September is for Safe Systems: Back to School News from NCAT
- NCAT Info
- 2 hours ago
- 9 min read
September Events with NCAT and Friends:
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Safer Streets Require a Safe Systems Approach
By Doug HausladenNCAT-CT.org Board Chair
Connecticut’s rise in bicycle fatalities is indeed alarming — six deaths this year already, triple the recent average. But while recent commentary has pointed fingers at new technologies like e-bikes or at the choices parents and riders make, that narrative misses the larger picture. Personal responsibility matters, yes. Riders should wear helmets, signal turns, and ride visibly. Parents should choose safe equipment for their children. Drivers should give three feet of clearance, slow down, and look twice before turning or opening doors. These are all good practices. But personal responsibility will only get us so far.
What Connecticut needs is a Safe Systems approach — a philosophy that accepts people will make mistakes so transportation systems should be designed so those mistakes don’t result in serious injury or death. This means rethinking our streets not just for the safety of people inside cars, but for everyone who uses them. The first step for any town serious about safety is simple: build a complete sidewalk grid with safe, visible crosswalks. Sidewalks are the most basic form of transportation infrastructure, yet too many communities in Connecticut still leave gaps that force people into the roadway. Without continuous sidewalks and crosswalks, no amount of helmets or reflective gear will make walking or biking truly safe. Engineering, not just education, saves lives. When streets are designed with narrower lanes, raised crosswalks, protected bike lanes, and traffic-calming features, crashes decline and fatalities plummet. We’ve seen this proven time and again, from New York City to smaller towns across the U.S. The Netherlands didn’t achieve its extraordinary bike safety record through helmets and reflective vests; it did so by building infrastructure that made biking safe and intuitive for all ages.
Blaming e-bikes obscures the bigger issue. High-speed, modified e-bikes are a small fraction of the problem. The far greater risk comes from oversized, speeding cars and trucks on roads engineered like racetracks through our neighborhoods. A person struck by a car at 20 mph usually survives; at 40 mph, they almost always die. That’s physics, not parenting. Active transportation advocates share a clear and ambitious goal: zero fatalities on our roadways. This isn’t naïve — it’s achievable when we align policy, design, and enforcement around safety for all. Cities across the world have proven that a Vision Zero framework works. Connecticut can, too.
And for families who are curious about e-bikes and want to use them safely, resources already exist. The New Haven Coalition for Active Transportation (NCAT) offers free e-bike classes, from learn-to-ride sessions up through group rides. More information is available on our website. And here in New Haven, our e-bike share system, Ride New Haven, is limited to 15 mph — making it a safe, sustainable, and fun way to get around town without a car. We should be talking about how to re-engineer our streets so that six deaths in one year is not just "shocking" but unthinkable. Until we take a Safe Systems approach, no amount of helmets, reflective tape, or parental vigilance will make our roads truly safe. The rise in bicycle fatalities isn’t about new gadgets, or even about individual choices. It’s about a transportation system that prioritizes moving cars quickly over moving people safely. The fix isn’t to ban e-bikes or blame parents. The fix is to design our streets for life. |
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Walk Bike and Roll to School Day Registration is now Open!
Ever wanted to start a walking school bus or a bike bus? Riding and walking to school in a group is much safer - and more fun! Find a couple parents and tons of support from the Connecticut DOT Safe Routes to School/Active Tranportation Unit on the occasion of Walk Bike and Roll to School Day. The official national event date is October 8th, but events can be organized any day that suits your community. Safe Routes to Schools DOT staff will celebrate your event by offering free incentives including stickers, bookmarks, and crosswords. Order them while supplies last and they will be mailed to you directly! |
Free Classes are Fueling New Haven's Bike Share Revival
By Odochi Akwani, Writer and Content Manager Better Bike Share Partnership
When New Haven’s bike share program stopped in 2020, it left a multi-year gap in solidifying shared micromobility in the community. Now, with Ride New Haven, a new system featuring all-electric bikes, the challenge isn’t just about reintroducing the service, but reengaging the community. To bridge this gap, the New Haven Coalition for Active Transportation (NCAT) launched free educational classes. These sessions teach residents how to use the app, safely handle the new e-bikes, and build confidence.
With the relaunch of bike share in the community, NCAT looked for ways to provide community education and engagement around the system. When the Better Bike Share Partnership announced the latest mini-grant round earlier this year, NCAT saw this as an opportunity to do just that, focusing on making bike share more accessible and user-friendly through bike education classes.
“I think there can be some technical hurdles to using an app to unlock bikes,” says Elias Estabrook, director of education at the New Haven Coalition for Active Transportation. “The signage in New Haven has room for improvement, so there’s a lack of clarity around how to use the system if you just walk up to a station.”
Since May, NCAT has hosted several bike share education classes in partnership with Ride New Haven. They partnered with the New Haven Adult and Continuing Education Center for their adult ed’s multicultural festival bike rodeo. Students in the English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) program learned about Ride New Haven and heard from Devil’s Gear, a local shop which does the bike share system’s maintenance. Then, students got to test out the bikes by riding around a beginner-friendly cone course.
NCAT continues these efforts with bike share skills classes at various libraries and recreation centers in New Haven to enhance participants’ skills and confidence in using Ride New Haven throughout the summer and into the fall. These two-hour sessions teach attendees how to set up and use the app, followed by a discussion on electric bicycles. Since the system is fully electric, participants often have questions about riding e-bikes. The discussion covers safety considerations, potential challenges at higher speeds, acceleration and braking, handling heavier devices, and the advantages of electric bicycles. A major benefit of taking a class is that the first 50 qualifying residents to participate receive a free one-year membership to Ride New Haven.
The group ride takes participants on a one-to-two-mile route around the neighborhood near the library or recreation center. Michael Twitty, a certified League Cycling Instructor by the League of American Bicyclists, is one of the class instructors. He’s been teaching cycling for about three years and leads a local bike group called Black and Brown Soul Cyclists. |
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Twitty has heard from participants about the positive impact bike share has had on their lives for both recreation and transportation. One woman shared with him that she was excited to learn about e-bikes so she could ride alongside her two kids. “One person now says he can go to work instead of taking two buses; he can use the bike to get to and from work,” says Twitty.
According to Estabrook, New Haven is currently filling in gaps in active transportation infrastructure since its Safe Routes For All plan was passed in 2022. The plan is currently in “Phase 2: The Active Transportation Plan,” which prioritizes New Haven’s communities of color in enhancing street safety for active transportation, including walking, biking, and taking the bus.
“I hope that class participants become regular users of the bike share system and really get to experience the more long-term benefits of convenient access to mobility, health, and wellness,” says Estabrook. to add dynamic values like name, email and more.
Editor's Note: NCAT Ebike Education classes are supported by a grant from Better Bike Share Partnership. Thank you to People for Bikes/Better Bike Share. |
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Ward 7 Traffic Calming Improvements Installed
From the Ward 7 September Newsletter - Alder Eli Sabin Contact: elisabinward7@gmail.com
Alder Sabin: "This summer, I've been very excited to see several new street safety improvements installed in our ward. I've been advocating for the new raised crosswalk at Lincoln and Trumbull and the speed humps on Humphrey and Bishop for the past year, and it's great to see these projects completed. Thank you to all the neighbors who requested these improvements for reaching out and voicing your support for making our neighborhood safer! |
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New speed humps are also coming to Bradley between Orange and State and to Lawrence between Orange and Whitney. The streets that have gotten speed humps this year are the streets that had the most positive response when I sent letters to neighbors asking for feedback about installing them. If you want speed humps on your street, please let me know and ask your neighbors to reach out too!" |
IS THERE A DANGEROUS STREET, SIDEWALK OR BUS STOP THAT NEEDS TO BE FIXED NEAR YOU? NCAT wants to help organize neighbors and businesses to address dangerous walking and cycling issues or bus stops on your routes.
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Try a Week without Driving: Annual Event Begins September 29th
For nearly a third of people living in the United States – people with disabilities, young people, seniors and people who can’t afford cars or gas – every day is a day without driving. The Week Without Driving was created by America Walks and Disability Rights Washington so those who have the option to drive can learn firsthand about the barriers and challenges that non-drivers face. Drivers can work with non-drivers to create more accessible communities for all. If you can drive or afford a car, you may not understand what it’s like to rely on walking, rolling, transit and asking for rides. Please encourage your family, friends, and elected officials to join us this September. |
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Fall is a great time for Learn to Ride, Safe Cycling Skill Classes, and Bike Share e-Bike Classes. These classes are free but registration is required. If you don't have a bicycle, a loaner bike and bike helmet can be requested via the registration form.
Upcoming Classes:
The Sep 16, Sep 20, and Oct 4 Ride New Haven e-Bike Class shows new bike share riders how to sign up for the Ride New Haven App and qualifies low-income New Haven residents for a FREE one-year bike share membership. The class includes safe cycling skills training on Ride New Haven e-bikes, a free helmet, and a reflective pants strap. |
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YIMBYtown 2025 Hosted by Desegregate CT in New Haven is SOLD OUT
YIMBYtown is the biggest national pro-homes conference in the country and it's coming to New Haven Sept 14 -16, a return to New England just in time for the beautiful fall weather. NCAT Board Chair Doug Hausladen and many friends of the organization serve on the advisory committee. Watch our Social Media for updates as the conference nears. |