Boy did my last story on tolls get a big response from our Connecticut Mirror readers! Here are a few of the comments we received that I thought were particularly interesting, or specific, or something. As they say on twitter, RT’s are not endorsements! I’ll address these issues on the blog throughout the week. “I […]

New Milford — For the past week, Robert Rassi has had the luxury of clean clothes, a bedroom for him and his wife, and a bathtub. “This is really moving up in the world, you know, to have a place to sit down and everything,” said Rassi, perched on a bench in his new mobile […]

A very cool map comparison of railroads in the 1800s U.S.A. and then again in 1930. Check it out here: http://flowingdata.com/2013/01/04/time-of-travel-in-the-1800s/.

Any rail official could probably learn a few things from reading this fascinating piece from the Atlantic Cities: http://www.theatlanticcities.com/commute/2013/01/3-keys-drawing-drivers-mass-transit/4327/#. It’s about drawing more drivers to mass transit. The idea is to redesign a transit system to draw people to it emotionally — the same way many are attached to the cars.

So, I did just get back from a trip to New Delhi where the weather was considerably warmer … but I think we can all agree that this month is turning out to be a LOT colder than last month. Let’s hope it’s not too cold for the transit system. Boston’s MBTA dealt with a […]

I know, I know, nobody seems all that thrilled about the last-minute deal pushed through to avoid hurtling over the fiscal cliff. But believe it or not, as part of the deal, a tax benefit for public transit riders was significantly increased. As heard on Connecticut Public Radio this morning, employees who rode public transit […]

CT Mirror reporter Neena Satija blogs regularly about the commuting life in Connecticut, transportation, and related public policy issues. Now that 2012 is fading into the rear-view mirror, she takes a look back at some of the year’s most significant transit developments and at what might be ahead. You can read her regular blog posts at […]

As we celebrate the beginning of a new year, it’s time for that obligatory look back on the last one. Some big stories for Connecticut commuters in 2012: A major storm prompts rail closures for the second year in a row. Metro-North suspended service during Tropical Storm Irene and suffered severe damage to its Port […]

Newtown — The sidewalk on this little street corner, just down the hill from Sandy Hook Elementary School, is so overrun with mementos that bystanders have been pushed onto the road. Mourners have left bouquets of roses, candles and posters with words of prayer — and the names of 27 victims. Children have tucked stuffed […]

Wow, Apple Maps. Just wow. (Screenshot from an iPad, via NPR News) I’ve been ranting a lot about driving recently, but at least in one aspect, you will find me ranting no more. I’m talking about using my smartphone to get around. I was an Android fan before buying the iPhone 5 about a month […]

Governor Malloy was live this morning on WNPR’s “Where We Live.” Asked if he would consider more fare hikes on Metro-North to close Connecticut’s $400 million (or maybe $415 million? $368 million? somewhere around there) budget gap, his answer was … Well, maybe. He did talk about “shared sacrifices” … so that’s probably not a […]

My story in today’s Mirror and on WNPR does not paint a pretty picture for transportation in Connecticut — or really anywhere, for that matter. Below is a graph of the sources for Connecticut’s transportation budget, a total of about $1.2 billion. That federal piece of the pie could be drastically reduced in the next […]

Transportation advocates and officials across Connecticut gathered in the State Capitol on Monday to face a sobering fact: In an age of soaring deficits on both the state and national levels, the funds available for transit improvements are shrinking fast. Funding on the federal level remains uncertain not only because of the slow negotiations to […]