Storrs — Anyone who’s seen the rolling hills, winding roads and sparsely populated neighborhoods of the town of Mansfield might wonder if the term “downtown” belongs here at all. Storrs Center — a new development which has partially opened this year, just down the road from the University of Connecticut — is supposed to change […]
Neena Satija
Bridgeport residents still suffering Sandy’s hardships
Bridgeport — On Tuesday, Oct. 30 — the height of Superstorm Sandy, when most others had been advised to stay in their houses or in shelters — Nick Calace drove to Marina Village. The Bridgeport Housing Authority director wanted to assess the damage to the public housing complex, which lies just east of Burr Creek […]
Boston’s Bike Share: Better Than Expected
From the Boston Globe: Boston’s bike share program recorded nearly 700,000 rides since it launched in July 2011. That’s 50 percent more rides than planners had expected. Bridgeport recently received a grant to implement a bike share (New Haven applied, as well, but it lost out to Bridgeport). Let’s hope it sees that kind of […]
More People Took Trains Last Weekend
More cars were expected on the roads this past Thanksgiving compared to 2008, given a slightly better economy and lower gas prices. But, public transit ridership was up, at least in the New York Metro area. First, though, look a beautiful picture of traffic in the New York area courtesy the Associated Press: From spokeswoman […]
FEMA to Connecticut: We’re going to be here for a while
Nearly a month after Superstorm Sandy hit the region, thousands of Connecticut residents are still in need of help, federal and state officials said Tuesday. Speaking at a federally designated Disaster Recovery Center in downtown Bridgeport, FEMA administrator Craig Fugate promised, “We will not stop until everyone’s life is back to normal.” More than 300 […]
Thanksgiving Weekend: The Long, Slogging Commute
Well, the numbers are in. (Some of them were in before today, but I was too busy eating turkey). According to AAA’s survey, most of the 47 million people with holiday travel plans over Thanksgiving — 90 percent — planned on driving. Gas prices are lower than they were at this time last year, but […]
Train Station Parking: Throwback to 1955
This is a cool shot of a parking lot that no longer exists, located right next to New Haven’s Union Station in 1955. But to see something even COOLER, check out a zoomed-in view of that sign showing the parking rates. For commuters, a monthly pass is a measly $5.50 if you’re only going in […]
The Plight of the Train Station Parker
I have talked to commuters who could write entire books about their experiences trying to park at train stations across Connecticut. Those books may not be page-turners…but I’m sure many of you would relate to them. Let’s start with the fact that many waiting lists for monthly parking permits in the towns along the I-95 […]
Web Tickets — Easier? Or Not?
This is what happens when I try to buy a one-way ticket from Fairfield to Stamford online. Fellow commuter Mary writes in with this observation: “I wanted to travel between Fairfield and Stamford which costs slightly less the than the minimum required to purchase of $5 for a web ticket so I have to purchase […]
Voting by email — solves our transportation woes? Maybe not.
Email voting has its proponents, and its advantages. In situations of bad weather, or inconvenient polling places, or long commutes for potential voters, it can certainly be a boon. But New Jersey’s experiment with email voting this year has been called a “catastrophe” — so clearly, more work needs to be done before voting by […]
Another storm! Oh, and the election!
Yes, Mother Nature is extending her wrath upon us again. The Metropolitan Transit Authority tells us to expect more delays on public transit as we get hit by wind, snow, sleet, rain, and maybe also cats and dogs. In other news, the election happened yesterday. I don’t write a lot about air travel, but this […]
Himes wins 3rd term in Fairfield County
Bridgeport — Democratic Congressman Jim Himes easily won his third term in Connecticut’s 4th Congressional District, perhaps solidifying a shift in attitudes and party affiliation in a region that was considered safe for Republicans not too long ago. While the final numbers were still trickling in Tuesday night, it is likely that Himes won by a […]
As shoreline recovers from Sandy, another threat looms
As the state continues to recover from damage caused by Hurricane Sandy, more severe weather began this morning and will continue into tomorrow. That’s especially bad news for shoreline towns in southwestern Connecticut, the region of the state expected to be hardest-hit by the latest nor’easter, where restoration efforts from last week may be hampered. […]
Getting to the polls — harder than you think
Check out the graph below, courtesy of Ezra Klein’s Wonkblog, from the Washington Post. It’s a breakdown of reasons registered voters gave for not voting in the 2008 election. This graph represents about 15 million people: So out of 15 million people, 5.3 percent — nearly 800,000 — didn’t vote because of transportation problems. That’s […]
A post-Sandy odyssey, or, getting from New Haven to New York City
Tens of thousands of Connecticut commuters breathed collective sighs of relief late Wednesday when Gov. Dannel Malloy announced they could take the train all the way from New Haven to New York and back again last night. For those who had to get to work earlier in the week, though, the announcement marked the close […]

