Extremely dangerous RR-street crossing for cyclists

Thanks for reporting yet another in dozens of injuries here, some very severe.

Turk,

Sorry to hear about your accident and I hope you are ok. Did you report it? I hope so. I know of and have read of people getting into accidents at this location but don't actually report it to the athorities. Each accident reported is one more piece of proof that gets added to city data. Not reporting the issue is just as bad if not worse than actually getting into an accident, whether or not someone else was involved because it is lost information that cannot be used to make a case.

Turk, I'm really sorry to hear of your crash. I'm not sure it will be any consolation, but I did verify today that flange fillers have been installed in the rail grooves on both the east and westbound crossings. This is a huge advance for safety at the tracks! Kudos to the DOT, the City of New Haven, and the P&W Railroad for getting the flange fillers installed.

I tried pressing on the flange fillers with my fingers, and they were springy and rubbery to the touch. They will easily compress under a railroad locomotive but remain firm under a bicycle. The only concern is that their material properties could change during winter when the temperature drops below freezing, causing derailments. Let's hope for the best on this.

I just crashed here Thursday morning. Crossing over on west bound side en route to train station.

Do we have records anywhere of the recent injuries? The Tomlinson Bridge Wikipedia page would be one place to index them.

More severe injuries in the past few weeks, and still no sign of progress. Does someone need to die before something happens here?

Has anyone on this thread heard recently from any elected officials or city employees about the bridge? I have heard that the City talked with ConnDOT about this issue, but that no concrete timelines were set for improving it. If you have more info please post here.

Please fix this serious safety hazard. It has been too dangerous for too long. (Mark, CTDOT does not read these posts, but the new DOT Commissioner is very responsive. Let him know. He will be in New Haven at 5:00 pm this Monday at Long Wharf.)

People continue to fall and get seriously injured and hospitalized here, indicating that ConnDOT's minor improvements were nowhere near sufficient to make the location safe.

Some minor improvements have been added here over the past month (including a small bicycle lane, and a "dismount area"), but according to City staff and local advocates, they are not sufficient to create a safe crossing at this location for cyclists of all ages and abilities.

It is great to see progress from the DOT, but that progress is not nearly fast enough given the ongoing risk of injuries here.