General 3 — New Haven Safe Streets Coalition

A Slow Street + Neighborhood Greenway Network for New Haven

What is a Neighborhood Greenway?

Neighborhood greenways are low-traffic and low-speed streets where priority is given to people walking, bicycling, and rolling. Neighborhood greenways should form the backbone of the transportation network within a city, connecting neighborhoods, parks, schools, and business districts. They often have lots of greenery!

What is a Slow Street?

Slow Streets are stretches of road which are closed partially or entirely to cars. These can be in residential or commercial areas, and often encourage sitting, eating and playing in the street.

CURRENT STATUS:

Safe Streets has produced our own slow streets network map, and has pushed the City to make a public map where we can see project development across the City.

What are the benefits of Slow Streets/Greenways?

Provides safe, direct and continuous routes for non-motorists that are well marked and distinctively signed.
Increased commercial activity, because non-motorists stop to make purchases much more frequently.
They do not impact the movement of emergency vehicles.
Improve local air quality and reduce GHG emissions.
Improve community interaction and public health through safe, outdoor recreation.
Cycling and walking is an affordable way to move about a city, especially one as small as New Haven. Affordable transportation helps ensure all citizens can get where they need to go for work, play and life.
These users cause less wear and tear to the transportation system, meaning less money is needed to structurally maintain paths for cyclists and pedestrians than is needed to maintain roadways for other vehicles.
Cyclists and pedestrians take up less space than autos. Apart from less congestion on our roadways, auto parking spaces in retail areas are typically valued at $10,000 each and one auto parking space can park six or more bicycles. Considering the way we currently drive, that means two to six times the number of people served by the same space when comparing six bicycles to one car.

A Proposed Greenway Map for New Haven

Next Steps:

Complete Safe Routes For All planning, which will develop a City-wide plan focussed on active and public transportation. Slow streets and greenways will be an integral part of that. Safe Streets New Haven is hoping to play an active role in organizing community input for this process.
Acquire Funding.
Roll out a marketing campaign to inspire the community to believe in a better future for its transportation possibilities.
Roll out the implementation, first using ‘tactical’ means such as paint and bollards for a short period to prove the design, then rebuild the streets using more permanent means.