This doesn't seem like a real issue. Can't safely get to SML from where? As a cyclist and driver, I am regularly irritated by seeing cyclists riding against traffic. However, cars manage to get around New Haven without going the wrong way (with occasional exceptions on Grove, at least). When I need to get somewhere on my bike, I ride the legal way to get there; if I can walk my bike a shorter distance, I do that. New Haven should be focusing on making cycling safer in existing streams of traffic rather than worrying about redrawing the flow.

Mr. Kirkpatrick makes several good points. First, experienced cyclists CAN ride in traffic the on Elm St in order to get from SML or Bass to College St. Cyclists who do not feel comfortable riding on Elm St. legally SHOULD dismount and walk their bikes to College St. In reality, scores of cyclists just treat Wall St, which is 23' wide, as a 2-way street. I think Mr. Kirkpatrick is onto something in suggesting that we should tolerate this behavior. At Thursday's meeting with Nelson\Nygaard, the lead consultant seemed to support this position. I therefore propose that Traffic and Parking add "except bicycles" signs to the "do not enter" signs on Wall and High Streets and add "keep right; 2-way bicycle traffic permitted" warning signs for drivers.

Um, I wasn't at all suggesting that we should tolerate 2-way cycling on Wall. Quite the contrary. Same streets, same rules is my general philosophy. If Wall is one-way for cars, it should be one-way for bikes.

Oh. Sorry for the confusion.
So I guess it's only the consultants from Nelson\Nygaard who think the city should tolerate them...interesting.

Unless the police find it necessary to actually ticket bicyclists riding against traffic on Wall St, I'm going to close this issue for now. Frankly, I'd rather have bicyclists riding the wrong direction on a low-traffic street like Wall Street than have them ride on the sidewalk.

(If you, or anyone you know, receives a ticket for bicycling the wrong direction on Wall St, please reopen this clicket.)

signs saying 'one way except bicycles" should be installed, like in Germany