This structure in the middle of Ridge Road might not bode very well for drivers and cyclists.

Nobody needs to be a scientist to understand how a six foot wide obstacle in the middle of a one lane road is going to increase the chance of vehicular accidents. Sure, it looks pretty, but accident victims don't.

I believe there must be something about this new structure that other residents and I are failing to understand. Nobody would put something like this in the middle of the road without having a good reason.

Any comments from our town's officials would be very much appreciated. This would alleviate the need to start making phone calls and speaking with folks who say, "I have no idea what you're talking about."

Thank you for contacting the Mayor's Office. Please be patient while we look into your request. We will get back to you at our earliest convenience.

Administrative Secretary assigned this issue to Staff Engineer

That's an interesting approach to traffic calming. Sure seems like anyone going too fast on Ridge is now going to just go too fast with a slight swerve toward — and probably sooner or later, into — any cyclist on the road.

Thank you for your questions. The traffic calming project has been discussed for over a year with a publicly vetted process. The center islands are part of a larger project of dedicated lane markings to slow traffic.
As to your question about bicycles, by calming the speed, the road should be more friendly to cyclists. There was not a dedicated bicycle lane, just wide shoulders. Bicyclists have the right to occupy the main travel lane like any other vehicle. Bicyclists and vehicles are required to share the road on all Connecticut roads. Like any other road, the bicyclists would travel within the normal vehicle lane. This would be the same situation as if the bicyclist was to exercise a left hand turning lane. They would occupy the lane like a vehicle and take the turn like any other vehicle.
When the lane narrows on Ridge Road, the bicyclist would enter the main lane and travel the lane like most roads in Hamden.
We have also added a photo of the consultant recommended calming plan that has been shown at numerous public meetings.
We hope this answers your questions.
Mark Austin
Town Engineer

Thank you for taking the time to ask.

Thanks so much for this explanation, Mark Austin! Much appreciated :)

Thanks for fixing this request!

Thanks for fixing this request!

Thanks Mark. Your explanation is very well worded, but I'm failing to agree with it. I'm convinced drivers are going to crash into these obstacles.

Narrower Lanes = More Traffic Accidents

I can only blame myself for not having attended the meetings for this project while it was being discussed. I'll do my best to become more involved in these types of matters in the future.