If you view old photos of Hartford, you’ll run into plenty of ones that evoke “what were they thinking?!” but none so much as Washington Street, a former tree-lined road of beautiful homes that has had much of its character destroyed in part by the medical industrial complex, by the string of court houses, and then by the street changes itself. There are remnants of what it was — an odd building here or there, somehow remaining with its exterior, at least, intact — but it mainly feels like a mini-highway.
There are always people biking on Washington Street, yet bike parking seems virtually non-existent. There’s no information that I could find on the court website about this, even though there are people involved in the courts, one way or another, who bike to them. The top photo was taken outside of one of the courthouses. There is some bicycle parking within the hospital complex, though it seems inconsistent, or maybe just hidden. Not everyone arrives by ambulance — some are workers, visitors, or patients going for the kind of procedure that does not require them to be moved by others.
There are always people biking on Washington Street, yet there are no bike lanes. The people pictured below were polite and announced themselves before passing. There was no conflict or collision. This was also on a weekend morning when there is little in the way of pedestrian activity around the court houses. I would rather share the sidewalk than ask or require someone to bike in the road where there is no protection for them, but ideally, they would have their own space.
Washington Street is a four-lane road — sheer nonsense. They could remove one parking lane and make it a two-way barrier protected bike lane. They could add more bike parking and in appropriate locations. They could do a lot of things if they wanted to.
And if you ask me, the bill for this should be footed by the courts and hospitals. Those within the medical industrial complex like to talk about exercise and safety, and yet the roadways around those buildings are hellscapes. How many people show up at court because of moving violations, while not nearly enough is done to provide safe and convenient alternatives to using the automobiles that many have more than proven they have no right to be commanding?
In the City of Hartford Bicycle Master Plan, there is an idea of what to do with Washington Street. On the second to last page of the document, prepared in 2019, there’s mention of one-way paired and separated bike lanes. It does not say if these would be at street or sidewalk level; there is a cost difference between the two, but there is also a quality difference. The information is, admittedly, confusing. The color coding is red, yellow, and green, and I think if you asked most people, they would assume that green means “go” — especially inside of a transportation document. But there are also numbers assigned for ease of implementation. While Washington Street is highlighted green, it’s also designated as a pain-in-the-ass for various reasons. You can guess.
But, also noted as challenging-to-change streets: Wethersfield Avenue and Main Street, both of which have seen substantial improvements for bicycle infrastructure in recent years. All hope is not lost.
What the green marking in the document actually denotes are projects that would have the highest benefit. If you have taken a look at the crash data for Washington Street or just tried using it, ever, you know this is an appropriate ranking. To improve Washington Street, no widening is needed, no trees need to come down. There’s excess lanes that could be changed from car parking to bike lanes — and with the ample parking available in nearby garages, there’s no excuse for maintaining the status quo.
Climate Possibilities is a 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.
Washington Street
If you view old photos of Hartford, you’ll run into plenty of ones that evoke “what were they thinking?!” but none so much as Washington Street, a former tree-lined road of beautiful homes that has had much of its character destroyed in part by the medical industrial complex, by the string of court houses, and then by the street changes itself. There are remnants of what it was — an odd building here or there, somehow remaining with its exterior, at least, intact — but it mainly feels like a mini-highway.
There are always people biking on Washington Street, yet bike parking seems virtually non-existent. There’s no information that I could find on the court website about this, even though there are people involved in the courts, one way or another, who bike to them. The top photo was taken outside of one of the courthouses. There is some bicycle parking within the hospital complex, though it seems inconsistent, or maybe just hidden. Not everyone arrives by ambulance — some are workers, visitors, or patients going for the kind of procedure that does not require them to be moved by others.
There are always people biking on Washington Street, yet there are no bike lanes. The people pictured below were polite and announced themselves before passing. There was no conflict or collision. This was also on a weekend morning when there is little in the way of pedestrian activity around the court houses. I would rather share the sidewalk than ask or require someone to bike in the road where there is no protection for them, but ideally, they would have their own space.
Washington Street is a four-lane road — sheer nonsense. They could remove one parking lane and make it a two-way barrier protected bike lane. They could add more bike parking and in appropriate locations. They could do a lot of things if they wanted to.
And if you ask me, the bill for this should be footed by the courts and hospitals. Those within the medical industrial complex like to talk about exercise and safety, and yet the roadways around those buildings are hellscapes. How many people show up at court because of moving violations, while not nearly enough is done to provide safe and convenient alternatives to using the automobiles that many have more than proven they have no right to be commanding?
In the City of Hartford Bicycle Master Plan, there is an idea of what to do with Washington Street. On the second to last page of the document, prepared in 2019, there’s mention of one-way paired and separated bike lanes. It does not say if these would be at street or sidewalk level; there is a cost difference between the two, but there is also a quality difference. The information is, admittedly, confusing. The color coding is red, yellow, and green, and I think if you asked most people, they would assume that green means “go” — especially inside of a transportation document. But there are also numbers assigned for ease of implementation. While Washington Street is highlighted green, it’s also designated as a pain-in-the-ass for various reasons. You can guess.
But, also noted as challenging-to-change streets: Wethersfield Avenue and Main Street, both of which have seen substantial improvements for bicycle infrastructure in recent years. All hope is not lost.
What the green marking in the document actually denotes are projects that would have the highest benefit. If you have taken a look at the crash data for Washington Street or just tried using it, ever, you know this is an appropriate ranking. To improve Washington Street, no widening is needed, no trees need to come down. There’s excess lanes that could be changed from car parking to bike lanes — and with the ample parking available in nearby garages, there’s no excuse for maintaining the status quo.
Climate Possibilities is a 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.
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