Scroll to the bottom of the page for links to mulitmodal transportation planning proposals in Greater New Haven.
View of pedestrians, carts, cars, bikes, and streetcars on Chapel and State c. 1910
Prior to the 20th century, streets were primarily used by pedestrians, bicyclists, and transit. In the early part of the 20th century, the automobile came into widespread use and streets became congested with all modes of transportation. As car use increased and commercial and industrial development occurred outside of the city proper, many thoroughfares were reconfigured to facilitate automotive travel.
In 1948 in New Haven, most Downtown streets were converted from two-way to one-way. Later during Urban Renewal, many other city streets were widened or redesigned to highway standards. In some cases, new roadways were created to facilitate commuting. Rather than acting as a public space or a multimodal transportation network, streets became dominated by speeding cars or congested traffic. Rather than being a public benefit, many streets have become mere conduits for cars.
The impact of the Church Street and Oak Street Redevelopment projects
The issues associated with an automotive dominated street system include increased pollution, traffic, and accidents making streets unsafe and unpleasant for all road users and adjacent land uses. Addressing these issues may require retrofitting streets for multimodal transportation. Strategies like road diets, on-street parking, cycle tracks, bus lanes, dedicated left hand turn lanes, and raised medians can help encourage cycling, walking, and bus riding over driving by making alternative transportation convenient and safe. In the long term, pollution, accidents, and even traffic congestion can decrease as a result of these efforts.
A comparison of space requirements for various modes of transportation
Multimodal Transportation Planning Opportunities in Greater New Haven
Below are a series of hypothetical proposals for multimodal transportation investments along various streets in the New Haven area. These proposals are intended to serve as recommendations for future studies. They have not been prepared in consultation with the City of New Haven, nor are the preliminary designs ready for implementation. The renderings are meant for illustrative purposes and as visualization tools only. If you are interested in any of the proposals, please feel free to comment. Thank you!
New Haven To West Haven Intercity Cycling Report:
Bike Lanes:
(Also see Broadway and Elm, and Whalley Avenue)
Bus Transit:
Greater New Haven Transit System
Dixwell Avenue (coming soon…)
Universal Drive (coming soon…)
(Also see Middletown and Foxon)
Cycle Tracks:
(Also see Church Street, MLK Boulevard, and State and Union)
Two-Way Street Conversion:
Additional Resources:
Urban Street; Urban Bikeway; Transit Street; and Urban Street Stormwater Design Guides by NACTO
Safe Urban Form: Revisiting the Relationship Between Community Design and Traffic Safety
Does street network design affect traffic safety?
The Effect of Street Network Design on Walking and Biking
The Applicability of Space Syntax to Bicycle Facility Planning
Evidence on Why Bike-Friendly Cities Are Safer for All Road Users
Shared Space: Could Less Formal Streets Be Better for Both Pedestrians and Vehicles?
City of New Haven Two-Way Conversion
The Demise of the Streetcar in New Haven (2016)
