Kemper: Give us more stop signs
Noah Kazis ’10 wrote a column last week (“The Yale seat, for the city,” March 25) urging the Ward 1 alderman to focus on the city’s needs, to take the wider view and be the visionary unfettered by the needs of his constituents. Essentially, he argues that so far as New Haven is concerned, Yalies don’t have needs.
That’s a beautiful position to contemplate: the students of Yale, high in their ivory tower in a Gotham-esque city, full of objective wisdom untainted by the menial needs or wants of education, sanitation and crime. While other aldermen worry about their constituents, we...
Wait, what? Last I checked Elm Street motorists were faced with stoplights at Park Street, at York Street, at High Street, at College Street, at Temple Street, at Church Street, and so on.
Where does Mr. Kemper envision putting in stop signs? Yalies have ample opportunity to cross Elm Street.
A lot of motorists still don't respect pedestrians; it's ridiculous.
Ideally, Elm street would be replaced by the river Elm and we'd fill it with punts that could take you from one college to the next.
Since this is unreasonable, Mr. Kemper's excellent suggestion of re-routing traffic and making Elm more pedestrian friendly seems like a perfect compromise. Vehicles just driving through should be the last priority.
And I agree - the Ward 1 Alderman should not ignore Ward 1 interests. I'm all for improving town-gown relations, but it's ridiculous that we still have to brave through a crossroads like the one on Prospect or that there's a major avenue cutting right through the middle of campus.
#2 is right. There is a stoplight at every intersection on Elm. Putting stop signs at random places in the middle of a block will only create more traffic problems. This is a stupid, poorly thought out article.
That said, #3 is right that the intersection on Prospect that presents pedestrians with no opportunity to cross really needs a fix. But that's not even Ward 1, so why don't you go complain to the Ward 22 alder.
Let's face it, Noah Kazis is right that the Ward 1 Alder doesn't need to take care of Yalies - Yale has already got that one down.
I've seen my life pass before my eyes twice while at Yale from crazed motorists, and I know someone who nearly died last year after being hit. Making this priority #1 is entirely justified - we can do better.
Nicolas, do you play Call of Duty 4 online?
this guy is spot on correct.
see www.newhavensafestreets.org
see there, that the ycc and ydn and everyone else called for this stuff months ago already . it is not a new idea. why are city/yale/state dragging their feet?
Let's just build a wall around Yale's campus and keep the townies from trespassing.
Yale is older than Connecticut. We were here, first.
Some truth to this--alders are supposed to fix pot holes. Although ONLY thinking about potholes/stopsigns is shamefully narrow and the extent to which you are wallowing in the JD patronage system we have here is gross.
Minor objection: putting up stop signs isn't going to keep Elm street (aka Whalley, aka RTE.63) from being a major traffic artery. That part of Elm Street is basically the only road into downtown from a lot of suburbs. Maybe you should think about moving campus instead.