Very true.
Normally, I would argue that the uncertainty created by the elimination of the centerline should help to bring speeds down. However, the folks on George St in West Haven have observed that some (enough) drivers are disturbingly unwilling to slow down, even to the point of colliding head-on into oncoming traffic. People act like they have a right to drive 35 mph even when it is clearly not safe to do so. I'm starting to think that speed bumps/cushions or raised crosswalks are the only realistic way to keep drivers from crashing into things/people/animals/each other.

I think that a holistic approach--engineering, education, enforcement--is the way to go Brian. Don't despair :)! We need to change behavior, and it is possible. Removing the centerline is a good first step in engineering. In-road signage is another step we could look at which combines 2 Es. Raised crosswalks would be beautiful on Willow, especially where it intersects Orange, though I would push for them at every block... but if we can do a pilot, we should do one right at Orange/Willow I think do to the heavy volume of pedestrian traffic.

I think it's important that the improvements we make are for the users of the road: both drivers & walkers. Lowering speeds & increasing the clarity of usage helps all users--including drivers.

Education is a long-term investment that we are starting to make (look at Jim Travers' work) but I think that we could really use an educational program in the high schools & elementary schools--recycling lessons in grade school turned me into the recycling czar of my parents home.

The final option (the most costly, the most time-consuming, and statisically the least effective) is enforcement, which is necessary when we don't have the educational components working & don't have the engineering in place. Enforcement does work short-term, despite it's high cost, and has secondary benefits in overall crime reduction.

I know you know all of this Brian :)! Just trying to make sure others who read this site get information on how people are reducing street danger.

Apparently ConnDOT requires centerlines on streets above a certain threshold in terms of traffic volume and on streets with moderate traffic volumes that have limited visibility.

Therefore, I am going to close this ticket.