Maya McFadden Photo
The Bradley Street Bicycle Co-Op yard sign in its tomato, mint, mustard greens, and pepper garden.
A community campaign for safer streets is calling on drivers to drive no more than 20 miles per hour throughout the city, to create a New Haven “where walking and biking are the norms and our streets are intentionally designed as enjoyable public spaces that connect us to our community.”
goNewHavengo launched that “20isPlenty” public awareness campaign Thursday aimed at making New Haven streets safer for all by asking drivers to change their driving habits. The launch took place at the Bradley Street Bicycle Co-Op.
The campaign sponsors include the City of New Haven’s Traffic Transportation and Parking department (TT&P), Community Alliance for Research and Engagement (CARE), New Haven Coalition of Active Transportation, New Haven Safe Streets Coalition, and the Bradley Street Bicycle Co-Op.
Chris Schweitzer of goNewHavengo said the campaign came about partially because of Covid and a growing community dependence on walking and biking as safer means of transportation to social distance. goNewHavengo started five years ago to “think outside the car” and to address transportation-related climate change concerns.
The campaign will be running ads on CTtransit buses, posting 100-yard signs around town, and giving out 20isPlenty posters, bumper stickers, and magnets.
In addition to asking the community to pledge to safer streets, campaign organizers will use traffic studies and crash data to support their demand for changing street limits to 20 mph legislatively, from the currnt 25.
Justin Elicker, Karen Jenkins, Chris Schweitzer, Doug Hausladen, Devin Avshalom-Smith.
TT&P Director Doug Hausladen said the campaign will work towards safer city streets through engineering, education, and enforcement.
Mayor Justin Elicker attended the launch to support the campaign as a cyclist and occasional walker to work. Elicker said traffic safety is one of the most common concerns he hears from New Haveners.
Elicker said he hopes to see the campaign “make sure that more people actually have the option safety to opt into biking, walking to work, walking to the bus stop.”
Kai Addae and John Martin.
Kai Addae spoke on behalf of the Bradley Street Bicycle Co-Op and the New Haven Safe Streets Coalition to advocate for safer streets. “As someone who primarily bikes around the city, I know how scary and dangerous it can feel,” she said.
The Safe Streets Coalition is made up of New Haveners who bike, ride public, transportation, drive, and walkers advocating for safe, accessible, and sustainable transportation with a focus on underserved communities.
CARE’s Devin Avshalom-Smith said the organization decided to sponsor the campaign to advance its mission of an active transportation plan, while offering low-income communities a say in local initiatives.
Avshalom-Smith urged residents to report safety concerns on SeeClickFix and take CARE’s survey to provide input about its recent street demonstration project to increase pedestrian safety.
New Haven Coalition of Active Transportation board member Karen Jenkins joined the campaign to promote biking, walking, and use of public transportation. The Coalition of Active Transportation offers free bicycle education classes of various levels to New Haveners. The coalition’s long term goal is to integrate bike education into the public school systems.
“We want everybody who can ride a bike to be on a bike of all ages and abilities and to ride their bike safely and competently,” said Jenkins.
Coalition of Active Transportation events coorcdinator Sam Haiken learned from Jenkins how to ride a bike six weeks ago after hearing about the coalition, with the hope of making biking her primary way of transportation. For an hour for five days, Jenkins helped Haiken learn to ride a bike safely and confidently.
Volunteers repair a bike before the launch event.
Addae said cyclists commonly have “close calls” on the street. Addae suggested that residents interested in the campaign reach out to their alders so the ward can support the campaign with yard signs and by working with the team to demand city change.
Addae cites the intersection of Orange and Elm street and Whalley Avenue as two dangerous commuting corridors that either lack crosswalks or have crosswalk timers set that are too short for all pedestrians to make it across in time safely.
Addae often volunteers with John Martin at the Bradley Street Bike Co-Op, which repairs about 500 bikes a year. Through volunteers, the bike co-op helps to repair and recycle donated bikes to later sell at affordable prices to New Haveners.
Sponsors plan to work at traffic calming solutions like converting one-way streets to two-way streets, planting trees along roadways, widening sidewalks, striping parking spaces, and adding bike lanes to help to beautify streets and slow down traffic.
The Bradley Street Bicycle Co-Op’s repair backlog.
Addae said New Haveners shouldn’t have to choose between living close to work and their desired neighborhood or between affording a car and affording rent because the streets are too unsafe to walk or bike.
“Evidence shows us that speeding isn’t a matter of just bad and careless drivers, its a symptom of the streets not being designed for the safety of all residents,” said Addae.“We want a New Haven where all residents from all neighborhoods can safely and easily travel anywhere without owning a car.”
Watch the event in the video below.
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Posted by Bradley Street Bicycle Co-Op on Thursday, August 13, 2020