For more than two decades, most of the new multi-use trails built in the state were almost entirely the work of local volunteers. In the past five years, however, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy and his transportation commissioner, James Redeker, have turned that narrative on its head. The state is now including non-motorized trails in its planning efforts and making major investments in them.
Transportation
Posted inTransportation
Malloy goes to DMV for some good news, seriously
He doesn’t deliver his State of the State address until next week, but Gov. Dannel P. Malloy proclaimed Wednesday that the state of the much-maligned Department of Motor Vehicles is, well, better. In fact, it’s 55 percent better, as measured by average wait times.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
Recent Connecticut pedestrian fatalities were not accidents at all
As a young transportation engineer I have been stunned and saddened to read about the spate of pedestrian collisions throughout this state. In a recent six-day span, eight people were hit, and six were killed, on Connecticut roads. These terrible collisions have led many in the community to plead with drivers to slow down and to put their phones away in this holiday season. I could not agree more. Putting your phone down and taking your foot off the gas could make the difference in saving a life. However, this plea doesn’t go far enough.
Posted inCT Viewpoints, Talking Transportation
Should we widen I-95 in Connecticut?
Gov. Dannel Malloy wants to widen I-95 to alleviate traffic congestion and has commissioned a $1.2 million study to support the idea. But I found a similar study from 2004 that looked at the idea and rejected it for a number of reasons. Why are the governor and CDOT re-studying the same issue and spending valuable tax dollars to do so? Because the first study rejected their widening idea completely and they don’t like that answer.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
Larson’s tunnels and widening I-95 are wasteful pipe dreams
U.S. Rep. John Larson recently proposed a massive $10 billion project to drill through miles of shale, sandstone, and basalt under Hartford for two new highway tunnels without any traffic study showing it would reduce congestion. This is one of numerous frivolous proposals that would waste precious taxpayer dollars without meeting the 21st Century needs of hardworking families in Connecticut.
Posted inCT Viewpoints, Talking Transportation
Conductor, collect all the tickets, please
Imagine you’re in a store and you see somebody shoplifting. You’re embarrassed to say anything or to make a scene, but inside you’re pissed-off. You pay for your merchandise, so why should that guy get it for free? And if he’s ripping off the store, doesn’t the merchant actually make you pay more to make up for that loss? It’s morally wrong and it’s just not fair. Yet this is what happens every single day on Metro-North when conductors don’t collect all riders’ tickets.
Posted inHealth, Transportation
Malloy praises Trump’s choice for transportation chief
Though Gov. Dannel P. Malloy panned President-elect Trump’s choice of Congressman Tom Price for secretary of health and human services Tuesday, he praised his selection Elaine L. Chao as transportation secretary – an official the Democratic governor is likely to lobby.
Posted inPolitics, Transportation
CT senators blast Trump’s infrastructure plan, but hope for compromise
WASHINGTON — Connecticut’s senators on Monday joined a growing Democratic chorus of criticism for President-elect Donald Trump’s infrastructure plan, saying it is unrealistic and unworkable and would result in the building and repair of very few roads and bridges.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
DeLauro: To lead on infrastructure, Trump should look to public-private investment
“Our infrastructure is crumbling:” It is an expression we hear often in Washington —but what we do not hear as often are concrete plans to address our nation’s failing infrastructure. Both of this year’s presidential candidates agreed that we need to make substantial investments in rebuilding and expanding our infrastructure. In his acceptance speech, President-Elect Trump said: “We’re going to rebuild our infrastructure, which will become, by the way, second to none. And we will put millions of our people to work as we rebuild it.”
Posted inCT Viewpoints
Improve Connecticut’s public transportation system, not its highways
U.S. Rep. John Larson recently proposed the construction of underground highway tunnels into Hartford. Since there already are many road expansion proposals, we need to stop prioritizing road expansion and start prioritizing mass transit that reflects the needs of Connecticut residents in a 21st Century transportation system.
Posted inCT Viewpoints, Talking Transportation
Staying safe on the train
“I’m afraid to get back on the train,” said the trembling woman, obviously shaken and possibly injured in the Hoboken terminal train crash of a NJ Transit train in September. The shock of what she had seen was slowly sinking in and she was wondering how she was going to resume her life and its daily train commute after this horrific experience.
Posted inCT Viewpoints, Talking Transportation
You can’t blame the truck for Connecticut’s traffic
When it comes to our horrendous traffic, especially on I-95, everybody wants to find blame with someone other than themselves. “Who are these people and why are they driving now, on “my road?” they ask.
Posted inCT Viewpoints, Talking Transportation
So many transportation questions, so few easy answers
Every week I bump into someone on the train or at a store who says… “Hey… You’re that train guy!” Who knew that this job would come with such notoriety? But while nobody seems to want my autograph, they all want to talk about their favorite transportation problem, usually in the form of a question. Here are a few of my favorites, by category:
Posted inCT Viewpoints, Talking Transportation
It’s the CT transportation system’s turn to feel the pain
“If our trains and buses rely on the Special Transportation Fund as it exists and is funded today, we will be back for more hearings like this for years to come. What we need is systemic change in how we fund transit. Yet I know of nobody in Hartford with the guts to be honest with commuters and taxpayers about what is coming.”
Posted inTransportation
ConnDOT offers a plan, and a mea culpa, for I-84 in Hartford
Can the same state agency that bulldozed vibrant neighborhoods and bisected Hartford with the construction of I-84 a half-century ago knit the city back together? As it designs a replacement for an aging section of elevated highway, ConnDOT insists the answer is yes.