Gov. Dannel P. Malloy promoted improvements to Metro North two weeks ago in New Haven. Last week, he delivered an I-84 widening update at a construction site in Waterbury. On Tuesday, he visited a CTfastrak station in Hartford to mark the system’s four millionth passenger trip.
Transportation
Posted inCT Viewpoints, Talking Transportation
Bikes now allowed on Metro-North… sometimes
Days before the Connecticut Department of Transportation opens public hearings on a proposed 5 percent fare increase on Metro-North, Gov. Dannel Malloy held a media event to promote good news about “improved service” on our highest-fares-in-the-nation railroad. What? A return of the bar cars? More seats on crowded trains? No, nothing that monumental: just a new e-ticketing app and word that bike racks have been installed on our trains.
Posted inMoney
CT trucking firms get big diesel tax break this summer
While Gov. Dannel P. Malloy and the legislature grabbed plenty of headlines this spring by not hiking state taxes, a huge drop in a crucial state fuel tax this summer has garnered less attention.
Posted inCT Viewpoints, Talking Transportation
Connecticut’s rail history offers summer day-trip fun
If you’re looking for family fun this summer, consider visiting one of Connecticut’s many living museums celebrating our rail heritage… All of these museums are run by volunteers who will appreciate your patronage and support. They love working on the railroad and will tell you why if you express even the slightest interest in their passion.
Posted inPolitics
DOJ, Connecticut settle ‘motor-voter’ registration complaint
The U.S. Department of Justice and Connecticut announced Friday that an enhanced online voter registration system will launch Monday at the Department of Motor Vehicles in response to a civil rights investigation that concluded the state was in violation of the so-called “motor-voter” provisions of the National Voting Rights Act of 1993.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
Blame for transit hikes belongs on CT Democrats
In a recent opinion piece, lawmakers were blamed for the deep budget cuts impacting transportation and increasing Metro-North fares. That blame is half misplaced. You see, the op-ed wrongly grouped Democrat and Republican lawmakers together, and failed to recognize the stark differences in our approaches to improving transportation in Connecticut.
Posted inCT Viewpoints, Talking Transportation
Don’t blame Malloy for transit fare hikes
Sure, it was sleazy of Gov. Dannel Malloy and the Connecticut Department of Transportation to release news of a proposed 5 percent fare hike on Metro-North on a Friday afternoon in July, hoping nobody would notice. But the more I dig into the proposal, the more I realize the governor and CDOT are not to blame. It’s the Connecticut legislature that’s really responsible for this fare hike.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
A Connecticut DMV survivor tells all
I recently have returned from more than three solid hours at the Old Saybrook office of the Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles. At the end of my long half-day’s journey into trauma, I came within an eyelash of having to come back another day. Warning: this tragicomic tale is not for the faint of heart.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
Mileage tax study: Why pay for something CT doesn’t want or need?
There has been quite a lot of coverage lately about Connecticut’s interest in a mileage tax. Most of it focuses on how bad a mileage tax would be for the state. I agree, it would. People in Connecticut just can’t take on one more tax, and on top of that, a mileage tax raises too many privacy issues. But I don’t think that’s what the real story is. The story is really about trust, transparency, and inappropriate use of scarce resources.
Posted inMoney, Transportation
Report: CT, New England states lag nation in capital spending
State and local capital spending in Connecticut and the other five New England states has been well below the national average since 2000, according to a new report issued this week by the public policy arm of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston.
Posted inCT Viewpoints, Talking Transportation
Our interstate system is an engineering marvel — and in need of repairs
As anyone who drives on I-95 in Connecticut knows, the interstates have far surpassed their expected traffic load and are in need of billions of repairs. Little did we know 60 years ago what our automotive future might bring.
Posted inCT Viewpoints, Talking Transportation
Ferries are not the answer for Connecticut commuters
Recently, New York City Mayor DeBlasio announced a $325 million plan to re-introduce ferry boat service to the five boroughs, charging the same fare as subways. The mayor says these boats could carry 4.5 million passengers a year.
So why don’t we have ferries in Connecticut? There are several reasons:
Posted inTransportation
If you can wait until 2023, no more red lights on Route 9
It’s a “minimalist” plan to solve one of Connecticut’s enduring traffic oddities — two traffic lights that suddenly appear on what is otherwise a limited access highway through Middletown. But the planning still will take another four years.
Posted inCT Viewpoints, Talking Transportation
Enjoy your car, but remember Big Brother is watching
You may feel that your car is your last private refuge in this busy world. But there’s someone along for the ride: Big Brother. And you’d be surprised what he knows about you, thanks to modern technology.
Posted inCT Viewpoints, Talking Transportation
Connecticut’s infrastructure dangling by a thread
The recent fire under the Park Avenue viaduct in Harlem, which disrupted commutes of a quarter million Metro-North riders, got me thinking: our aging, crumbling and vulnerable transportation infrastructure is close to collapse, and the effects of such failure could be catastrophic. Consider this track-record: