort has since expanded internationally, and in 2005, Congress created a National Safe Routes to School program, which included $612 million in grants to improve walking routes near schools. Of that, $16 million was set aside for Connecticut schools.

Mayor John DeStefano Jr. said the grant ties into the city’s broader Street Smarts campaign, aimed at improving safety for pedestrians, cyclists and motorists.

“As part of our Street Smarts campaign that launched a year and a half ago, we are committed to increasing awareness and making improvements in our infrastructure so that pedestrians, cyclists and motorists safely share New Haven streets,” DeStefano said. “This grant helps us advance this effort in Fair Haven, providing improved opportunities for children and their families to walk to school.”

According to Gale, there is currently one crosswalk on Grand Avenue in front of the school, manned by a crossing guard. But there is nothing to help children cross other nearby intersections.

In addition to the infrastructure improvements, Gale said he is considering starting a “walking train” this spring, where teachers and adults would meet children on nearby street corners and walk to school together. “This has to be partnered with educational and outreach programs,” said Sturgis-Pascale. “There are plenty of kids that live within one mile of the school who could walk to school. We hope to capture that, those children, and turn them from bus riders (and) children who are dropped off into walkers and cyclists,” she said.

Four Speed Humps Replace Choker in Fair Haven

The New Haven Independent covers the new traffic calming installations along River Street (NHI photo at left):

The four humps differ from their shorter yet higher, more axle-breaking cousins, the traffic bump usually found in parking lots. The humps will replace the temporary traffic choke at Blatchley, which has failed to slow speeders....

Cars should also slow to about 15 miles per hour before each hump. If properly placed in a series, humps should slow cars down on the street to 25 to 35 mph.

James Mahon, who has worked at Fair Haven Furniture at Blatchley Street for two years, agreed that four humps are well worth one choke.

Fair Haven Alderwoman Erin Sturgis-Pascale, the city’s expert on traffic calming, said she hadn’t yet seen the humps but that she was in principal pleased the city was making the effort. However, she cautioned against using speed humps as a standard practice. “Their installation,” she said in an email message, “is a reactive measure that doesn’t add value to our city streets the way a properly designed complete street would do.

Crash Sends 14 Year Old to Hospital in Critical Condition

Reporting today from the New Haven Independent about a very severe crash on a section of Quinnipiac Avenue notorious for crashes and speeding, but scheduled to be rebuilt over the next year using Federal stimulus dollars. An excerpt:

But neighbors also said that the intersection has been unsafe for years, with unpainted crosswalks, a dim light, and unenforced speed limits. This is the most recent of a number of bike- and pedestrian-related accidents in the city.

The three girls who had been biking were “sobbing” together on the corner near Stahl’s house, she said. When she went over to talk to them, she realized that they were standing on the spraypaint memorial for Mike Padua, the boy who had died in 2005.

While Tuesday’s accident seems to have been the boy’s fault, Stahl indicated that the fact that it is the second accident at the corner suggests a need for action. “If it happens once, shame on them. If it happens twice, shame on us,” Stahl said.

She suggested that a speed bump near the bottom of Clifton Street might serve as a deterrent for daredevil youth. Stahl has other ideas about how the intersection could be improved also. She and Rose said that they have contacted the city repeatedly to try to have crosswalks repainted. “They haven’t been repainted in ten years.”

Student Hit By Car While Biking to School: Are Road Injuries "Minor"?

Original Post 6/16/09: The crash was reported in the New Haven Independent last week:

A 17-year-old student was struck by a car while riding a bicycle on the way to Wilbur Cross High School Tuesday, police said. The crash took place on Willow Street near the I-91 exit ramp at 7:35 a.m.

The press piece indicates that the boy suffered "minor injuries," thankfully, and was able to continue to bike to school before an ambulance was called to take him to the hospital. We hope that the student will fully recover as soon as possible.

However, in the broader scheme of practice, the word "minor" is often misused when describing traffic collisions. Many studies like this one from Oxford University (Psychological Medicine (2002), 32:4:671-675 Cambridge University Press) show that the impact over time can actually be much greater than initially realized. An excerpt:

Replies were received from 507 (66%) subjects. Although 76% of injuries were medically minor bruises and lacerations, 132 (26%) reported symptoms of psychiatric disorder and 104 (21%) moderate or severe pain at 3 years. There was little evidence of improvement in prevalence between 1 and 3 years, with continuing physical symptoms, psychiatric disorder and reported consequences for everyday life.

Home to Interstate 91 on-and off-ramps, the stretch of Willow Street where the student was hit is known as an extremely hostile, high-speed environment for bicyclists and particularly pedestrians, despite the fact that it is one of the only road connections between the East Rock and Fair Haven neighborhoods of New Haven (it is not exactly like one of the bridges in Portland). The condition of the road prevents thousands of children in the Fair Haven neighborhood from easily using East Rock Park, effectively creating a wall between two directly adjacent neighborhoods. Unfortunately, ConnDOT would have to approve any changes to the current configuration of the roadway.

Apparently, ConnDOT doesn't believe that "minor" road injuries are that big of an issue, considering that they have done nothing to install a simple fix to the situation on the Tomlinson Bridge even after dozens of cyclists have reported being seriously injured crossing its 30-degree railroad track crossing.

Does it take a few deaths before they take action?

A few reactions posted on the Independent article:

Yet we have a responsibility, a moral obligation, to ensure the safety of those students who do walk or bike to school.... The Willow St bridge was constructed in anticipation of the (thankfully scrapped) East Rock Connector. This is a perfect example of excess road capacity leading to unsafe conditions. THIS ROAD NEEDS A DIET.... Anybody want to help me write the Safe Routes to School grant?

It is a good thing the driver was going under 25. When I drive in an urban environment, I try to keep my speed at about 15 mph or below..... I have had several close calls with pedestrians, but luckily have never hit one, and I attribute this in part to driving at a speed that isn't likely to kill.

Making East Rock school more accessible from Fair Haven, via a better pedestrian connection, is crucial. Willow + Blatchley Street, between the school and Erector Square, is currently an unattractive pedestrian "no go" zone, even for able bodied residents. Ask people who live in the area. To say nothing about how a handicapped, blind, elderly or disabled person would feel.

Update 6/18/09: According to reporting in the NH Independent, another student near Fair Haven, this one an 11-year old child, was hit by a car on Tuesday. The crash gave the child "abrasions." According to other reporting the driver was not "at fault."

Connecticut Planning features article about Safe Streets Coalition

The article contains a number of quotes from New Haven Safe Streets supporters. Link to PDF file here. See pages 10-13: http://www.ccapa.org/newsletter/ct_planning_3q08.pdf

Quinnipiac River Residents Lobby for Long-Delayed Safety Project

At its monthly meeting yesterday, the Quinnipiac River Community Group (QRCG) also voted to endorse the New Haven Petition for Safe Streets. Article here: http://www.newhavenindependent.org/archives/2008/09/this_is_an_emer.php

For details, please see a more in-depth article, and comments, here:
http://www.newhavenindependent.org/archives/2008/08/q_ave_redo_dela.php

Street Racing Damages Cars, Drivers Injured

New Haven (WTNH) August 14, 2008 -- Cars parked along a city street in New Haven were heavily damaged Thursday morning, and some blame illegal street racers. It was around 12:30 a.m. Folks in this residential neighborhood were at home, sleeping or watching TV when they heard crash after crash and came out to find the damage.

Witnesses say two cars were speeding up Lexington Avenue. They ended up crashing, but those two cars also crashed into parked cars along the street doing serious damage. At least six parked cars are damaged.

Residents say cars speed up Lexington Avenue all the time, but this was actually unusual. They think the cars might have been racing when they crashed. One flipped over. The drivers were injured and taken for medical help. There was no word from the police about charges just yet, but one resident said at least three of the parked cars are now totaled.

"I'm disabled, I have no vehicle now, and the other people, this lady here just put a lot of work into her car, a neighbor put a lot of work into her car and so did I, and now we're without vehicles because of people driving like this," Rob Lowry said.

Lowry says he and other residents have complained about speeding on the street before, and asked the city to put in a stop sign or something to calm traffic.

The city is in the middle of a campaign to try to make the streets safer for everyone who uses them, with a new traffic calming ordinance in the works, and the city just set up a hotline to report traffic problems. The hope is to do something about dangerous streets before things get quite this bad. The number to call to report a traffic problem is 203-946-6956.

Intersection Repair in Fair Haven

“Road witching” came to New Haven for the first time as traffic-calming champion Erin Sturgis-Pascale led a dozen of her fellow Fair Haveners in “chalking in” medians and curb bump-outs — which, if actually built, would slow traffic and help reclaim the streets for non-vehicular uses. As they approached, curious drivers slowed down on a brilliant morning that highlighted the calm beauty of Chatham Square Park and the neighborhood....

“The city has a classification for streets that they really don’t focus on: neighborhood streets, collectors, and arterials. This is the lowest volume, a quiet neighborhood street. Kids in suburbs play on their quiet streets; why shouldn’t city kids too?”

http://www.newhavenindependent.org/archives/2008/08/road_witched_in.php#010787

Appel interviews City's traffic enforcement czar

See here: http://www.newhavenindependent.org/archives/2008/08/top_traffic_cop.php

Following the regular August monthly meeting of the Fair Haven Community Management Team (one of the first "Safe Streets" supporters in the city), which featured the city's new police chief, New Haven Independent correspondent Allan Appel asked Lieutenant Witkowski several important questions about cell phone use while driving (shown to be worse than drunk driving), traffic statistics, police equipment, educational programs, speeding and drag racing.

NH Register: Traffic-safety efforts gear up across city

Photo at Left: An in-street crosswalk sign used in a highly successful retail district in Downtown Norwalk, Connecticut, July 2008. It's combined with a textured crosswalk and curb bumpouts, creating a welcoming pedestrian environment and slowing traffic to a reasonable 15-20 mph pace. A group of New Haven residents observed a high rate of compliance with crosswalk regulations here, similar to the experience in dozens of other towns in the New Haven region where these signs are present. Public health authorities and traffic engineers have extensive data showing that in-street signs are highly effective at increasing pedestrian safety.

Traffic-safety efforts gear up across city

By Mary E. O'Leary, Register Topics Editor, 08/07/2008

NEW HAVEN — A push is on to slow down traffic in the city with in-street signs that would remind drivers they must yield to pedestrians in crosswalks.

Separately, Yale alumni have petitioned the university to incorporate traffic-calming measures as plans solidify for two additional colleges off Prospect Street, while across town, Fair Haveners will gather Saturday to continue discussions on dangerous streets in that neighborhood.

These are just a few of the many pieces of a movement to make city streets safer for pedestrians in light of several fatal accidents, as well as the increasing number of cyclists sharing the streets with motor vehicles.

The Yale Medical Campus Traffic Safety Group, Elm City Cycling and members of the New Haven Safe Streets Coalition are asking that the city consider, on a trial basis, placing yield-to-pedestrian signs in crosswalks.

Generally, the signs stand several feet high on a platform and incorporate a walking figure, a reference to "state law" and a yield sign. The devices, which are approved by the Federal Highway Administration, do not include traffic signals.

Placing the signs directly in the road is intended to get drivers to reduce their speed and alert them to the crosswalk, according to advocates, who said they have been used successfully around the country, including larger cities such as Milwaukee and Baltimore, while there are 4,500 throughout Pennsylvania. The signs also are in use in area communities, such as Milford and Branford.

Advocates said the city has been reluctant to use the signs because of potential liability if a driver hits one and concern they would simply be ignored.

Tom Harned of Elm City Cycling and Rachel Wattier of the Yale Medical Campus Traffic Safety Group believe these reasons don't hold up, in light of safety studies conducted by Pennsylvania and, particularly, if city police enforce the traffic laws at the pilot sites.

"We believe this will maximize the efficacy of the device and increase driver awareness of its use," they wrote. They would like to see a minimum of 20 such signs throughout the city by November.

On Saturday, Fair Haveners will chalk improvements, such as islands, curb cuts and roundabouts, on the streets, as discussed in an earlier workshop with Dan Burden, the director of Walkable Communities. They will meet at 10 a.m. at Chatham Square on Clinton Avenue.

The neighborhood has already prioritized which streets it would like to see improved first; this will be their third meeting on the issue.

More than 1,600 residents and 10 community management teams have signed on to a safe streets petition being circulated in New Haven which endorses measures to cut citywide traffic-related injuries in half by 2009 and by 90 percent as of 2015.

The letter to Yale requested that streets be posted at 15 to 20 miles per hour where pedestrian traffic is heavy around the campus, as well as incorporating other physical changes.

"Curb extensions that improve pedestrian visibility, medians, narrowed, raised or marked crosswalks, in-street signage and other traffic-calming measures are desperately needed," the 16 alumni wrote.

Among them are Alderwomen Rachel Plattus, D-1, Gina Calder, D-2, and Dolores Colon, D-6.

Mary E. O'Leary can be reached at moleary@nhregister.com or 789-5731.

http://www.nhregister.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=19897504&BRD=1281&PAG=461&dept_id=635057&rfi=6