Instead of screaming into the void of Twitter, I bring you a weekly highlight reel of what it’s like going places in Greater Hartford when one is gloriously car-free. These posts are on a slight time delay because nobody needs to know exactly where I am when I am there.

 

 

Beware when someone tells you that something “had to” happen the way it did.

This sentiment comes up whenever the Park River’s burial is mentioned. We hear how it “had to” be buried because of flooding, but rarely do we hear how the flooding was previously minor and not an issue until people chose to build in flood zones. There’s a photograph of a garage in the southwestern part of Hartford that was built over a brook. We pandered to those who made poor choices why exactly?

I’m walking on Farmington Avenue and can see down the road that the street has been blocked off in one direction. There’s a man waiting at a bus stop. I wanted to tell him he might as well start walking downtown because no buses are coming through any time soon. . . but I have a policy against giving unsolicited advice to strangers face-to-face. I can only hope he figured something out or wasn’t on a tight schedule.

The crash was at the intersection of Woodland and Farmington. Not at all shocking. The records tell me that there were 15 reported crashes there between May 12, 2021 and May 3, 2022 (there’s a ten day delay in data). Three of those were with injuries. There’s no one time of day that’s more likely than another to pose a problem here. Bad design is bad 24/7.

What’s insulting is that a few years ago, during the Farmington Avenue renovation, there had been an improvement for about the blink of an eye. A median was installed at the beginning of Woodland Street. The traffic calming was immediate and observable. Those choosing to take the corner too quickly would hit the median.

And then, I forget how long — weeks? months? — it was removed. People living with windshield bias would say that this “had to” happen because of emergency vehicles, as if those with sirens should drive recklessly. Without exaggeration, I see an emergency vehicle (or several) responding to a call, almost every day. I could be wrong, but I don’t think it’s the turns where anyone is losing considerable time. It’s navigating traffic jams created because (1) too many people think they’re too good for the bus (2) drivers are unaware of the sirens (3) drivers do not want to pull over and “lose” their spot in the race they think they’re in (4) drivers do not know where to move their vehicles. Instead of everyone moving to their right to let ambulances and firetrucks through, there’s collective panic about where to go. People freeze. The responders don’t make it easy. Sometimes they take the center of the road, which is what I think most of us were taught to expect. . . but more and more I’ll see an ambulance selecting some other lane.

So, that median at Farmington and Woodland was removed and now people make their turns too quickly again, putting the people inside and outside of cars at risk. This is an intersection with lots of foot traffic. There are numerous apartment buildings around here, bus stops, and people walking to the medical facilities on Woodland Street.

The only thing surprising about this wreck is that the debris was cleaned up after. Normally, that bumper would’ve been tossed onto the sidewalk.

VIEW FROM THE SIDEWALK

If you don’t look too closely, this looks like an enchanted wild spot. 

In truth, if I aimed the phone camera in any other direction, you’d see how the brownfield space between Hawthorn, Capitol, Laurel, and Forest is used as a dump. A factory took up this space previously, though that’s been gone for decades. Before that, it was one of the properties in Hartford where actor Katharine Hepburn lived as a child. 

Maybe the residents living in the two new houses on Hawthorn will not think this is something they have to endure. The land in question belongs to the City of Hartford. I think about how one of the City’s employee’s read the riot act to someone I know about his yard, and all I could think of was how the government can’t even keep its own nose clean. Go stroll down Hawthorn and look through the chain link fence. Tell me what you see. Is this the sign of a healthy City, or would you say it’s closer to dysfunction? 

After nagging the City of Hartford for about one month, the pickup truck bed liner full of trash has finally been removed from the corner of Park Terrace and Capitol Avenue. That’s how long it takes to deal with trash from an easy-to-access location. 

The Hawthorn dump? The sacrificed parts of Pope Park? I’ll continue to nag, because I walk by the trash regularly, but I won’t hold my breath. 

Why does this happen? Our checkbook reveals our values. 

CONSTRUCTION CRITICISM

After learning only when at the detour last week that Sigourney’s western sidewalk was inaccessible, I was able to plan alternate routes. 

Except, then there was more surprise construction where people were being detoured to. No warning. The bike lane was also blocked, no warning. There’s concrete and asphalt chunks all over the sidewalk under the bridge, which helps to explain why this is not the best option. It appears open again. The sidewalk is still covered with chunks of road materials. It’s not ideal. 

Another option (below), is also not ideal. Besides the tripping hazards and shrubs taking over the sidewalk, there’s also the stench of a decaying animal. My guess is it’s the cat that some asshole hit and killed with their car, leaving it to die. I’d reported that the 311. I don’t know if the DPW came and pitched the cat across the street and into the park, or if a resident did that. It’s possible it’s not even the cat, but the smell is too strong for too long to be a chipmunk or squirrel, and I kind of resent knowing the general size of what’s rotting. 

So, you decide: feel sad and grossed out walking by an animal corpse, or walk under an active construction site where pieces of concrete and asphalt make it through the wooden boards overhead? 

 

 

THIS WEEK IN JAY-DRIVING 

Why use any of the abundant on-street parking when you can beach your car on the sidewalk? 

Why bother parking between the lines or even next to the curb? 

Why bother finding a parking space when you can idle your shit about a mile from the curb, partially blocking a driveway? 


Notice how the walk sign is on and how this person opted to jay-drive, totally blocking the crosswalk? If someone is using a wheelchair or pushing a stroller/cart, they’ve been forced out into the intersection. It’s also hard to see past this vehicle, which is super dangerous when crossing a bloated exit ramp because automobilists all-too-often fly down it to take a right-on-red-without-stopping. 

I am this close to carrying a lanyard with an expendable key, so I can swing something wildly when crossing. If I worked out, I’d have been too tempted to straight up open their door and climb through the vehicle instead of go around. 

Why do people drive like there are “trips” at every light? There aren’t. Why do they drive with such entitlement, as if they have any good reason for obstructing someone else’s access? 

 

 

DESIGN LIKE YOUR KIDS LIVE HERE 

There is no marked crosswalk leading from Hawthorn to Hartford Public High School. The mid-block marked crosswalk down the street does not have a ramp. It should be easier to cross this one-way street than it often is. 


HOW TO GET BIKES UP TO CONSTITUTION PLAZA 

I wouldn’t have thought to wheel mine up because I’ve got panniers and wider tires, but if you aren’t feeling like hitting any of the nearby ramps, I guess this is an alternative to carrying your bike overhead. 


WHY NOBODY USES THE FAUX BIKE LANE ON THAT ONE BLOCK OF BROAD STREET

One side is completely covered in loose bits of asphalt. The other side, close to Capitol, experienced some sort of pony bead explosion. 

It’s also disconnected from any other bike infrastructure and is not barrier-protected. As you can see from photos above, paint alone does not keep automobilists from jay-driving where they ought not. 

THE STRUGGLE BUS 
It doesn’t happen often, but occasionally a passenger will pull the cord or press the button, and the driver will not stop. The passenger will yell something, usually “stop,” and then the driver does, saying “sorry,” and that’s the end of that. 

And then there was today’s 66 driver. He arrived on time. A minute late, but that’s on time. He pulled over, sort of, to let me on. Not all the way to the curb. Didn’t lower step. Began driving before I was seated. I didn’t love it, but noticed that the whole route was like this. Very jerky starts and stops. He tapped the horn constantly. 

When it was time to get off, I pulled the cord. And then I watched as the driver just blew by the stop, which was ridiculous because it was close to an intersection where the bus had been backed up a little in traffic. It’s not like he was going too fast to stop. I was too busy thinking “WTF dude,” to say anything, but an elderly passenger who had been waiting by the back door yells “I want to get off here.” The driver says “I don’t have time to stop,” but then pulls over about half a block away. 

His entire job is to stop and go. To pick up people and to drop off people. The cord was not pulled late. There wasn’t snow or anything blocking the bus stop. It was, indeed, a signed stop. If he was having some sort of bathroom emergency, stopping in an area where there are numerous toilet options, taking care of the issue, and then getting back on is preferable to freaking out passengers by refusing to stop. 

So, I get off the bus. I do the things I need to do. I wait for the bus in a  nearby but different spot where buses come through from one of three directions, and it doesn’t matter which one I take. It’s Farmington Avenue on a weekday. The buses run about every ten minutes, so I don’t even check the app. After waiting for about one minute, one shows up. It’s the same driver. Who starts moving before I’m seated. He’s not tapping the horn constantly anymore, but he is going way too fast and tries to blow by the KFC bus stop where there are always people waiting. There were six or seven people there, including one woman wearing all red. If she hadn’t waved her arms, it seems likely he would’ve kept going. I ended up getting off a stop early when others were boarding because it seemed better than overshooting and having to navigate the construction annoyance of Sigourney Street. 

Most bus drivers are not like this. 

I could speculate about what was going on, but it’s not worth it. 

A CASE OF THE MONDAYS 

Driving means missing spontaneous opportunities to kick a curbed copy machine. 

WHAT NEXT  

Look at the Metro Hartford Rapid Routes draft final report and provide your feedback to info@metrohartfordrapidroutes.com  by June 13, 2022