Description
The bridge on Court Street between State and Artizan is unbelievably dark. The same bridge on Chapel has 2 lights and yet far more people travel via Court from downtown to get home to Wooster Square. Please fix!
Reporter
The bridge on Court Street between State and Artizan is unbelievably dark. The same bridge on Chapel has 2 lights and yet far more people travel via Court from downtown to get home to Wooster Square. Please fix!
98 Comments
Mark (Guest)
i agree it is dark and uncomfortable here
lots more comments here, e.g., on the issue of lighting: http://www.seeclickfix.com/issues/7713
Erin (Guest)
Harvey L. Koizim (Registered User)
Janna (Guest)
Bill (Guest)
Chris Rzonca (Guest)
Anonymous (Guest)
Janna (Guest)
Anonymous (Guest)
Helene Landemore (Guest)
Anonymous (Guest)
Young and Ready to Spend (Guest)
Neighbor (Guest)
YML (Guest)
Marcia Marquis (Guest)
Anonymous (Guest)
Would the neighborhood be willing to chip in for some new lighting? The kind of lighting infrastructure that would be ideal here (i.e. pedestrian level, like on Chapel Street around Yale) can be extremely expensive.
If the neighborhood found a way to chip in, I would be surprised if the utility companies, private foundations/institutions and the city did not provide a match.
Tristan Robin (Guest)
Anonymous (Guest)
Wooster Square Resident (Guest)
Anonymous (Guest)
Anstress Farwell (Guest)
Jeffrey Kerekes (Guest)
Anonymous (Guest)
Kyle (Guest)
Pedro (Guest)
Anonymous (Guest)
Anonymous (Guest)
Laura Miles (Guest)
Lexy (Guest)
Anonymous (Guest)
Karri (Guest)
Anonymous (Guest)
Anonymous (Guest)
Anonymous (Guest)
Erin Gustafson (Registered User)
How do we move action from this clicket to an actual resolution? Does anyone know if this has been acknowledged yet by City officials or UI, or anyone who can make the improvements?
There are multiple clickets open for this issue, and Ben posted a great photo of what it looks like in the dark on this clicket: http://www.seeclickfix.com/issues/1254. If you just looked at the picture, you'd never guess this was the main thoroughfare between two vibrant neighborhoods. It's just too dark!
CT Livable Streets Campaign (Registered User)
Erin: Hold a rally, write letters to the editor, get nearby schools or employers involved, call a reporter, make a flyer, create a special interest coalition of people interested in similar issues across New Haven or across urban communities throughout the State and write an advocacy report that details the problem (there are many... maybe New Haven Safe Streets or the city-wide management team would sponsor one?); meet with local politicians, start a formal petition engaging nearby residents (and/or use this site to do that), put up lawn signs, develop a community action plan, hold a public art contest or other event about the issue, create evening patrols and invite a NH Indy "bike beat" reporter :) , or many more...
city capital budget is limited... so start the organizing!
Pedro Soto (Registered User)
City and Parking and the State DOT, looking at the list to the right, both of you have received every email about this.
Question #1, which one of you is responsible for the lighting on this bridge.
Question #2, whoever it is, could you please post to SeeClickFix and let us know what the status of this problem is? It's fine if you have no plans at the moment, but let us know so we can do what Mark suggests and get people motivated to get this fixed.
If you DO have plans, also please let us know so that we don't have to hold a rally for something that's already happening.
PS- if there's no response on this, Mike Piscitelli's (director of traffic and parking) email is
mpiscite@newhavenct.net
so it might be worth emailing or calling him directly to find out next steps.
Wooster Sq Watch (Guest)
black wallet with $25. What is is going to take to get lights in this area?
Anonymous (Guest)
BB (Registered User)
This from Alderman Smart,
"To Ms. Brady and other concerned neighbors:
Alderman Smart has asked me to brief you on your concerns about the lighting issue on the Court Street bridge between State and Artizan and the action he has taken. He is aware of the serious problem here with the extremely poor lighting on that bridge which goes over the trains tracks on Court St. It is very dimly lit and a real public safety hazard. Staff has been in consultation with Seb Asadourian (the city's streetlighting manager) and with City Engineer Richard Miller to see how this problem can be remedied at the earliest possible time. They have heard your concerns and those of Ald. Smart and are very aware of the problem here. Director Miller assured that they are actively exploring all options to provide better lighting on this bridge. It is taking some thought because providing lighting on a bridge, especially one over train tracks, is particularly tricky. However, again, they know this is a serious public safety issue and are examining all the possibilities for improving the lighting on the bridge as soon as possible.
Hope this information is helpful.
-Mike Abeshouse (Legislative Services at 946-5800)
for Alderman Michael Smart, Ward 8 "
Greg (Guest)
Jeffrey Kerekes (Registered User)
BB (Registered User)
Erin (Guest)
CT Livable Streets Campaign (Registered User)
A citywide campaign is being established to advocate for low level and pedestrian-scale lighting. Lighting, economic development and personal safety is clearly an issue throughout New Haven, both along retail strips and elsewhere.
Many successful models of community coalitions can be found in other cities.
Please continue to speak up about lighting on State Street (and elsewhere) and encourage your neighbors to post on this website. Additional details will be posted here in the coming weeks; approximately 5-10 volunteers who can dedicate 2-3 hours per week towards research and advocacy will be needed in order to make the campaign a success.
If articles are written about the issue (e.g., in the Independent), please post the links here.
juli (Registered User)
203-773-9494 (correct me if i am wrong on the chapel st # to be the one to call?)
Harvey Koizim (Guest)
Anstress Farwell (Guest)
CT Environmental Headlines recently posted this note and link on street lighting. It's good to know that the most environmentally friendly lights are also the best choice economically and aesthetically. Good illustrations at the link:
"A recent report shows fluorescent street lights improve safety and security and save energy
http://environmentalheadlines.com/ct/2009/11/16/report-shows-fluorescent-street-lights-improve-safety-and-security-and-save-energy/#more-25446
By replacing traditional, yellowish high-pressure sodium (HPS) lights with ‘cool’ white light sources, such as induction, fluorescent, ceramic metal halide, or LEDs, we can actually reduce the amount of electric power used for lighting while maintaining or even improving visibility in nighttime conditions, according to “Mesopic Street Lighting Demonstration and Evaluation Final Report, for Groton Utilities, Groton, Connecticut” (pdf). “The results from the range of studies conducted to date dramatically underscore the benefits of the unified photometry system for improving visual performance and reducing energy consumption,” according to the report.
Also from the report: “Replacing a 100-watt HPS light source with a 55-watt induction light source or a 70-watt halide lamp saves considerable amounts of energy. Using either increases maintenance costs. The increased costs for the induction lamp are offset by doubling the life expectancy of the induction lamp compared to the HPS lamp.”
The results of the study, which showed that streets appear brighter and more comfortable with fluorescent lighting, the lights cause less glare, colors of traffic signs appear more clearly, vegetation looks more natural, pavement visibility and pedestrian visibility and perception of safety while driving were improved, facial recognition and perception of security while walking were improved — supports the use of unified photometry in a street lighting context."
Bonnie Rosenberg (Guest)
BB (Registered User)
Hey Anstress,
I actually disagree.
If they are going to use Metal Halide hopefully it will have some kind of color filter on the lens.
If you have seen downtown East Haven or Edgewood Ave and you'll see how white light can really can take away from the charm of a neighborhood at night.
Anonymous (Guest)
SeeClickFix just launched a feature to generate flyers of issues in your neighborhood. See the top of this page or this link:
http://www.seeclickfix.com/issues/9603.pdf
The flyer also includes instructions to vote for the issue via text messaging!
New Haven resident (Guest)
Tristan Robin (Guest)
Please, don't remove the policeman from his stand on Wooster Square! I believe he does a LOT to discourage crime on the square.
Frankly, I don't know what kind of charm is to be found getting mugged in a dimly lit park at night. If bright lights will keep the creeps out - then go with bright lights! I can deal with "charm" during the daylight hours and safety after dark.
BB (Registered User)
Anonymous (Guest)
Unified photometry is by far superior, Ben.
One reason why it is the standard on all new Yale projects and elsewhere.
Let's hope the city gets with the times here.
Ben (Guest)
What does unified photometry look like?
Will it give me cancer? Sounds cool!
Michael (Guest)
BB (Registered User)
Hey Michael,
Totally agree.
Curious why you are doubtful that anyone is paying attention?
NH (Guest)
There is regular drug activity at Artizan and Court Street. There is a nightly group that hangs in the parking lot of the Law Office on Olive and Court at the blue picnic table. They are there right now and are there everyday after rushhour is over. Lighting the bridge will be helpful, but brighter lights on Olive Street and increased police presence will also be helpful.
Tristan Robin (Guest)
Please explain to a naive neighbor.
If they're there every night, why don't the police just bust them?
It sounds rather basic to me.
Anonymous (Guest)
Anonymous (Guest)
Anonymous (Guest)
Karri (Guest)
BB (Registered User)
Wes on Wooster (Guest)
I hope that everyone will show up at the neighborhood meeting on the 16th. In the meantime, I hope the NHPD will station a patrol car or unmarked during the evening hours to curtail this dangerous criminal activity.
BB (Registered User)
Karri (Guest)
POB (Guest)
Not to pay some inebriated homeless person or some hapless disoriented person to stand there and stick him out and drag him thru the center of Rome like some jester of ancient rome.
But i believe there were City Hall affiliates that resided there. And the cops are sitting back ,watching, identifying them ,running to City Hall first, collect a winnings for wussings. And looking for a fall guy or there packing up and moving
Anonymous (Guest)
Anonymous (Guest)
Community Neighbor (Guest)
Steve (Guest)
Glo (Registered User)
Wooster Sq Watch (Guest)
Wooster Sq Watch (Guest)
Thanks to the nearly 50 people who attended Last night's Wooster Sq Watch mtg. Our guests were Rob Smuts, Chief Administrative Officer for Mayor DeStefano, Seb Asadourian, City Engineer, Lt. Rebecca Sweeney and Officer Pete Krause from NHPD.
Rob Smuts updated the group on the short term and long term solutions for our lighting issue on Court Street.
Short Term Solution
The short term solution is a “light the night” light on an existing post on the corner of Artizan and Court. If you have walked on Court this week, you should have seen it. While it doesn’t throw a lot of light on the bridge, it does brighten up the area and the city has contracted for this light for the next year.
Long Term Solution
Because the Court Street Bridge is over the railroad track, lighting the bridge is particularly challenging. Seb Asadourian explained that there is a high voltage system under the bridge which complicates using electric lights to light the bridge.
Instead, they have proposed solar lighting. These are maintenance free and the city may be able to use stimulus money to pay for them.
They are already in the design stage and would be the first if this kind in the city. They have done a photometric analysis and determined that 3 light solar light fixtures will provide light all the way across the bridge. Questions came up asking about the effects of snow and low sun light. Seb explained that these lights have been used in both New Hampshire and Vermont and the angle of the battery pack helps avoid snow collection. Also, the solar battery lasts approximately 14.5 hours. The longest night in Connecticut is 13 hours. Even in low light, the solar battery pack starts recharging at the first sign of any kind of light.
They will go to bid the project in mid January and once they have a bid, it will probably take 6 weeks for the solar lights to arrive and be installed. Rob Smuts said he would keep us in the loop every step of the way, but by my calculation we are looking at early March. Keep your fingers crossed.
Michael (Guest)
juli (Registered User)
Janna (Guest)
CT Livable Streets Campaign (Registered User)
Wooster Sq Watch (Guest)
Glo (Registered User)
resident (Guest)
Did Rob say the new lights would use unified photometry, like the standard on new Yale projects? Lighting is great, but it would be nice if new lighting were attractive, too.
Z (Guest)
CT Livable Streets Campaign (Registered User)
According to WoosterSqWatch, there has been some great progress resolving the muggings that occurred in this area last year:
From issue 11211: "woostersqwatch wrote about 1 hour ago
We had a terrific response from the NHPD. We have installed a camera and lights are coming on the Court Street Bridge. Also, the law office and the Smoothie Building got their parking lot lights on which has helped tremendously. We have not had an incident since Christmas Eve."
However, I think it is a good idea to leave this issue open until the bridge has much better lighting, including pedestrian-level fixtures that create an attractive gateway into the historic district.
It is definitely improving, but there's an opportunity to make this bridge into something amazing that really contributes to property values, encourages pedestrian activity after dark and builds a local sense of community.
woostersqwatch (Guest)
CT Livable Streets Campaign (Registered User)
Thanks for adding the "community action" to help address this on the top of the page! Look forward to the event this Saturday morning.
Here's a direct link to the event where folks can RSVP for the action item:
http://www.seeclickfix.com/action_items/15
Anonymous (Guest)
woostersqwatch (Guest)
Steve (Guest)
Bosco (Guest)
Tristan Robin (Guest)
CT Livable Streets Campaign (Registered User)
WoosterSqWqtch (Guest)
Kelly Forbush (Guest)
Community Neighbor (Guest)
resident (Guest)
Closed BB (Registered User)