The Injury

The orthopedic in charge of my release is also a cyclist and has friends who have been injured on the same set of tracks. He sent me a list of people to email and a form letter in regards to getting the tracks fixed. PLEASE (even if you don't live in the area)send the political leaders of New Haven and CT your own email or you can use this email.

thanks!!

Hello Fellow Riders,

Please take a moment out of your day to email the following people:

Dfitz@pwrr.com, RichardF@pwrr.com, Tom@pwrr.com, Governor.Rell@ct.gov,
jeffery.parker@ct.gov, looney@senatedems.ct.gov,
Slossberg@senatedems.ct.gov, Mike Piscitelli
mpiscite@newhavenct.net, Alan.Sylvestre@ct.gov,

Tell them you want something done about them.

Everyone of us travels over those dicey Rail Road Tracks down on
Forbes Ave .And everyone one of us knows
someone who has crashed there and or have crashed there ourselves.

Below is a letter sent by Bill Kurtz.

Thanks for your time !!

_______________________________________________
To Whom is may Concern:

By now I know you have been made abundantly aware of the treacherous
conditions caused by your angled railroad crossing on the Tomlinson
Bridge in New Haven, Connecticut.

I know that you have been made aware that this street (also known as
Route 1, or Forbes Avenue) is the main connection for pedestrians,
cyclists, and other non-highway traffic between downtown New Haven and
points west to the eastern shoreline of Connecticut.

You have received a number of suggestions for engineering solutions to
this problem. These solutions include the use of flange fillers. I
also know that your many objections to these engineering solutions
have either been discredited (flange fillers are unsuitable for use in
cold weather) or downright ridiculous to any thinking person (it would
be too expensive to re-install them at the end of a billion+ dollar
bridge renovation).

I won't rehash the various details here; the salient points about
engineering solutions have been raised by people who are better versed
in their intricacies than I am.

I know you have been made aware of the many serious crashes that have
taken place at your railroad crossing, and that you have so far failed
to take any meaningful action about this treacherous situation,
despite more-than-adequate knowledge of the hazard you have created
and allowed to exist.

Just two weeks ago, there was yet another crash there and yet another
experienced cyclist was seriously injured and now we are told that
according to Russ St. John, who is P&W's representative on the
Connecticut Public Transportation Commission that a
"cyclists-dismount-and-walk" sign is the solution that is "acceptable"
to Providence and Worcester. Please hear me clearly when I state that
your sign is not an acceptable solution to the many residents of
greater New Haven who cycle across that bridge regularly. For one
thing, there is nowhere to dismount. The west-bound side is currently
reduced to one lane because of the Q-Bridge construction. There is
neither a sidewalk nor a shoulder and traffic on that stretch
regularly reaches and exceeds 50 mph. It should be clear why any
so-called "solution" which calls for a streets user with all the
rights of any other vehicle operator to stop moving in the middle of
50 mph traffic is unacceptable.

In light of the facts outlined above, I only have one question for the
officials of the Providence and Worcester Railroad: what the hell is
wrong with you people?

I eagerly await your reply outlining your rationale for this clear
disregard for human life and safety.



Sincerely,






William V. Kurtz
www.thedevilsgear.com (drafter of email)

_________________________________________________

My doctor also sent me this note yesterday:

Hey megan,
I wrote "the governator" and she (her office) got back to me regarding
your injury.
Probably a generic reply but i just wanted to let you know that i let
them know that we need to get those
tracks fixed! Don't know if it makes much difference but if enough
people talk loud enough stuff will get done.
The reply is below.






The "reply" is a standard form letter from the governor's office.