Thomas MacMillan Photo
Alderman Elicker.
As plans move forward to revitalize a car-filled section of highway entering downtown New Haven, aldermen are calling on the city to make the end product less “auto-centric” and more friendly to walkers and cyclists.
Eleven aldermen, one former alderman, and one alderman-in-waiting officially submitted a measure to that effect at Monday evening’s meeting of the Board of Aldermen.
The resolution, which is now headed to committee, deals with the so-called Downtown Crossing project. That’s the $140-million project that would re-design and fill-in the Rt. 34 connector, a 10-acre area between South and North Frontage Road, now Martin Luther King Boulevard.
City of New Haven Photo Illustration.
One sketch of the plan.
Designers of Downtown Crossing envision it as an area of that will connect downtown to the medical district, with a new 10-story medical-oriented building.
But for the aldermen behind Monday’s proposed resolution, the plan accommodates car traffic over pedestrians and bike movement, a complaint raised by architects, preservationists and other new urbanists at a conference last weekend.
Joining the current aldermen signing the resolution were State Rep. Roland Lemar, a former alderman, and Douglas Hausladen, who’s running unopposed to be the Downtown alderman when Alderwoman Bitsie Clark steps down at the end of the year.
The group’s proposed resolution calls for no more than three lanes of traffic in each direction, including turn lanes. An accompanying letter calls for “separated bicycle facilities” known as “cycletracks,” raised intersections, bump-outs, and roads designed for no more than 25 miles per hour.
Read it here.
East Rock Alderman Justin Elicker, the lead name on the measure, said he and “pretty much everyone” approves of the general Downtown Crossing concept. But there’s widespread concern — and not just from New Haven’s vociferous cycling community — about the direction the plans have taken, he said.
For instance, one section of road under the latest version of the plan would have five lanes of traffic going one way, including two turn lanes.
“How’s a pedestrian going to safely cross?” he asked.
The planners have made the mistake of designing the plan based on peak car traffic hours, which leads to a conclusion that five-lanes of traffic are needed, Elicker said. “What about the rest of the day?”
In the long term, building for peak traffic is a mistake that will “create a place people don’t want to be.” That will be bad for business and defeat the purpose of the entire project, Elicker said.
“Cars are important tools,” acknowledged Elicker, who recently bought a Subaru after years of living without a car in New Haven. “Cars have their place. But it’s more important to have a lot of alternatives to cars.”
Asked about the danger of automobile bottlenecks if lanes are kept to three, Elicker said that’s a problem that can be solved. One option is “queue detectors,” sensors that monitor for long lines of backed-up traffic and then switch all the lights to green temporarily to flush out the street.
In an email Tuesday, city deputy economic development administrator Mike Piscitelli responded to the proposed resolution:
“The city is reviewing the communication and looks forward to working with [Elicker] as we move forward on the project. Downtown Crossing is a comprehensive effort and a moment in time to transform the Route 34 area. This includes land use, economic development / job creation, urban design and the creation of new complete streets. We are in design for the road work, but comments for any aspect of the project are always welcome through the web portal at http://downtowncrossingnewhaven.com. As you know, public outreach is ongoing and we will be scheduling the next community meeting in the fall. Topics for that meeting are scheduled to include urban design / scale and land use, as well as transportation.”