Description
East Rock Park Road is a beautiful lane through and alongside the park. It would be perfect for walking, jogging, and biking if it weren't for the fact that people in cars barrel down it at unsafe speeds seeking a shortcut to Whitney Avenue. They often drive right out into Whitney without stopping, heedless of pedestrians on the sidewalk at Whitney.
People also frequently use the road for unsightly and unhealthy illegal dumping.
Since there is no destination on this stretch of road—no houses or other buildings or even the park are currently accessible from any point between East Rock Road and Whitney—it seems that from a vehicular standpoint, its only purpose is to shave a few seconds off a trip north on Whitney Avenue. It seems to me that with little consequence to the traffic system, this road could be closed to auto traffic by installing bollards or the like, leaving it to the enjoyment of pedestrians, runners, and cyclists.
22 Comments
MNHGA (Registered User)
Mark (Registered User)
Manager of Operations, Process Improvement - Transportation, Traffic, & Parking (Verified Official)
ewg (Registered User)
All due respect to Transportation/Traffic/Parking: I have to wonder, given the nature of the problem here, whether there's a chance this particular issue can be categorized doubly? The road through the park itself is, no question, a problem (according to those who go on it -- I am not one of those people personally because I'm too scared of being hit by a car on it) -- but the intersection of the road at Whitney is also part of the problem. That is to say, it's both a "Parks" issue and a "Traffic" issue.
I'm just trying to say I want as many people as possible to be part of the dialogue here.
MNHGA (Registered User)
Mark (Registered User)
Rebecca Bombero, Deputy Chief Administrative Officer (Verified Official)
Thanks for the suggestion. It is a Park Road so this is the appropriate category. Any changes would require the collaboration of multiple departments and it is something that we will have to deliberate and explore with multiple bodies.
Please note - there is a trail along this roadway now so for those who do want to walk or jog that direction we encourage the use of the adjacent trail that follows a similar course.
MNHGA (Registered User)
Rebecca Bombero, Deputy Chief Administrative Officer (Verified Official)
NH (Registered User)
Ray Smith (Registered User)
ewg (Registered User)
I write this as the person who inspired Mark's creation of this SCF post.
The dumping of furniture, trash, etc. along East Rock Park Road is something about which I know nothing, and I certainly disapprove of that, but it isn't the reason this dialogue began initially.
The reason I think the road should be closed is that people drive recklessly on that road, particularly, it seems to me, as they near Whitney. I cannot count the number of times that my daughter and I have nearly been hit by drivers who zoom straight to Whitney Avenue and, because visibility to the southern sidewalk is limited, do not even consider that someone *might* be heading north on foot (or bike, I suppose) on Whitney, and be stepping into the road. Or, hell, even already BE IN THE ROAD. I have had cars stop inches away from me. It's completely terrifying. This year, I've been (again) walking my kid to camp at Eli Whitney, so I walk past here 4x a day, and finally I've gotten into the habit of carrying a bright purple umbrella with me, which I STICK OUT INTO THE STREET ahead of me, to add to the likelihod that a car might see me, and give a crap, and slow the **** down.
In my experience if one is on foot headed south, the drivers are somewhat more likely to see you, but seem to only care about giving pedestrians the right of way maybe 25% of the time. Yesterday, for example, around 3.15, a stream of nine cars (I counted) came through the park while my daughter and I stood there waiting to cross. This indicates to me that, yes, once in a while there are a lot of people using the road. But is it really necessary? If the road is primarily used as a scenic cut-through BUT also calls for regular maintenance due to dumping AND is a hazard to people on the sidewalk of Whitney Avenue, well, I guess it comes down to What Matters More?: a scenic cut through so someone can avoid two stop signs, or major littering and bodily harm waiting to happen.
I am incredibly tired of being constantly at risk as I walk through my neighborhood. I am so tired of the thoughtlessness of drivers. I've reached a point where I just don't care about "scenic routes"; what I want is a sense that I'm likely to get home alive, and, moreover, that I can eventually let my child take herself to camp without getting dead along the way.
I apologize for the rant, I really do, but seriously. There are only so many ways for me to walk to Eli Whitney on sidewalks. There are lots of ways for drivers to access Whitney Avenue. This one is proving dangerous, and something's got to change.
Jeff Lee (Registered User)
Newhavenresident (Registered User)
MNHGA (Registered User)
coco (Registered User)
Newhavenresident (Registered User)
coco (Registered User)
Mark (Registered User)
Active citizen (Registered User)
look at .. refer to Traffic/Road Safety ▶ Open
Traffic/Road Safety
805 Whitney Avenue New Haven Connecticut
SOME 85 COMMENTS SINCE 2016. !!!! don't need to say anything else.
Newhavenresident (Registered User)
Closed Parks: West Side Supervisor (Verified Official)