Farmington Canal Greenway Gets Rolling

According to this report in the New Haven Register, the City of New Haven has bid out Phase 3 of the Farmington Canal Greenway, which will connect from the trail's current end on Shelton Avenue up to the Hamden border. Simultaneously, Hamden has now begun construction on its last remaining section, which runs from Hamden High School to the New Haven border. This means that the linear park should be largely completed by mid-2009, providing a continuous off-road walking and bicycling trail from Downtown New Haven running about a dozen miles into Cheshire and then (with a few remaining gaps) a total of 84-miles to Northampton, Massachusetts. Now, if only the thing would show up on Google Maps.

Phase 4 of the trail, which is currently in design, will run from the current trailhead on Hillhouse avenue to Canal Dock Road on the New Haven Harbor. Yale University has done incredible work paving, lighting and maintaining the first half of the section of trail running through its campus, from Prospect to Hillhouse Avenue (also soon to be the home of two fantastic pedestrian bridges), and has provided close to a million dollars to complete the portion of Phase 4 which runs through another block or so of its campus.

Thanks to the design and site planning of Diana Balmori and Cesar Pelli, the multi-use trail helps provide a stunning setting for Yale's new Malone Engineering Center (see photo). Hopefully Mack Scogin and Merrill Elam's new Yale University Health Services building, which is under construction just a block up the street, will have a similar relationship to the adjacent path.

Trail greenways like the Farmington Canal have a massive impact on the local environment and economy. According to the National Association of Realtor's 2002 Consumer's Survey on Smart Choices for Home Buyers, trails ranked as the second most important community amenity out of a list of 18 choices. Studies have shown that trail proximity adds about 10% to the value of homes and that homes adjacent to greenways sell much more quickly. In an era when only 10% of children walk to school, these trails are also critical resources to promote recreation and public health. More Greenways are planned to connect with Downtown New Haven over the coming years: the Harborside Greenway running from Lighthouse Point (and points beyond) around New Haven Harbor to West Haven will connect with the Fair Haven and West River waterfront trails. All four of New Haven's rivers (counting Morris Creek) will then be connected to one another by a system of "green" biking and walking routes, essentially enabling any resident to get anywhere in the city without needing to travel on busy urban streets.

Unfortunately, despite their obvious benefits and relatively low cost, these trails have been taking more than two decades to complete. Part of the reason is the fact that over 60% of our state's transportation funding is spent on highways, whereas less than 1% goes to bicycle and pedestrian projects. Call all of your elected officials today and ask them to keep these projects moving along!

Arts & Ideas Festival tours New Haven

The Arts & Ideas Festival has wrapped up its series of public walking and bicycling tours, many of which focused on Downtown New Haven's rich panoply of history and culture. The tours were hosted by the New Haven Preservation Trust, Elm City Cycling and the Broadway Merchants Association. Check these links for media coverage of the New Haven public art and public sculpture bicycle tour, Hillhouse Avenue historic district walking tour, and "free speech" bicycle tour. Other tour sites featuring Downtown New Haven included sacred architecture, waterfront neighborhoods, city planning and art galleries. Upcoming summer bicycle rides, including the Wednesday Night Ice Cream Rides, are posted on the calendar at http://www.elmcitycycling.org/. Group walking tours can be arranged by contacting Design New Haven and other Downtown organizations.

Momentum Builds for Bike-Friendly Union Station

The New Haven Register reports today that the city has received a $10,000 grant to improve bicycle access at Union Station, and also has submitted a federal funding request for $145,000 for on-street dedicated and shared bike lanes connecting Union Station to Downtown New Haven and neighborhoods to the south and north of the city, which themselves have bike routes planned to connect with other sections of New Haven. The funding requests and grants also contain provisions for improved bike storage (with something like the photo at left, from a small Swedish train station, as the eventual goal in terms of encouraging use). More specifics on a proposed route can be found in the article:

"The bike lane, signage and striping would take place along Orange and Humphrey streets, Whitney Avenue, Temple, George, Church and Crown streets and Union, Howard and Columbus avenues with $15,900 for bike racks and covered parking at the rail station."

Improved bicycle routes and parking at Union Station would not only provide improved efficiency for commuters, but would also potentially have a major impact on the city's economic development, public health and traffic safety, as bicycle lanes also tend to calm traffic, promote walkability, raise real estate values, increase bicycling use, help citizens save millions of dollars per year in commuting costs, and promote local retail districts. They could also have an impact on suburban areas, by making the land near train stations on Metro North, Shoreline East and the New Haven-Hartford-Springfield line more valuable.

Of course, to be truly effective and enable the majority of city residents to feel comfortable commuting via bicycle, designated bike routes must also be combined with traffic calming treatments that reduce vehicle speeds and create safer intersections. As the number of cyclists in Downtown New Haven continues to grow, transit ridership increases, and the potential citywide economic benefits of improved traffic safety are more widely understood, the political will for implementing these types of strategies -- which have been in use for decades in many other cities and countries -- will hopefully increase.

WTNH-8 also ran a video news segment on this story, with great images of overflowing bike racks at the train station and footage of Elm City Cycling's recent "Bike to Work Day/BTW Breakfast." Also see separate WTNH news coverage here (video) and here (story). The $10,000 grant application was made possible based on the city's recent application to LAB for designation as a bicycle-friendly community. Click here for a thread summarizing previous DNH coverage of bicycle access on trains and at Union Station.

Former New Haven Coliseum Site: Details on the RFQs

Original post, 5/8/08: As reported earlier, the City of New Haven has received qualifications statements from six development teams who are interested in the site. RFQs from developers were due on April 22nd.

The city development office's primary concern at this point is to find a development team that has the capacity to successfully complete a major mixed-use project that integrates the Long Wharf Theatre, which is one of the leading regional theaters in the United States. Since the site is located near the city's two train stations and at the center of Downtown New Haven, it is considered to be extremely valuable, as evidenced by the fact that six very high-quality developers have submitted RFQs.

Images and detailed proposals were not required in the current round of RFQs. The city has appointed a committee to examine the developers' qualifications, and within the next couple of months is likely to issue a request for proposals from those team(s) determined to be qualified. At that point, there will likely be additional opportunities for public comment because the land will have to be transferred and/or approved for development by the city.

However, in keeping with the spirit of good design, the teams offered preliminary sketches and ideas as to what the site might look like and how it might be experienced. These diagrams and analyses will be very useful in guiding whichever team is ultimately selected to undertake the development. Selected images and text from the RFQ responses (numbered alphabetically) appear below.

It is important to note that these are just qualifications studies and not proposals, and that in addition to some of the materials below, each development team submitted extensive materials documenting their track records of experience with large mixed-use projects, theater integration, housing, community relationships, affordable housing and retail development know-how.

Team 1: Archstone, C.A. White, and Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects

The Archstone team writes that the Long Wharf Theatre "is critical to the success of the development. Long Wharf's presence will energize the site, giving it a unique identity that will draw tenants and visitors alike... Long Wharf will both benefit from and add to this growth, drawing visitors to area restaurants, after-hours clubs, and potentially a contemporary hotel... the Theatre would occupy the site's most prominent street fronts: the corner of Orange and George Street, becoming the face of the new development."

Regarding the presence along Route 34, Archstone writes, "We envision transforming the facade of the long, low parking garage into a lushly planted area that will provide a transition from the grit and noise of the elevated highway to the protected residential zones of the new development and the friendly, pedestrian-scaled streets of the Ninth Square. For those who remember the Coliseum high above Route 34, the new garage's planted facade and active green roof will be a revolutionary presence: a new approach to city design that emphasizes health, diversity and accessibility - a symbol of New Haven's renaissance." View the images for an excellent summary of how the site can be designed in a more sustainable way.

Team 2: AvalonBay

Although AvalonBay did not submit detailed diagrams for the site, they suggest an urban layout for apartments, theater, and retail, plus a wrapped parking garage that "would minimize potential visual impacts of the parking structure while marking the parking facilities convenient for the proposed uses." They suggest several alternative spaces for the Long Wharf Theatre, in addition to the one shown in the diagram above, suggesting that an alternate location for the Theatre may be on Lot E facing the new Gateway Community College.

Team 3: Heyman Properties

Heyman Properties proposes a major flagship hotel incorporated with the Theatre, which would allow more than half of the site to remain "available for additional residential and commercial development" and parking (which they note would potentially be created through a joint development agreement with other developers). They believe that the site's "wonderful visibility from the major road arteries serving New Haven, superior access and close proximity to the various business, health care and academic institutions" make the site ideally suited for a major hotel. They also note that, by incorporating the two developments together, "the theatre will also benefit by gaining additional revenue for the use of its facilities by the hotel when the theatre would otherwise be dark."

Team 4: Northland and Robert A.M. Stern Architects

Calling their proposal "Tenth Square," Northland begins with a reference to Downtown New Haven's extensive history: According to The Society of Colonial Wars in the State of Connecticut, the activity of colonial-era New Haven "focused on the tenth square - a group of streets plotted to the southeast between the harbor and the original Market Place [i.e., the New Haven Green]. This 'square' held the active mercantile quarter. The Long Wharf [Pier], which stretched to the harbor from the tenth square, housed an extensive shipping industry which controlled New Haven's economy in the early Federal period."

Northland's concept for the Coliseum Site is "a synergistic mix of uses, based upon new urbanism principles, designed to reduce impact on the envrionment, city services and roads while maximizing taxes and jobs. The development will be situated in a manner that respects the historic significance of the adjacent Ninth Square district yet integrates innovative methods of sustainable design.... a variety of public and open spaces, from wide, active sidewalks to commercial gathering places, will contribute to the development's distinctive character, providing a valuable amenity for the surrounding community." To Northland, the project is an "opportunity to resurrect, from a failed urban renewal attempt, the rich culture and diversity that once thrived in this former mixed use neighborhood."

As you can see from the design schemes, the RFQ also suggests a certain permeability to pedestrians, such as a major "Theater Alley", and a pedestrian connection alley from the center of the block through towards the train station. Northland describes this as "a network of streetscapes by which pedestrians can easily circulate around a site is one of the fundamental aspects of good urban design in that it promotes the health and well-being of the local community, economy and environment. This project is designed with the pedestrian in mind... the pedestrian network will be extended to adjacent street corners, providing safe and convenient circulation throughout the area for all pedestrians."

The Northland RFQ also mentions that the streets of New Haven "have become more bicycle friendly with the aim of encouraging residents and students to use bikes for their short range trips. This aids in taking cars off the local roads, making them safer for all users while also promoting healthier active lifestyles and a cleaner, greener environment." Plentiful bicycle racks are identified as a critical need.

Team 5: Related Companies and Robert Orr Architects
This RFQ does not include conceptual sketches of the site, but describes the need to "transform a site that has been desolate for decades into a lively, self-sustaining, mixed-use, mixed-income community that is woven seamlessly into the urban fabric of the Ninth Square and Downtown New Haven.... Related's design for the Coliseum site will include new streets permeating the block, adding value with increased frontage and corners" (incidentally, a point also brought up at George Knight's Wine Dine Design presentation on the future of the fire-damaged downtown block on Chapel Street). Related also suggests wrapped courtyard parking to minimize the effects that parking has on the cityscape.

Team 6: Richman Group Development and Herbert S. Newman and Partners Architects

Richman's RFQ statement presents an interesting take on their specific approach to the housing market on the site, noting that "there is a strong viable market for housing in a dynamic urban center of culture and education; an alternative to urban sprawl and resort communities. Adult Americans are turning towards cities to provide them a stimulating pedestrian-oriented life among neighbors and community. Our strategy is based upon the idea of bringing a new market of citizens into New Haven."

Richman's project narrative continues, "We are in a period of urban rediscovery and revitalization. New Haven is already a beneficiary of the renewed interest in the urban experience that is drawing people of all ages from the suburbs back to cities - to visit, work and to live.... our investigative research... indicates that there is a strong market for adults who are seeking an alternative to suburban living and retirement communities at resort locations. These studies indicate there is a critical mass of diverse, well-educated people seeking the vitality of close neighbors in an intimate, campus-like setting where they can own a townhouse or apartment."

"New Haven offers stimulating culture and education, excellent medical care, great restaurants, wonderful architecture, and two railroad stations all within a short walk of the Coliseum Site.... We are proposing a village for alumni and others at the Coliseum Site. We believe New Haven's future is in education, culture and research. We think there is a significant contribution that a group of two hundred homeowners can bring to this city in taxes, volunteerism, and purchasing power, without burdening the public school system. Our research indicates that our targeted market group is engaged and civic-minded."

The Richman Group RFQ continues with a very detailed and extensive narrative about the project's design and architectural character, which we will not try to summarize here, but that calls for sidewalk plazas, wide sidewalks for mingling before and after performances, summer outdoor performance areas that can create a destination, and an open public stairway that could integrate the Theatre's uses and "an additional place for the celebration of urban life." Their conclusion is that the project will build on the success of the Ninth Square, "a project that turns outward to emphasize the role of the street in the life of the city. It brings people closer to the train station and encourages the growing strength of the Northeast Corridor infrastructure... adding a welcoming smile at the gateway to our city."

Update 6/17/08: According to reporting in the New Haven Independent today, the field of qualified developers has been narrowed to Archstone, Northland, Richman and (possibly) Heyman. The New Haven Register also features a story on the developer selection, which is being led by a committee including city officials as well as Anthony Rescigno, Jorge Lopes, Jonathan Koppel, Maricel Valcarcel, Don McGregor, Joan Channick and Alderwoman (and Safe Streets supporter) Frances “Bitsey” Clark, D-7.

Cycling Activity vs. National Gas Prices

Looks like the number of posts per day on the ElmCityCycling listserv, a forum for making New Haven more accommodating to bicyclists and pedestrians, is highly correlated with the national price of unleaded gasoline (click on chart to enlarge). Who would have thought?

With gasoline predicted to hit $6-10 per gallon as soon as a few months from now, the number of nonmotorized trips to work in New Haven is only likely to continue to increase. As a relatively flat and compact city, Downtown New Haven is already perfect for bicycling and walking, as evidenced by the fact that the city has one of the highest percentages of bicycle commuters in the United States (1.8%, versus 1.2% in Boston, 0.9% in Providence, 0.6% in New York City, 0.4% in Hartford, 0.1% in Bridgeport and 0.0% in Waterbury, according to the Census Bureau's 2006 ACS). During rush hour, there are already occasional bicycle "traffic jams" on the popular Orange Street bicycle lane. New Haven was also recently named one of the 20 most walkable cities in the United States.

However, improvements to the city's bicycle-friendliness are needed before the average area resident will choose to ride to work, or even use his or her bicycle for short trips (e.g., a 4-block run to the corner store). Considering that bicycles are already widely-owned (and very inexpensive), the most frequently given reasons why Connecticut residents don't bicycle more often - infrastructure and safety - are fairly easy to solve. According to numerous studies, infrastructure such as bicycle parking, bike-friendly street design, multi-use greenways like the Farmington Canal Trail and accessibility at train stations raise land values by an amount much greater than the investment put into them (in part because they tend to calm traffic). Reckless and high-speed driving and driver education can be addressed through community-wide "safe streets" efforts and traffic enforcement, and through measures such as anti-dooring ordinances like those found in Chicago.

With the average American family devoting 20% or more of their annual spending towards automobile expenses - more than on health care, education, or food, farmers switching from tractors to pack mules, gasoline prices continuing to skyrocket, and of course, global warming (if everyone who lives within 5 miles of their workplace were to cycle to work just one day a week, nearly 5 million tons of global warming pollution would be saved every year, the equivalent of taking about a million cars off the road, not to mention that the energy required to manufacture a new car is 100+ times that of a new bicycle), American cities will likely need to start taking a Copenhagen-like approach as soon as possible. New York City is already heading that direction, with the hiring of Jan Gehl, Copenhagen's world-renowned planner and urbanist. By conservative estimates, the number of bicycle trips in New York has already increased by 50-75% in the past 10 years, even without major infrastructure improvements. Transit ridership is increasing rapidly as well, on systems all across the United States including those that serve Downtown New Haven.

In Connecticut, promoting bicycling and walking will most likely require a shift in funding priorities. According to the Tri-State Transportation Campaign, more than 60% of 2007-2010 highway funding is currently used to expand and build new highways (even as existing ones crumble), whereas less than 1% of the overall transportation budget is spent on bicycle and pedestrian projects (see PDF report here). If Connecticut's 169 cities and town centers are to compete in the 21st century, that equation needs to flip.

Update 5/23/08: According to this graph, bicycle sales are up too. NY Times factoid of the day: "Every one-cent increase in gasoline prices means Americans pay $1.42 billion more a year for gas, according to Stephen P. Brown, an economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas. Nearly two-thirds of that goes to foreign producers." It is any surprise that we are $10,000,000,000,000 in debt?

Update 6/15/08: Chart updated - both gas prices and ECC listserv posts have risen more quickly than anticipated. Also, a couple of local news items today: according to a story in today's Hartford Courant, higher gas prices are now reshaping hiring practices. Not only have studies shown that commuters who walk or bike to work at least once per week more productive (because they are healthier), they are apparently becoming attractive to companies in other ways as well. Also today, an article in the New Haven Register talks about various options that commuters are turning to in order to reduce their gasoline use:

Probably the most ambitious rider at Friday’s event was Alienne Morrione of Bridgeport who bicycles 30 minutes from her home to the Metro-North train there. After the 25-minute trip to New Haven, she cycles to the Yale Medical School, where she works in the brain tumor center. Morrione, 31, a dedicated rider, has sometimes been blocked from peak-travel times on Metro-North, so she cycles almost two hours between the cities... “As a single mom, it’s the greatest way to save money,” Morrione said as she pedaled away to work.

And in the article, an interesting statistic on commuting mode share to Downtown New Haven's largest employer:

"Holly Parker, director of Sustainable Transportation Systems at Yale, said in a survey taken last November, she found that 44 percent of faculty, staff and graduate students, over 10,000 workers, drive alone to reach the Yale campus.... But this means that more than half already, even without the added incentive of rising gas costs, were walking (23 percent), taking public transportation (19 percent), sharing a ride (6 percent), bicycling (5 percent) or telecommuting (3 percent.) She is eager to compare figures from the second survey set for the fall."

Bike to Work: Bicyclist Appreciation Breakfast

Original post, 5/28/08: Free breakfasts for bicyclists, this Friday (5/30/08) from 7:30am to 9:30am at Phelps Gate on the New Haven Green. Helmet required. Click here for information on the Downtown New Haven event, which is being hosted by Yale University. Check ElmCityCycling for future Bike to Work breakfast announcements - they run throughout the year.

Update 6/12/08: Over 200 cyclists attended the first event. The next BTW breakfast takes place tomorrow morning from 7:30 to 9:30am in front of New Haven City Hall, with coffee provided by Koffee and the Mayor rumored to arrive around 8 or 8:30.

Update 6/13/08: Click here to launch the WTNH-8 news video about today's bike-to-work event. Also see a written version of the news story here. The Downtown New Haven event was also picked up on the national Bike Commute Blog and covered in the New Haven Independent and New Haven Register. Also see the 17 reasons why the bicycle is the most popular vehicle in the world.

Update 6/23/08: The next BTW breakfast takes place July 11th at City Hall.

Bicycles on Trains: Updated ... Again!

Original Post, 3/30/08: Bicycle parking on trains (and at train stations) is needed to promote multi-modal transportation and reduce automobile use, particularly in compact areas like Downtown New Haven. Numerous other cities and regions allow bicycles on trains - why not Metro North? Recently, controversy has erupted over the state's promises to include some bicycle parking on its newly-ordered train cars, as well as whether or not cyclists will be barred from peak-hour trains. See more information here and here.

After a disappointing discussion with the Connecticut Commuter Council, cyclists from New Haven and other parts of Connecticut and the region attended the MTA President's Forum in New York City in late March 2008; the New Haven Independent reports here.

Selected comments from the MTA President's Forum article:

Patrick, on MNR President Cannito: "Does he simply dismiss all of us who would be using the Metro-Northbetween Connecticut stations? It's incredibly frustrating for me because I travel between New Haven and Bridgeport and would like to use my bike as transportation to and from both stations. I'm not in the proper cycling shape to do a 50 mile commute every day, but I canand love to handle the 16 miles+train ride. Cannito also doesn't seem to be thinking about the future."

David Streever: "Despite assurances from them, they have now reneged, with neither an explanation nor a rationale for why they previously indicated they would provide dedicated bike parking."

Charlie: "The thousands of commuters currently traveling from New Haven to Stamford (or vice versa) each day can take the train, but often have to take 4 car trips per day to and from the stations. That's a recipe for gridlock, environmental degradation, urban decay, and overall social collapse."

Gary Doyens: "Some of you want to levy extra taxes, spend tax dollars for bike lanes and even more tax dollars so you can ride the train with your bike. Why is that our responsibility?"

Robn: "cyclists have been subsidizing both car and rail for years and its time for a bit of payback."

DowntownNewHaven (Moderator 06510): "You can't look at MNRR and just analyze the trains themselves in some sort of bizarre vacuum. You have to look at the tens of thousands of parking spaces taking up valuable land around the train station (land that could probably be rented for $50-$100/SF, and produce incredible tax revenue for the communities nearby, but instead is used to subsidize parking for drivers), the traffic created by said stations, etc., among many other factors."

Many downtown residents are writing letters to Governor Rell, elected officials, DOT administrators and others. Local bicyclists are encouraging everyone to write or call in on the issue (also see here). Discussion is continuing on the ElmCityCycling listserv.

Update 4/10/08: The New Haven Advocate reports today that bicycle "tie-downs" will be included on some trains, but that bicycles will still be prohibited from trains at peak hours.

Update 4/28/08: A thoughtful op-ed on the subject of bicycles on trains appeared in the Hartford Courant, with several comments. Further discussion and complaints have also erupted over postings by Jim Cameron, Chairman of the Connecticut Commuter Council, on his personal blog site. Discussion also continues on the ElmCityCycling listserv.

From the Courant op-ed: "Many employment centers along the New Haven line are too far from stations to be reached on foot, but can be easily accessed by bicycle. Having appropriate bicycle storage areas for train users would expand Metro-North's potential pool of riders, while doing nothing to exclude its existing ridership. One can look to many train lines across the U.S. and Europe for models of successful bicycle-train integration, including Caltrain, Metrolink, Tri-Rail, the California-Amtrak Surfliner and Capitol Corridor trains, and the Berlin S-Bahn, to name only a few."

Update 5/8/08: Richard Stowe refutes all of the points in Jim Cameron's article.

Update 5/28/08: An excellent feature article on the topic of bicycles on trains appeared on the front page of today's Hartford Courant. The article also features coverage of the recent National Train Day event in Downtown New Haven:

Rep. Mary Mushinsky, D-Wallingford, spoke about a second attempt to pass legislation letting bikes on peak Metro-North trains, particularly the new M-8 cars purchased almost entirely with state money. Your best friend is the price of oil," she told them. "We're looking at $150 a barrel this summer and $200 next year. It will be unaffordable for some people to commute to work next year."

Jason Stockmann, a graduate student at Yale, quietly took notes. He works on medical imaging at Yale and recently put his car into storage. Bike tie-downs are critical for the new trains, he said later."If we miss this opportunity it could be a really long time until someone musters the will to install these things," he said.

Update 6/12/08: The New Haven Register reports that, following a letter of request from New Haven Mayor John DeStefano, Governor Rell has ordered bicycle storage to be installed on all new M-8 train cars. The article does not say whether bicycles will be allowed on peak-hour trains (even if just in Connecticut) -- a somewhat controversial issue that will most likely have to wait until the beginning of the legislative session.

New Website: New Haven Safe Streets

"New Haven Safe Streets is a coalition of various organizations and individuals advocating for streets that are safer and therefore more livable, walkable, economically viable and environmentally sound."

Update 5/28/08: An article about the safety coalition, with quotes from sponsors including Senator Toni Harp and Alderwoman Erin Sturgis-Pascale, appears in today's New Haven Register. Also, a TV news item appeared on WSFB news today. Tri-State Transportation Campaign's blog also features a post on the petition.

Downtown Traffic Safety Event and Ride of Silence

All are invited to "Traffic Safety in Our Community," an event being held by the community this Thursday in memory of Mila Rainof.

• Thursday, May 22nd
• 4 to 5:30 pm
• Fitkin Amphitheater, 330 Cedar Street, New Haven, CT
• Speakers include Dr. Kimberly Davis, MD, FACS, Chief of Trauma, Surgical Critical Care and Surgical Emergencies, Yale University School of Medicine and Michael Piscitelli, AICP, Director, New Haven Dept. of Transportation, Traffic and Parking.

For background information, see this post or join the Yale Traffic Safety Group email list here.

Update 5/20/08: On Wednesday, May 21st, at 7PM there will be a nationwide "Ride of Silence" to commemorate those injured or killed in traffic accidents over the past year. New Haven's silent bicycle ride leaves from the flagpole on the New Haven Green, and will be slow-paced and appropriate for all skill levels and age groups.

Update 5/23/08: New Haven Independent post-event coverage, and valuable information on what to do next, posted here. New Haven Register coverage here.

Update 5/29/08: The Yale Traffic Safety Group is one of the sponsors of the new citywide petition for safe streets.

National Train Day to hit New Haven Union Station

First Robert DeNiro and Kate Beckinsale, now National Train Day. New Haven's elegant Union Station will host the "only National Train Day celebration between New York & Boston" this Saturday from 4:00-5:30 PM, on the 2nd Floor Balcony. See here for more photos courtesy Herbert S. Newman and Partners.

The press release notes that "sticker shock at the gas pump is matched by increasing congestion on the roadways and in the air, and that polls, referenda, and ridership data on train systems across the country (including those in New Haven) all point to a demand for more trains, the National Association of Railroad Passengers (NARP) and its local affiliates are sponsoring events at stations across the country that highlight the role of passenger trains in a networked transportation system." In addition to discussing plans for the future of Union Station and the opportunities for the national rail network, the New Haven event is also likely to focus on multi-modal transportation, such as bicycle access on trains. The speaker-driven event will include a number of local and state officials and state environmental advocates, and several members of the media are expected. For more details, see the press release.

Downtown New Haven Unicycle Mania

Click here for New Haven Independent reporting on the latest Downtown New Haven impromptu circus event, and the city's unicycle craze:

Matt Feiner of the Devil’s Gear Bike Shop said that unicycles have been jumping off the shelves. “It’s crazy, it really is,” he said. “We’ve been selling about four or five a week for the last six weeks.”

Unicycling (well, or monowheeling) has hit New Haven before. At left, the 1869 US Patent 92,528 by Richard C Hemmings of New Haven, Connecticut. Not surprising for a city that was home to the world's first bicycle patent, and was home to a "velocipede craze" as early as 1819.

Grand Theft Velo II: Elm City

Alleycat race this Saturday in and around Downtown New Haven. Speaking of design, check out the excellent poster (click to enlarge). More information here.

An article on the alleycat race, and New Haven's bicycling culture, appears in this week's issue of Play Magazine:

""We've got about a dozen people coming up from Maryland," Nemetz says. "There's a group from Boston, the New York group, some from Chicago and everyone from Connecticut.""

Update 5/7/08: Post-event coverage from the New Haven Advocate.

500-unit Shartenberg Mixed-Use Development Begins Construction

Original Post, 4/21/08: Becker + Becker's "360 State" development on the former Shartenberg Site at the heart of Downtown New Haven is now beginning construction. An 8-foot high blue fence with concrete barriers has been erected around the complete perimeter of the block, and informational graphics along the length of the fence will be installed this week. Utility and site work has already begun, with a significant amount of underground work planned as part of the project. Major construction activity will be underway within the next few weeks.

Scheduled for completion in 2010, the 355-foot-tall tower will be the second-highest building in New Haven, bringing the residents of 500 new apartments to Chapel Street between Orange and State.

The site is conveniently located across the street from the State Street train station. Aside from its dense urban location, the development contains energy efficient design features. Elements like geothermal heating and cooling and solar cells, if used, would benefit from various state subsidy programs designed to promote energy efficiency. There will also be indoor bicycle parking spaces for each unit. The project also is planned to contain a massive ornament program, running the full length of the facade, designed by internationally-renowned New Haven-based public sculptor Kent Bloomer.

The 500-unit, 34-story building is designed to be set back from the street and tower above a retail and parking garage base with glass entrance towers. The project, tentatively called "360 State" for its actual street address as well as its panoramic views of the region (and the fact that it is 36 stories tall), will even feature a half-acre landscaped terrace (sitting on top of the parking) with an outdoor pool. The developer expects to get the same rents as what the 227 Church Street luxury building currently gets -- $3,500 for 3BRs, $2,300 for 2BRs, $1,700 for 1BRs and $1,250 for studios. Most of the building will consist of studios and 1BRs. 10% of units in the building will have subsidized ("affordable") rents tied to income level.

According to Business New Haven this week, a "high end" grocery store on the first floor may be leased shortly. The city hopes that the project will help encourage walkability between the Downtown New Haven core area and Wooster Square, a historic neighborhood just a couple blocks to the east of the site.

Click here for the preliminary renderings by Becker + Becker; updated renderings should be available shortly. In the meantime you can also download a CT Business article about the Downtown New Haven project.

Update 5/1/08: New Haven Independent coverage of the 360 State project appears here, along with a new rendering of the project. It appears that the building on the corner of Orange and Chapel Street has been changed from its original design, which was to have continued the retail and parking garage along the entire length of the block. If the building ends before the corner with Orange Street, it might create an opportunity for another developer or architect to create a concept for a second building on the site.

Earth Day Bike Repair Party

Today from 6-9pm in Downtown New Haven. Get your bicycle ready for National Bike Month. More information here.

New Haven Register: Reclaim Route 34

A thoughtful masthead editorial from today's New Haven Register, supporting the plan to reclaim Route 34 for urban development:

Reclaim Route 34 for downtown (New Haven Register editorial 4/20/08)

There is no need for the Route 34 connector that funnels interstate traffic into the heart of downtown New Haven. The sunken roadway creates a dead end for downtown, gobbles up land that could be developed and doesn’t even serve the purpose for which it was built. The connector was built in 1959 as the first section of a highway that was to have extended to Route 8 in Derby. Instead, it stops abruptly at the Air Rights Garage.

The idea of reclaiming this land, which once was full of homes and businesses, has been slowly gaining support since New Haven’s quick, initial 2005 study of its feasibility. The city has estimated that development of the highway land could add almost $3.8 million in tax revenue.

A far more detailed study done by consultants for the South Central Connecticut Regional Council of Governments was completed in October. That study, done at the city’s request, has formed the basis of preliminary discussions with the state Department of Transportation. The study estimated that the land could support 1.4 million square feet of midrise buildings for commercial, residential and retail use.

Last week, the discussion of Route 34’s future was energized by a public meeting and discussions here led by John Norquist, the former mayor of Milwaukee, who oversaw the demolition of a freeway spur in his city and its replacement with city streets.

Milwaukee is one of several U.S. cities that have replaced freeways with streets. Portland, Ore., tore down the Harbor Drive Freeway that once carried 90,000 vehicles a day. The Central Freeway in San Francisco, on which 93,000 vehicles traveled daily, was replaced by a boulevard. In comparison, about 75,000 vehicles a day use the Route 34 connector.

What happens to that traffic? According to Norquist, who is president of the Congress for the New Urbanism, it is absorbed into the restored street grid. In New Haven’s case, instead of the connector’s three exits, drivers could choose from all the city streets that now end where the highway cuts them off.

Norquist also widened the discussion. Much of the talk here has centered on a broad boulevard that would extend from roughly Church or Orange Street to the Air Rights Garage. He noted that Milwaukee replaced its highway with a two-way street with sidewalks and parking. He also suggested that all of the connector be reclaimed, right up to where Interstates 95 and 91 connect to Route 34 next to Water Street.

Albert A. Martin, the new state deputy transportation commissioner for transit-oriented development, attended the meetings here. Although the DOT has yet to be convinced of the Route 34 plan, he agreed “there is a need for change.” State support may hinge, in part, on how reclaiming Route 34’s land will support alternatives to automobile use, from the provision of bike lanes and the construction of housing within walking distance of work to how a new street plan connects to the nearby rail stations on Union Avenue and State Street.

Google Maps 'Bike There' highlights Downtown New Haven advocacy group ElmCityCycling

Googlemapsbikethere is an interesting advocacy group petitioning Google, Inc for better online maps. See http://googlemapsbikethere.org/2008/04/02/elm-city-cycling/

"Occasionally we try to spotlight different groups of people - often cycling advocacy groups - from around the world. We recently covered groups in Australia and Hungary. ‘What is The Elm City’, you say?"

ECC was the main driver behind the City of New Haven's recent LAB Bicycle-Friendly Community application and has several subcommittees focused on other advocacy topics throughout New Haven. Based on the online discussions and the subcommittee work, the largest issues of concern to ElmCityCycling's members include improving bicycle and pedestrian access to and from Union Station, securing bicycle access on trains, calming traffic, and improving the safety of bike routes from all of the city's different neighborhoods to Downtown. They are working closely with City Hall to accomplish these tasks. Visit the ECC website at http://www.elmcitycycling.org/ and look around for yourself.

Union Station as reimagined by the City...

Reporting by the New Haven Independent: http://www.newhavenindependent.org/archives/2008/03/read_union_stat.php

See the full study here: http://www.newhavenindependent.org/archives/upload/2008/03/JLL020708.pdf

Some are apparently concerned that the plan does not do enough for pedestrians and bicyclists. A discussion on Elm City Cycling's listserv has begun: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/elmcitycycling/message/6270

Route 34 study presented to public at City Hall (2007)

The Route 34 Study authors gave a public presentation in June 2007. New Haven City Plan and its consultants brought up that the reconfiguration of Route 34 would make the city more walkable. Concerns were raised about how bicycle-friendly the new development would be, and whether or not traffic would be calmed to an appropriate extent. See coverage by the New Haven Independent here: http://www.newhavenindependent.org/archives/2007/06/what_will_happe.php

Spokes People

What used to be a loose group of city cyclists has become a letter-writing,
phone call-making, community meeting-attending machine, and they're making a
difference.

New Haven Advocate's cover story this week: http://www.newhavenadvocate.com/article.cfm?aid=6125

Mayor's plan for Route 34 presented at Edgewood School

The Mayor presented to a group of about 40 neighborhood residents in New Haven. Questions included how to improve urban connectivity and how to make New Haven more bicycle-friendly. See this article for New Haven Independent coverage: http://www.newhavenindependent.org/archives/2008/02/highways_r_us.php