Opis
A crosswalk is needed from the University Theater to the Library Walk. There is a mid block crosswalk on Temple Street, in front of the Omni Hotel (which has far fewer pedestrians than this area!), which could serve as a model.
Doing this would require bumping out the curbs and removing some parking spaces, in order to increase the visibility of pedestrians.
A crosswalk would also help reduce speeding on the street. Cars currently travel through this area at very high speeds, putting pedestrians' lives at risk.
It is surprising nothing has been done about the situation, considering the number of students who have been injured and the enormous numbers of pedestrians who cross York Street to get from one dormitory to the other.
11 Skomentujs
Brian Tang (Zarejestrowany użytkownik)
I agree. It's virtually impossible to even use Library Walk (which I just learned is the name for the walkway between Branford and JE) without jaywalking on York. One could insist that students forsake this architecturally beautiful space and instead cross at Elm Street, but that would be sad.
Instead, the university should embrace the opportunity to create a beautiful urban space where Library Walk meets York Street, a brick crosswalk about the width of an intersection to span York Street, unify the space, and reunite the two sides of the road.
Very few metered spaces would be lost, as it is a loading zone on one side of the street and a fire hydrant on the other.
Does anybody know the Master/Dean of Pierson, Davenport, JE, or Branford? Is anyone affiliated with University Theater/School of Drama, YDN, or School of Architecture? Those would be good places to start.
Brian Tang (Guest)
Darlene McCullough (Guest)
Mark (Guest)
Agree. This would be a good one to fix. Not just an opportunity to do a simple crosswalk, but also one to create a beautiful urban space, like Brian suggests.
Here's what Miami, Florida did to create a plaza and crosswalk in front of its performing arts center:
http://www.designnewhaven.com/2008/07/pelli-celebrates-architecture.html
Keep in mind that this was on a major road -- U.S. Route 1 -- not a smaller street like York.
Which theater would you rather stroll around after seeing a play? Encouraging walkability in Downtown New Haven is absolutely key if New Haven wants to compete for shopping money with places like Downtown Guilford or Westport.
n (Guest)
CT Livable Streets Campaign (Zarejestrowany użytkownik)
N:
Having crosswalks this far apart is completely unheard of in progressive, walkable cities. People cross in front of the theater because nobody in their right mind would walk down to the end of the block in order to cross (unless they are disabled and have no other option -- a great example of discrimination here).
Does New Haven want to be a bunch of highway systems, or does it want to be a real place where families of all ages and abilities enjoy spending time?
A crosswalk and traffic calming system should be installed here immediately. Has there been any progress on this? A group of more than a dozen people, including representatives from Yale and the city, met to walk this area last year but no actions have been taken.
Anonymous (Guest)
brandonscottjackson25 (Zarejestrowany użytkownik)
CT Livable Streets Campaign (Zarejestrowany użytkownik)
A neighborhood group, residential college or student association really should fill out and submit a "complete streets" request form at http://www.cityofnewhaven.com/Engineering/completestreets.asp.
Getting these types of requests on the official public record will help the city improve the safety of these and other crossings over time. If you need help completing the form itself you may want to contact your local alderperson or newhavensafestreets at gmail.com.
The topic of the forms was recently covered by the NH Independent, at http://www.newhavenindependent.org/index.php/archives/entry/connectivity_is_lacking_in_/.
CT Livable Streets Campaign (Zarejestrowany użytkownik)
No progress on this yet, though the University's Traffic Safety Subcommittee has been talking about it.
I will buy a gift card to Willoughby's for anyone who fills out a community complete streets request for this improvement!
Zamknięte Department of Transportation, Traffic and Parking (Zarejestrowany użytkownik)