I agree Catherine... very frustrating. I was almost hit by a previous alderman on the sidewalk once actually. No excuse me, no "behind you", just a grunt/irritated noise as he went onto the grass to get around me.

Something revolutionary needs to be done here!! Most cyclists ride too slowly to ride safely on the streets but also should not be on the sidewalks. A third "lane" should be created for bikes and rollerbladers ONLY. This lane should be seperate from the street and the sidewalk. A three foot wide pathway along side the sidewalk would be the best option for ALL residents.

Agreed. I certainly appreciate their reasons. I know the thought of riding a bike on Whitney terrifies me, but my solution to that is simple: I don't ride a bike down Whitney. It's like saying "I only drive 30mph on the highway because I don't feel comfortable going faster than that." It may alleviate the rider's fears of aggressive drivers who don't share the road, but it creates a whole host of other problems and dangers, not least of which are to the riders themselves.

David, at least that alderman went on the grass around you as opposed to slowly riding behind you and ringing their bell until the pedestrians ceremoniously cleared a path, as I've had happen here or there.

I'm liking the ideas on the other SCF post about installing sharrows on Whitney. There's another idea there about adding an off-street bicycle lane, which I think would be a great solution, though there's still the question of the risks posed by bicyclists moving swiftly through crosswalks at the side streets. I would think there would still be a visibility problem for drivers coming up those streets and still a high potential for collisions. As someone who walks downtown via Whitney 5 days a week, I can tell you that the vast, vast majority of drivers in my experience view the stop signs at the end of those side streets as purely optional.

AvonLady: true, but as he nearly hit me (I had stepped around a hole in the sidewalk, surprising him, which is why he fled into the grass--he was inches from me) I really just wish he'd had the sense to call out as he approached :)

I use the multi-use path behind the Peabody on my bike, and just make it a practice of saying, "Behind you", etc., to make sure that the pedestrian in front won't accidentally step into me as I come up behind them. The reality is you move much faster than a pedestrian, even if you are trying to go slowly, and have to make sure they are aware of you. State law mandates a bell, I believe, so it's possible that the person ringing it isn't trying to force you to move, but making sure you know they are behind you.

When I first moved here and wanted to cycle down Whitney Avenue, the most savvy cyclists warned me against it. It's really unfortunate that the road most frequented by cyclists, pedestrians and joggers in this area of New Haven only caters to automobiles. It creates a huge conflict of interests and puts everyone at risk, cyclists, joggers, pedestrians, dogs, and drivers.

There absolutely should be better cycling infrastructure here! And it's beyond me why, in an Ivy League college town, it hasn't already been done. Considering that all the other university towns I've been in had much better cycling and pedestrian infrastructure, this is way behind the times.

I agree this is a problem, too. I bike on Whitney simply because it's a major street and there just aren't many alternatives to get around in that direction. However, I'm probably more comfortable with riding in traffic than most, so I understand why other biker's would not want to do this.

I think bikes on sidewalks are going to be an issue in New Haven until significant infrastructure improvements are made and cyclists feel safe about riding on the street with cars.

Food for thought: When NYC recently installed a bike lane on Prospect Park, incidence of sidewalk bicycle riding dropped from 50% (of all bicyclists) to 4%.

This issue, as with any kind of traffic concern, always comes down to common courtesy. As an avid biker and bike commuter for many years, I am loathe to ride on any sidewalk, and resent when others do. Particularly when they are barrelling down the sidewalk, often distracted and impaired with coffee or cell phone in hand, expecting the world to get out of "their" way.

My view is that sidewalks are primarily for pedestrians, and if cyclists feel compelled to use the them, then they should yield to pedestrians under all circumstances, which is what I do if I ever feel compelled to ride on the sidewalk.

Regardless of which type of resource is dedicated to whatever group, it will always come down to sharing and courtesy. If we dedicate bike lanes to bicycles, will we then have cyclists complaing about people on skateboards and scooters, or folks with jogging strollers, slowing them down?

Sharing is very important, and tends to occur when resources are equitably distributed.

It also tends to occur where cars and trucks aren't howling by at 35 miles per hour, like they are on the improperly-designed Whitney Avenue, drowning any potential for conversation or interaction.

Instead of criticizing, let's look for the low hanging fruit that can easily improve this situation.

I do agree with Chicwa. Sidewalks are primarily intended for pedestrians whether we like it or not. If bikers are going to use sidewalks, they should a) yield to pedestrians and b) ride at a speed that allows them to react to and avoid pedestrians.

I don't think that's being overly critical, and I think it's factual that bikers riding on sidewalks are often not courteous and are often a danger to pedestrians using the sidewalk.

There are too many on State Street too but there are also no bike lanes or sharrows there which there really should be.

The "no bike lanes" excuse is a bit thin. They cycle on Humphrey Street sidwalks also and that street has a brand new bike lane. Lets face it- people cycle on the sidewalks of New Haven and until the cops do something about it will continue, probably until someone is injured which of course will happen.

In regard to Whitney Ave in particular, since they will ride on the sidewalk, here is a practical idea: make the west side sidewalk (the Yale side) the biking sidwalk and the east side sidewalk the walking side. There are more pedestrians on the east side of the street. Let the east side of the avenue be free of these pedaling pests.

Problem solved. Next problem.

Brett's idea of making one side of Whitney sidewalks for walkers and one side for bikers is good, but how do we implement this? There's the rub; the devil is in the details.
The car traffic on Whitney should be slowed down so that cyclists can ride there without taking their life in their hands. (Police: please watch Whitney speeders --- and stop and ticket them!)

The bicyclists should be able to ride safely on Whitney in the street.
Pedestrians and leashed dogs should be able to walk on Whitney sidewalks without being pushed off the sidewalk by rushing bicyclists ------ one even swore at me yesterday when he rushed past and my startled dog lunged at him (tiny 13 pound dog). But my dog and I have the legal right to use the sidewalk! The Yalie grad student or employee rushing to campus on his bike on the sidewalk was totally in the wrong: a scoff-law and even worse: rude and obnoxious.

i think, instead, that we should reduce the number of lanes to two instead of four, and turn the other lanes into bike lanes.

if you think about it, a huge percentage of time these two lanes are used for parked cars. this benefits, what, up to ten people per block? they get convenient parking. great. but, if it were a bike lane, how many people would that benefit? a constant stream of cyclists. connectivity between hamden and new haven. a healthy and convenient commuting option. less cyclists endangering pedestrians on sidewalks (i have been hit twice by cyclists while on a sidewalk). a calmer, more civilized whitney avenue.

i do not believe that the traffic flow is so monstrous that we need a four lane highway here. i believe if we had slower traffic, cars could travel closer together, and the street would automatically accommodate more cars.

(i think i remember this idea/issue might exist elsewhere on this site too)

I also agree with Juli. In fact, I've proposed the same thing several times before.

At the same time, it must be made very clear which space is utilized by cyclists. My husband, who commutes 4 times a day by bicycle between Hamden and New Haven said he doesn't think it will work unless the parking is clearly marked separately from the bicycle lanes. I suggest doing what I've seen elsewhere, putting in a small curb to mark the space between the parking, the bicycle lane; essentially putting parked cars between on-street traffic and the bicycle lane. I'll see if I can post a picture of this.

From this website: http://www.streetsblog.org/2007/03/29/should-dot-install-separated-bike-lanes-on-9th-street/

Oops, meant to load this one instead.

I feel that folks who cycle on sidewalks should give pedestrians the right of way and be curteous at all times. Speed should be kept at a minimum.

I don't think the idea of one side of Whitney for pedestrians and the other for cyclists is doable. Pedestrians need access to both sides and should not have to cross and recross Whitney.

I agree with Juli's comment about reducing the car lanes on Whitney but I think it could be reduced from 4 to 3 with the middle being a swing lane, in-bound in the mornings, and out-bound in the afternoons. I understand this has worked well in some cities.

This would leave room for bike lanes in both directions.
Allan Brison

The bottom line here is that the car traffic on Whitney has to slow down ---- and observe the speed limit. If drivers obeyed the law, bicyclists could ride on the street --- as they should be able to.
Police and citizens: Enforce the speed limits on Whitney! Make it more civilized so that cyclists can safely use the road and don't feel forced to use the sidewalks.

While I totally agree that the car traffic has to slow down I also feel that the lanes on Whitney are too narrow to allow the heavy volume of car traffic to co-exist safely with bicycles as things are now.

I suspect the volume of car traffic could be reduced quite a bit if the city implemented policies making it harder to park and drive through downtown. I drive downtown every week day, but would not do it if it wasn't so easy to find cheap parking. I could easily take the bus instead (though the fact that it's always late deters me). Walking through downtown yesterday I couldn't believe the amount of parking lots there are everywhere, certainly unusual for a city this size.

Have a look at this information about changing people's driving habits to reduce the amount of people coming in by car:

http://www.terrapass.com/blog/posts/getting-people-out-of-cars
http://livablecity.org/campaigns/parking.html

Those are great pictures, Melissa.

I think the next steps to take on this issue are pretty clear. Whitney is a major commuting route for all road users. Without proper infrastructure for everyone, we will continue to have these problems.

I think it is dishonest to ask for families and children to ride in the roadway, especially at night, if they feel that it isn't safe.

The city has complete control of this road, so it is in their hands. The road only becomes a state road at the Hamden line, where, interestingly enough, residents are also pushing for bike lanes (all the way up to Spring Glen on Whitney and also on Ridge).

Problem has abated somewhat.