Do you feel safe when you fly? Forget about exploding jet engines, cracked aircraft windows and clear-air turbulence. What about terrorists? We haven’t seen a domestic case of terrorists attacking jetliners in years, thanks to increased scrutiny of passengers by the TSA, the Transportation Security Administration. From the moment you book a flight, you are being … [Read more...] about Talking Transportation: Federal Air Marshals? Worthwhile or Worthless?
Talking Transportation: Connecticut: Love It or Leave It
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 US, and those fares … [Read more...] about Talking Transportation: Connecticut: Love It or Leave It
Talking Transportation: Transport Cuts Will Hurt Us All
For weeks I’ve been writing about the CDOT’s impending bus and rail service cuts and fare hikes and their profound impact on commuters, local businesses and real estate values. But with just weeks to go, the folks who can prevent this pain… our legislature… seem to be doing nothing. The deadline is July 1 this year when proposed CDOT cuts will go into effect: A 10 percent … [Read more...] about Talking Transportation: Transport Cuts Will Hurt Us All
Talking Transportation: “Getting There” – Grabbing The Best Seat
It was the folks at Cunard who said “Getting there is half the fun”. And crossing the Atlantic in style on an ocean liner certainly was. But whatever your mode of transportation, getting the right seat can make for an enjoyable or miserable trip. On Metro-North, I usually go for a window seat. However, on crowded trains, any seat is better than none. But I can still get an … [Read more...] about Talking Transportation: “Getting There” – Grabbing The Best Seat
Talking Transportation: Citizen Anger About Imminent Transport Funding Cuts Needs to be Directed at Legislature
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 spending cuts at CDOT. 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 … [Read more...] about Talking Transportation: Citizen Anger About Imminent Transport Funding Cuts Needs to be Directed at Legislature
Talking Transportation: Why I Support Malloy’s Plan for Tolls, Gas Taxes
Am I the only person in the state who thinks Gov Malloy’s plan for tolls and gas taxes makes sense? Probably. But let me try once again to overcome the usual objections and explain why Malloy’s plan is fair and necessary. TOLLS ARE TAXES: No, tolls are users fees. Train fares aren’t taxes, are they? If you don’t want to pay a few pennies a gallon more for gasoline, don’t … [Read more...] about Talking Transportation: Why I Support Malloy’s Plan for Tolls, Gas Taxes
Talking Transportation: “Getting There” Malloy’s Transportation Cuts
Fare hikes, rail service cuts and a freeze on transportation projects. As he promised in December, Governor Malloy announced them all in January. Rail commuters and highway drivers are justifiably outraged, but they should direct their anger not at the Governor or CDOT but at the legislature. WHY NOW? This funding crisis has been years in the making, exacerbated 20 years … [Read more...] about Talking Transportation: “Getting There” Malloy’s Transportation Cuts
Talking Transportation: Will the Real ID Act Disrupt Travel?
Something like 1.73 million Americans board airplanes ever day. And each of them must go through a very necessary screening by the TSA, the Transportation Security Agency. But beginning in late January 2018, a lot of passengers will be denied boarding because they don’t have the right kind of ID. You can thank (or blame) the Real ID Act passed by Congress in 2005 after … [Read more...] about Talking Transportation: Will the Real ID Act Disrupt Travel?
Talking Transportation: Who Should Pay for Sound Barriers?
Building and maintaining our highways is expensive. But here’s a quiz question: on interstates 95 and 84, what costs a half-million dollars a mile to construct? The answer: sound barriers. Why are we spending that kind of money to enshroud our interstates simply to protect the peace and quiet of its neighbors? Didn’t they know that living that close to a highway came … [Read more...] about Talking Transportation: Who Should Pay for Sound Barriers?
Talking Transportation: Why Metro-North’s ‘Quiet Cars’ Aren’t Quiet
What happens when a good idea goes bad? Consider Metro-North’s 'Quiet Car' initiative. Sixteen years ago a group of regular commuters on Amtrak’s early morning train to DC had an idea: why not designate one car on the train as a 'Quiet Car', free from cell phone chatter and loud conversations. The railroad agreed and the experiment proved a great success. Now all … [Read more...] about Talking Transportation: Why Metro-North’s ‘Quiet Cars’ Aren’t Quiet
Talking Transportation: All 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 … [Read more...] about Talking Transportation: All Tickets Please!
Talking Transportation: Don’t Blame Malloy for the Fare Hikes
Sure, it was sleazy of Governor Malloy and the CDOT to release news of a proposed five 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. Lawmakers this session … [Read more...] about Talking Transportation: Don’t Blame Malloy for the Fare Hikes
Talking Transportation: Summer Daytrips To Ride Connecticut’s Rail History
If you’re looking for family fun this summer, consider visiting one of Connecticut’s many living museums celebrating our rail heritage. The Shore Line Trolley Museum in East Haven (www.shorelinetrolley.com) was founded in 1945 and now boasts more than 100 trolley cars in its collection. It still runs excursion trolleys for a short run on tracks once used by The Connecticut … [Read more...] about Talking Transportation: Summer Daytrips To Ride Connecticut’s Rail History
Talking Transportation: America’s Mass Transit Mecca
What’s the most mass-transit intensive city in the US? By the numbers, New York City. But for a glimpse of the real future of mass-transit, the winner is clearly Portland, Oregon. Portland has only 632,000 residents but 2.3 million in its metro area. Yet it has, per capita, what I think is the largest, most extensive and best integrated systems of light rail, streetcars … [Read more...] about Talking Transportation: America’s Mass Transit Mecca
Talking Transportation: Why Ferries Aren’t the Answer for Commuting in Connecticut
Recently, NYC Mayor DeBlasio announced a $325 million plan to reintroduce 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: SPEED: In open water, fast ferries on the Sound could make 30 knots (35 mph). … [Read more...] about Talking Transportation: Why Ferries Aren’t the Answer for Commuting in Connecticut