The Connecticut Department of Transportation plans to do maintenance work on the Arrigoni Bridge, to alter the St. John's Square intersection, and the Rapallo/Main Street intersection, and to make Rapallo Avenue one-way going west. There will be a public meeting on March 10, at 6:30, in Macdonough School.
Beth Emery contributed the following analysis and opinion, which follows her article with background documents (Part I). Emery is a former Planning and Zoning Commissioner, and current member of the Complete Streets Committee.
In Part II, she interprets the plan from the perspective of all users of streets and sidewalks. She has concerns about pedestrian and bicyclist safety, and the effect of the plans on the vibrancy and sustainability of our downtown
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I understand from reading the documents on CTDOT BikePedDashboard that all projects are required to comply with Complete Streets protocols and the ATP. This is a great opportunity for the City of Middletown, CT DOT, and resident stakeholders to work together and come up with a Complete Streets plan for this area that is truly rigorous and integrated with all the principles the documents on the dashboard prescribe and more. I urge the CTDOT and Middletown to review the plans put into place prior to 2019 (but then not scheduled for construction until 2020) so that they reflect current DOT standards. This project has the potential to be a shining example of what can be done and done well when state and national complete streets protocols are followed. Main St Middletown is a vibrant downtown area, adjacent—in very close proximity—are neighborhoods that will remain, and hopefully thrive if CTDOT plans provide for them to do so.
Often “Complete Streets” is thought of as a transportation issue to make a city more bike and pedestrian friendly, and that it is, but it is also much, much more! Complete Streets initiatives are about live-ability and sustainable living concerns issues, which are a top priority for myself and I believe man Middletown residents—particularly those who live, work, visit, and go to school in the neighborhoods in and around these project areas. Bike-ability and walkability are critical for the neighborhoods these projects affect, and for all who choose to go, or have no option except to go car free.
Questions, Comments, Observations on Complete Streets
The three plans being discussed at this meeting should provide for:
a) The safety of all pedestrians (all pedestrians—mothers with carriages, wheelchair users, children, the frail, and those disabled but not in a wheelchair) and those who then become transit users—as a primary objective given the density of our urban/downtown location on state road 66, Middletown’s downtown, Main St.
Observation - The current set of plans do not appear to take into consideration the economic and health/safety, and social justice concerns of pedestrians, the neighborhood, and the city’s downtown. In as much as observed speed in adjacent neighborhoods has been consistently complained about as excessive, the plan should provide for traffic calming, and slower traffic on Main St., Grand Ave., Spring St., and Rapallo Rd. The plan must assure that the speed of traffic does not increase, only that the movement of traffic improves with the changes—in fact I would hope traffic speeds decrease. The DOT plans should add to the vibrant quality of life in downtown, and in no way detract from this vibrancy.
b) The safety of bicyclists.
Observation - The three plans do not include the word bicycle or any infrastructure consideration or traffic related studies on the impact to a bicyclist, let alone any plans to improve conditions for bicyclists. Arguably, the plans will make the intersections more dangerous for bicyclists.
c) Considerations of what a Complete Street can and should look like.
Observation - The current design plans appear to give the motoring public top priority to get somewhere in less time and more efficiently above the needs of those who live, work, visit, bike, walk, and go to school in these project areas, though your documents state that all users be considered equally.
Considerations on Complete Streets Design Criteria
· Please substantiate what speed limits the plans are designed for.
· Please describe what speed reduction mechanisms and traffic calming provisions are embedded in all of the plans along Main St. to keep the speed of motorists at the speed limit.
· Please describe how and if lane width management is being used throughout the plan areas as a traffic calming measure.
· Please describe any new street trees installations within the project areas as trees themselves can stand in as a traffic calming measure. Describe quantities and locations. If there are none; why not?
· Please describe those features that substantiate how the CTDOT plans are designed with consideration for aesthetic elements, including materials, lighting, landscaping, and street furniture. Note that a complete street has aesthetically pleasing surroundings–such as public art, well-maintained landscaping, and human-scale architecture to enhance the experience of using a street and make it a place where people want to be.
· Please describe numerically the curb radii at each crosswalk location in this plan, particularly at Washington and Main Streets.
o Note that NACTO states that Curb radii that are designed to accommodate the largest possible vehicle at its highest possible speed, degrade the pedestrian environment and result in longer crossing distances. They can also create a danger zone for bicyclists that end up in the blind spot of motor vehicles and large trucks. Corner radii directly impact vehicle turning speeds and pedestrian crossing distances. Minimizing the size of a corner radius is critical to creating compact intersections with safe turning speeds for cyclists and pedestrians. While standard curb radii are 10–15 feet, many cities use corner radii as small as 2 feet. (In urban settings, smaller corner radii are preferred and actual corner radii exceeding 15 feet should be the exception.)
o Please substantiate turning speed calculations and how they comply with CTDOT design criteria at the intersections of all three plans.
o NACTO notes that turning speeds should be limited to 15 mph or less. Minimizing turning speeds is crucial to pedestrian safety, as corners are where drivers are most likely to encounter pedestrians crossing in the crosswalk.
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