I pass this area many times per day. I have seen several near misses here, including a child who rode off the sidewalk at high speed, fell off his bike, and was within inches of having his head run over by a truck. The bike riding at high speeds on the sidewalks is a potential concern for pedestrians as well. It isn't just young persons or teens who are at fault, I have seen adults barrel into crowds of pedestrians at the corners.

I think everyone is in agreement on this. So what are the solutions?

First, the city should investigate measures like what Cambridge, MA does, which is to mark sidewalk curb cuts with "no bicycle allowed" symbols. Cyclists within downtown should not be riding on the sidewalks, which are too busy with pedestrians. Although I believe that the majority of people can and do ride respectfully and with appropriate caution (just as do the majority of drivers), those cyclists who are riding at unsafe speeds, or in the middle of crowds, should be ticketed.

Second, we must act quickly to improve the comfort of streets so that they become more attractive alternatives for cyclists. For example, the eastbound section of Chapel Street has two lanes. One of those should be closed off to accommodate a buffered bicycle lane. Creating Class A, NACTO-endorsed cycle tracks on key through streets such as Elm Street, State Street and Church Street would also help because it would pull some of the cycling traffic away from the crowded conditions on Chapel and just generally set a higher standard for the city.

Third, this problem will not be fully solved. The appropriate response is not to say that "when people make a mistake, they should pay with their lives," but to recognize that our streets are shared by folks of all ages, abilities, income levels and educational levels.

Therefore the only ethical response here is to reduce risk in the system. This can be achieved not just by building appropriate cycling infrastructure or launching education and enforcement campaigns, but most importantly, by limited physical risk. The chance of a pedestrian dying, when hit at 25 miles per hour, is three times higher than the chance of that pedestrian dying when hit at 20 miles per hour. At 35 miles per hour, a common speed within downtown, death is all but guaranteed. The city therefore must act quickly to implement 20 mile per hour MUTCD "area speed zones" within downtown and the hospital district, and reinforce those zones with appropriate, temporary if necessary, road engineering systems.

Tens of thousands of other cities and towns around the world are doing this. In towns like Greenwich and Darien, speed limits of 15 MPH or 20MPH are common. New York City is implementing 20 mile per hour speed zones within 75 different neighborhoods. The EU transport commission recently issued a very strong policy statement calling for 19 MPH speed limits throughout all cities within Europe (already common in many areas).

When will New Haven stop designing roads like it is the 1950s, and start getting with the times?