Willie Williams Jr

This intersection needs major work. Narrowing the travel lanes by reducing pedestrian crossing distances would be one of the most effective ways to permanently reduce speeds. The city could also consider raised intersections and roundabouts, as they have in other neighborhoods.

Chris Heitmann wrote:

Cars don’t look like that when crashing at 25mph, which is what the posted speed limit is here and throughout New Haven. On neighborhood streets like Central and Willard, it arguably should be slower, more like 20mph. While the NHPD has done an excellent job of stepping up traffic enforcement in the neighborhood, enforcement will only get us so far. Similarly with education: it’s needed, but will have a very limited impact (no pun intended). The third “E” - Engineering - is where the city can really improve safety here. As Pedro suggests, this intersection is an excellent candidate for a small roundabout (not as big as on West Park, for which there’s no room here). Other alternatives would be bumping out the sidewalk at all four corners, thus narrowing the street and reducing crossing distances, raised crosswalks, and/or pedestrian refuges/planted medians leading into the intersection. The city needs to really study what the BEST solution would be here, and to consult with neighbors throughout. My concern with the idea of another traffic light is that cars would arguably speed more in order to make the light. The solution needs to SLOW PEOPLE DOWN, which would make this safer for cars, pedestrians, cyclists, and the kids who cross and wait here for the school bus every morning.

Thank goodness no one was seriously hurt yesterday and that no pedestrians or cyclists without 3000 pounds of steel to product them were in the intersection when this happened. A big thank you to the NHFD for a job well done and to the Independent for bringing attention to this sadly ongoing yet preventable issue.

A few other residents wrote:

- I live a few houses down on Willard, and that intersection is horrible. You have to pull out almost into the middle of Central to see past the street parking, and people fly up and down Central. It’s the only big intersection in the area without a 4 way stop.

- I was almost involved in a serious accident in high school right at this intersection. A guy in a Camaro was flying down central, and I pulled out from willard not seeing him (since he was so far down the street) and he slammed his brakes hard and just missed me. While I was the “cause” of him stopping, it was the fact that he was going about 60 down central that would have caused the accident.

- Central is a nice long straight run through Westville and people use it as a speedway to cross over New Haven all the time since it links Rt 34 to Whalley. The minimal cost of stop signs at all of the unsignaled intersections would greatly reduce the speeds on this street.

- Thank God no one was killed last night. That is without question one of THE WORST intersections in New Haven. Speed on Central Ave combined with poor visibility from Willard is a recipe for casualties.

See http://www.newhavenindependent.org/index.php/archives/entry/grand_am/

This woman has far too many dogs confined to her tiny apartment. She is breeding these animals and selling the puppies out of a box on the corner of Quinnipiac and Grand.

The Blue House behind Grand Vin is selling drugs. The particular person(s) are an African American male and a white female that share the apartment. If you see suspected drug activity please call the NHPD as often as necessary. They are often seen walking in the area with a white and brown pit bull. They and their business are not welcome in this neighborhood. The male was involved in a stolen vehicular accident on Quinnipiac Avenue on July 9 where a reported handgun was suspected of being tossed.

"Its all fun and games till someone loses an eye"There are signs posted on the bridge that say "no fishing from bridge" and the fisherman are continually fishing right under the sign. This poses a very dangerous problem for boaters. As we try to go under the bridge, there are line and hooks dangling everywhere. Some of the people are curteous enough to pull their lines and let you through, others start yelling and throwing things. I have had everthing from beer cans and other garbage to lead weights thrown. Last year a women on a boat was hooked in the scalp by a fishing lure and I have had close calls with lures myself. I have called the bridge operations number numerous times to ask them to call police when there people fishing from the bridge, I have also called police to file a report, still, last night June 8th, I counted 28 fisherman. Will they not act until someone loses an eye and sues the city?

There are constant drug deals being made on East Grand Ave infront of ziggy's and going all the way down the street to the bridge. This happens at least 5 times a day. A car will park on street parking, wait, and someone will appear and make the sale. I have even seen children in the cars. Many of the cars have out-of-state licenses, many being from NY. These individuals have no fear and do it in the open. If the police want a easy drug bust, come down here and watch this. Ill start taking pictures every time it happens with license plate numbers . Get these scumbags off the streets where many children and families walk to go to the park

Been thinking about this for a while - but this past weekend finally pushed me. Was painting my fence, which backs up to a building on Grand Ave, and nearly got peed on by someone who decided to urinate on the opposite side of my fence, not knowing I was there.

Grand Ave between Olive and Jefferson is a drag on our neighborhood. Noise issues, drug use, littering, loss of businesses (looks like Olive & Grand Food Mart is shutting down) - it cuts right through our neighborhood and is an uninviting divider separating Lyon & William Streets from the rest.

It's time to clean this mess up.
Follow the Howe St model - not long ago, that wasn't a great place to be after dark. Now it's totally transformed.
Put up cameras to curb illicit activity, and improve pedestrian confidence at night.
Calm traffic and improve access by adding a bike lane (to connect with existing bike lanes downtown, and beginning on Grand Ave entering Fair Haven). Street parking - metered and/or resident.

This would be a serious quality of life improvement for neighbors, and connecting just-out-of-downtown businesses to a growing downtown.
Time to start a conversation.

As a female resident of NHV who has to walk down Grand Avenue every day, I've become exhausted by the loitering, intimidation, and harassment I face almost every day just going to and from work. I get watched going in and out of my apartment and followed, stalked by cars driving next to me down the street - nowhere else in New Haven except that street. Today was the final straw when one man in particular made it clear what his intentions were as he screamed at me when I walked by and I'm concerned I may see him again.

The liquor store owners are amazing people and I have nothing but good things to say about them, but the people the store attracts has made Grand Avenue terrifying to walk down coupled with the few abandoned buildings and empty lots. The store is maybe 35% of the problem. the lack of policing is the rest.

Please...PLEASE, can a police car be stationed here throughout the day and night? I see none. Ever. If I do, they're just driving through to get to somewhere else. I live so close to downtown that I want to be able to enjoy walking there with some sense of security.

Thank you.

6:30 pm, 9/21/13, large group of dirtbikers (doing wheelies etc) going north up Quinipiac Ave, through Grand Ave interesection towards Middletown Ave. Then back to Grand Ave Bridge. OK, NHPD, you have a new law ($1000 fine to get the bikes back), please track down the bikes and confiscate.

Constant speeding along Quinnipiac Avenue between Grand and Ferry. The speed limit is posted as 25MPH and this is a bicycle route. However, traffic moves at between 35 and 40MPH on average.