Parents, students and residents urge city to abandon proposed traffic circle near Nathan Hale School

Speakers at a New Haven Board of Education meeting on public comment urged city officials to abandon or redesign a proposed traffic circle that would reroute airport traffic past Nathan Hale School, saying the changes would increase danger for children who walk or bike to school.

Residents and students described daily congestion, near-miss collisions and situations in which drivers ignore crossing guards. "I have personally had three experiences where I almost got hit in my car with my daughter," said a resident who did not give a full name during public comment. "Please, I'm just asking for the safety of the children, which is literally your jobs to do."

The concerns reached across ages and neighborhoods. Sixth-grader Addison Samuels, a Nathan Hale student, told the board that drivers "go really fast" to reach the airport and that it would be "sad to see her get hurt or one of my schoolmates getting hurt while crossing the street." Parent Nicole Gilmore said afternoon pickup and drop-off are especially hazardous and that she sometimes stays on FaceTime while her children walk home because the traffic is "horrendous." Longtime resident Alice Blossom, a former Nathan Hale student, said earlier walking routes are no longer safe and added, "It's just not safe to have that much additional traffic traveling deeper into a residential neighborhood."

Speakers cited specific problems they say the plan would create: drivers bypassing stopped traffic, cars moving around crossing guards, and increased exhaust near playgrounds and students with asthma. Gloria Bellachico, a nearby resident, said a pedestrian was struck on Townsend Avenue on Oct. 6 and the driver left the scene; she said the proposed circle would send airport traffic past the school's playground and senior center.

Speakers asked the mayor and the city's engineering department to consult neighbors, distribute notices or questionnaires, and reconsider routing that would move large volumes of airport traffic through residential streets. Several said they first learned of the plan through a neighborhood Facebook group rather than official city notices.

No action or vote on the traffic circle was taken by the board during the meeting; the comments were part of the public comment period and were received for the record. City engineering staff or the mayor were referenced by speakers but did not present or respond during the session.

Board members did not vote on the project at this meeting. Residents asked the board to pass their concerns to city decision-makers and to request clearer public notice before construction or traffic re-routing advances.

Public comment ended with no formal outcome listed on the board agenda for the traffic-circle proposal; board members and staff were alerted to the safety and community-notice concerns raised.