The recent debate over tolling our highways should remind us of just how divided our state has become. Not red vs. blue and not even just upstate vs. downstate. The real divide is between those who commute by car vs. those who take mass transit. I’ve written for years about the fact that riders on Metro-North pay the highest commuter rail fares in the U.S., and those fares will only keep going up. Most rail riders have little choice, especially if headed to New York City. What are they going to do… drive?
Transportation
Posted inCT Viewpoints
Time to curb transportation pollution
The cars, trucks, buses and trains that make up our transportation system are responsible for more pollution than any other sector. Tailpipe emissions of carbon dioxide are Connecticut’s largest contribution to global climate change, but our vehicle emissions are also directly responsible for problems in our communities. Pollution from transportation is a leading cause of asthma, strokes and heart attacks in the state, and our most vulnerable populations are being hit the hardest. It’s time we get serious about cleaning up Connecticut’s transportation system, and we don’t have to look far to find the solutions.
Posted inTransportation
With new budget in place, Malloy cancels rail, bus fare hikes
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s administration has canceled planned rail and bus fare hikes now that legislators have adopted a new budget with added resources for the Special Transportation Fund.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
Congress must act to fix Connecticut’s crumbling railways
The $1.3 trillion omnibus spending package recently approved by President Donald Trump and Congress includes much-needed infrastructure funding that could help Connecticut rebuild its crumbling railways. But it is now up to the Appropriations Committees in both the Senate and the House to take the next step by prioritizing more federal funding for critical repairs and upgrades along Connecticut’s stretch of the Northeast Corridor rail system.
Posted inTransportation
Tolling measure hits a snag, Wednesday vote suspended
Speaker Joe Aresimowicz canceled plans Wednesday for a House vote on a measure to create an electronic tolling plan, saying it lacks support now to pass.
Posted inTransportation
House aims for Wednesday vote to create highway tolling plan
House Democratic leaders moved forward Tuesday with plans to vote on a watered-down bill that could lead to electronic tolling on the state’s highways.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
Without privacy protections, you’ll be giving more than money to CT tolls
Picture your daily commute. Now imagine making that drive with Connecticut’s government tracking where and how fast you are going every time you drive through a toll. In this world, the federal government also sees that information and can use it to pinpoint your location and travel habits. Thousands of detailed scans about your travel habits are kept in a state database, without rules for how the government secures or shares them. If Connecticut lawmakers don’t act soon, this could be reality in our state.
Posted inCT Viewpoints, Talking Transportation
Cheap oil and gasoline: Enjoy them while you can
Tired of paying $3 or more for a gallon of gasoline? Well, your pain has just begun. For decades, we’ve lived — and driven — in denial, somehow assuming we have the “right” to cheap gasoline, and therefore, low-cost transportation. Now it’s time to face reality and consider what will happen when — not if — gas hits $10 a gallon, not because of taxes, but because we will use up the planet’s petroleum. Here are some predictions:
Posted inTransportation
Aresimowicz promises House vote on tolls
House Speaker Joe Aresimowicz, D-Berlin, said Tuesday he intends to call a vote next week on legislation making an initial commitment to implementing electronic highway tolls, despite Republican opposition that could brand Democrats as the party of tolls.
Posted inCT Viewpoints, Talking Transportation
Saving money riding Metro-North
Whether you’re a daily commuter, an occasional day-tripper or have friends visiting from out of town, everyone can save money when you go into NYC on Metro-North by following this time-tested advice:…
Posted inCT Viewpoints
Let’s act for — not against — prosperity
At some point, once informed by the outcomes of studies, action is needed. Over the past two decades, there has been a stream of studies on the importance of the state’s transportation infrastructure — all concluding that additional investment is essential. … Four studies, four warnings about the consequences of doing nothing and four sets of similar recommendations. It is time to act — during this legislative session — to restore the State Transportation Fund to meet our immediate needs and to commit to a diverse and sustainable stream of funding to meet our long-term transportation, economic and quality-of-life needs.
Posted inCT Viewpoints, Talking Transportation
Public transportation hearings or political theater?
In recent weeks I’ve been criss-crossing the state talking to folks about our transportation crisis: the proposed fare hikes on trains and buses coupled with service cuts on the branch lines, and the multi-billion dollar spending cuts at the Connecticut Department of Transportation. I call it the “Winter of our discontent” magical misery tour. From Woodbridge to New Canaan, from Old Lyme to West Haven, I’ve talked to crowds large and small, explaining what’s going to happen July 1 and why. Most folks knew something about our impending doom, but they all left unhappy about the cuts’ specific impact on their lives.
Posted inTransportation
Boost in federal transportation money unexpected, but welcomed in CT
WASHINGTON — The massive federal omnibus spending bill increased transportation spending by $10 billion, a windfall for Connecticut’s struggling transportation system, which will benefit from Washington’s unexpected generosity.
Posted inMoney
Builders, trades launch ad to bolster CT’s transportation program
Though the text of the new ads from Move CT Forward — which are airing on television, radio and online — don’t specifically endorse establishing tolls and raising gasoline taxes — one of the key sponsors of this coalition is backing Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s proposals to do both.
Posted inCT Viewpoints, Talking Transportation
Big Brother is along for the ride
Don’t look now, but someone is joining your travels: Big Brother. You assume you’re alone, traveling in your car to and from work? No, you are being watched. All along I-95 TV cameras are looking for accidents and slow downs. Though there are specific state laws prohibiting the use of those cameras to write speeding tickets, they can follow […]