There’s not one thing that needs to happen to get people to examine their dysfunctional relationship with fossil fuels. It’s a whole rainbow of things, from financial incentives to simply making it safer and more comfort to exist outside of a car.
More marked bike lanes are being added to downtown Hartford, and this time, they brought out the green paint for the occasion.
This in-progress upgrade can be viewed on Church Street, which is a half mile of east-west road that runs parallel to Asylum Street, connecting Main Street to Union Station.
When it ends, or changes names to Myrtle Street — whichever description you prefer — the bike lanes do not end. Myrtle Street was previously given bike lanes. After that, Fraser Place also has painted buffered bike lanes.
Previously this season, we’ve seen bike lanes added to Allyn Street and Main Street. In the Frog Hollow neighborhood, Babcock/Affleck Street has preliminary markings for where bike lanes, including a contra flow one, will go. This means that while cars are only permitted to be driven in one direction, cyclists are legally allowed to ride both ways. At the corner of Ward Street and Affleck Street, it looks like at least some of the curbs will be extended, making it easier for pedestrians to get across this four-way intersection where drivers often fail to stop for people walking, even though this is a densely populated neighborhood with lower-than-average car ownership.
On Russ Street, permanent diverters are currently being installed, replacing the temporary jersey barriers that had been in place for the past few years. If done right, bicycles, including cargo bikes, should be able to move through more easily than when the barriers were in place; and if done right, people won’t be able to just drive over the diverters.
There are more design improvements in the works, including bike lanes on Route 187 (Blue Hills Avenue), a few sidepaths, and some delightful traffic calming changes for the segment of Tower Avenue that is right now treated like a speedway — great news for people trying to cross to visit Keney Park.
Without some sort of physical barrier, whether that be giant flower pots or flex posts, a painted bike lane is not as protective as it can or should be, but that does not take away from the fact that Hartford has absolutely been unstoppable in the last few years since newer leadership in key roles has made progressive changes happen, and happen at an acceptable rate. Ain’t no complaints about where landscapers gonna park going to slow us down!
Climate Possibilities is a new series about climate mitigation, along with resilience, resistance, and restoration. It’s about human habitat preservation. It’s about loving nature and planet Earth, and demanding the kind of change that gives future generations the opportunity for vibrant lives. Doomers will be eaten alive, figuratively. All photographs are taken in Hartford, Connecticut unless stated otherwise.