Just over a dozen cyclists took a five-mile spin together on Long Wharf for an inaugural test run on Connecticut’s first protected bike lane.
Cyclists — some in suits, some in spandex — were there Friday morning to fête the two-way, off-street “cycletrack” that officially opened this week.
The path, which is protected from cars by a curb, stretches for a mile down Brewery Street, near IKEA, to Long Wharf Drive. After that, the path links up with another mile of on-street bike lane, protected by delineator tubes, to the Long Wharf Nature Preserve.
Mostly hardcore enthusiasts turned up for the inaugural ride, a loop from City Hall to City Point. The improvements also target New Haven’s “potential cyclists,” the huge contingent who’ve thought about hopping on a two-wheeler for a commute or leisure ride but haven’t yet.
“It’s one of the bike amenities most effective in getting the biggest group of potential cyclists – the ‘interested but concerned’ – to take to the road,” said Melinda Tuhus, the co-organizer of Bike to Work Day, which took place Friday.
And even if that group doesn’t leave the car at home, the protected bike lanes will at least remind drivers that they need to share the road, said Matthew Feiner, owner of Devil’s Gear Bike Shop a founder of the group Elm City Cycling. “It’s so visible and so dynamic. It’s more than just a bumper sticker that says, ‘Hey, watch out for bikes,’” he explained. “For a New England city to have this, it’s unprecedented.”
Enhancing the city’s bike infrastructure is an important part of the mayor’s overarching plan to reduce barriers to employment, said Doug Hausladen, the city’s transit chief.
The civil rights issue “was, at one point, ‘Where do I sit on the bus?’ Now, it’s ‘Where does my bus go? And who’s on the bus with me?’” he said.
Likewise, Hausladen said he believes biking is important for access, even though bikers are often stereotyped as richer, more educated and whiter. “People think of it as a recreational sport, but really, when you’re out there in the neighborhoods of New Haven, you see everyone on bikes,” he said. “You see people biking to work at 3 a.m. going over to Chabaso, on James Street, to bake your bread that you’re going to eat at Atticus, where the waiter cycled in and so did the owner. For us, really trying to protect commuting options is what the protection is all about.”
The state legislature paved the way for the New Haven cycletracks with an update to state law in 2015. But two years later, city planners are still wrangling with Hartford over speed limits. Because the protected bike lane changes the geometry of Long Wharf, the state agreed to reduce the speed limit to 25 miles per hour. But elsewhere, officials haven’t seen the same slowdowns they’ve requested, Hausladen said.
Still, the city’s not braking on its plans. Up ahead, cycletracks are planned for Forbes Avenue, over the Tomlinson Bridge, and on Edgewood Avenue from Forest Road to Park Street.
Over free coffee and bagels (sponsored by Cold Spring School) near City Hall Friday, Hausladen passed out Elm City Cycle Maps, while passers-by picked up stickers, leg straps and pamphlets about Elm City Cycling’s Bike Plan.
Shortly after 9 a.m., Hausladen strapped on a neon green helmet for a test run, a group of about 16 hopped on their bikes (and one on a recumbent tricycle) to trek through Wooster Square to the waterfront.
The group “corked” intersections — sending one rider out into the roadway to halt traffic, while the rest of the pack crossed — and pointed out hazards, like shattered glass and deep potholes.
When the cyclists let down their kickstands back on Church Street, a senior citizen shooed them forward. The woman said she used to love biking — “Now, I ride this,” she gestured at her walker — but she said she worried for the riders.
“Be careful riding bikes in New Haven,” she warned. “Cars here have no respect.”
“Ain’t that the truth?” Feiner said as she walked off.