tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-129003682024-03-16T03:36:19.606-04:00"Talking Transportation"Commentary on transportation in Connecticut and the Northeast by JIM CAMERON, for 19 years a member of the CT Rail Commuter Council.
Jim is also the founder of a new advocacy effort: www.CommuterActionGroup.org
Disclaimer: his comments are only his own. All contents of this blog are (c) Cameron Communications IncJIM CAMERONhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07619138540116037421noreply@blogger.comBlogger614125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12900368.post-19248573122739913102024-03-15T16:22:00.000-04:002024-03-15T16:22:00.038-04:00LICENSE PLATE READERS<p><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">We all know how bad the
traffic is despite the State Police’s recent </span></b><a href="https://ctmirror.org/2024/02/29/ct-reckless-drivers-state-police/"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">ticketing
blitz</span></b></a><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"> on reckless drivers. On the Merritt and Wilbur Cross Parkways, in
just one week, they made 170 traffic stops and issued 150 tickets (including 51
commercial vehicles) totaling </span></b><a href="https://www.nhregister.com/news/article/state-police-speeding-traffic-stops-route-15-18697763.php"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">$8,000
in fines</span></b></a><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">. </span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">That includes the arrest of a </span></b><a href="https://www.thehour.com/news/article/norwalk-police-officer-david-vetare-road-rage-18958914.php"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Norwalk
cop</span></b></a><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"> accused of a road rage incident when he tried to run
another car off the road.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When even the
cops are acting out, you know things are bad.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Aside from radar, red light
and speed cameras, some of the best tech being employed by cops these days is
license plate readers (LPRs)… special cameras mounted on vehicles scanning license
plates on passing cars.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The system
recognizes the plate number and sends the data to a national crime database,
immediately alerting the officer to violations.</span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2ncMjPSIX5CNfjYKv_kOKsJHOEkt3hbEK0h0qGZFUFOAajWkJ0p6PVh3Z7mfWaX7a_cAGT9fQ7lQQ7rKzebwfdbwfa-RqF8BQYfdPllgiM_jKxisTs2vJfMqNqH3i0yNsg5LGakU8IsFj6YwsHksFY6rVq2c8qciXah-cQYGiprhB2jXRpQ/s640/License%20Plate%20Reader%20-%20Wikimedia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2ncMjPSIX5CNfjYKv_kOKsJHOEkt3hbEK0h0qGZFUFOAajWkJ0p6PVh3Z7mfWaX7a_cAGT9fQ7lQQ7rKzebwfdbwfa-RqF8BQYfdPllgiM_jKxisTs2vJfMqNqH3i0yNsg5LGakU8IsFj6YwsHksFY6rVq2c8qciXah-cQYGiprhB2jXRpQ/s320/License%20Plate%20Reader%20-%20Wikimedia.jpg" width="320" /></a></b></div><b><br /><o:p></o:p></b><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Have an outstanding arrest
warrant?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Registration expired?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No insurance?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The LPR will know and you’ll probably get pulled over.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">A few years ago when my town
was testing the technology, I did a ride-along with a local officer and watched
it in action.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The system flashed red so
often, notifying the officer, that she couldn’t decide which violator to pull
over.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Just last week an LPR in </span></b><a href="https://patch.com/connecticut/glastonbury/plate-reader-snags-stolen-vehicle-glastonbury"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Glastonbury</span></b></a><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">
pinged a stolen vehicle leading to a stop where the cop found the out-of-town
driver not only had committed a larceny but had no driver’s license.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Some police departments are
finding the technology so valuable they’re mounting LPR’s in permanent
locations scanning every car entering their community.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They argue that LPRs are no different than
having officers’ eyeballs looking for violators, just faster.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Civil libertarians worry about
the implications of all this… not, perhaps, the legit arrests but the data that
gets stored and can later be reviewed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Were you driving in town X on date Y?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The database can let them know.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Of course, if you have an E-ZPass
to handle your out-of-state tolls, that data is also being collected.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And your driving is also being tracked by
your cellphone, equipped with GPS.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">But LPRs only work if they can
read the cars’ license plates.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So bad
guys are now looking to obscure the tech’s vision with plastic covers over
their plates.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some even have a gizmo
that, on activation, <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>pulls a shutter
down over the plate so nobody can read it.</span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT1-6B0kNbYkoBPo5UKCr_YSkTyFQKePglpPsaDHe4vS8kOxNSgljeUIkThQ9ulJJlp7Ue2EaTkUr5ZOW-pe5Sxqn1Tu4sxlLqGxoWh1p59q7FErcXq8OfWchjUZMxLFA6s2ojiopmrfjiRrIdSwn5nFbKOfyqc6SnJxFnokaO3hyCfv1eHw/s602/Plate%20cover%20-%20Quora.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="452" data-original-width="602" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT1-6B0kNbYkoBPo5UKCr_YSkTyFQKePglpPsaDHe4vS8kOxNSgljeUIkThQ9ulJJlp7Ue2EaTkUr5ZOW-pe5Sxqn1Tu4sxlLqGxoWh1p59q7FErcXq8OfWchjUZMxLFA6s2ojiopmrfjiRrIdSwn5nFbKOfyqc6SnJxFnokaO3hyCfv1eHw/s320/Plate%20cover%20-%20Quora.jpg" width="320" /></a></b></div><b><br /><o:p></o:p></b><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">This is leading to what NYC
cops call “ghost cars” that can evade electronic tolls or the city’s pending
congestion pricing toll system.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A </span></b><a href="https://patch.com/new-york/new-york-city/ghost-cars-bogus-plates-face-new-nyc-crackdown"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">recent
crackdown</span></b></a><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"> against these scofflaws has led to eight
arrests, 200+ summons and 73 cars being impounded for toll violations and other
fines.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Darien’s police chief Don
Anderson tells me he’s got standing orders for his officers to pull over anyone
with an obscured plate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">“I want my officers to have a
conversation with that driver… on their body camera… asking them ‘Why do you
have these shrouds over your license plates?’… and are you aware they’re
illegal (in Connecticut)?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I know why
(they have them)… they want to avoid the tolls and speed cameras and drive with
impunity.”<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">Read more "Talking Transportation" (c) at:
http://talkingtransportation.blogspot.com/</div>JIM CAMERONhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07619138540116037421noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12900368.post-19075270786750474672024-03-08T17:34:00.000-05:002024-03-08T17:34:01.461-05:00NYC SUBWAYS ARE NOT SAFE<p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">It’s not safe to ride the
subways in New York City.</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Not that the subways aren’t
operated safely, it’s just that the people riding them are victimizing each
other as well as MTA personnel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hardly a
day passes without another report of incidents like these:<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="line-height: 150%; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">A man
is slashed with a box cutter by an assailant spewing anti-LGBTQ remarks, who
then runs off.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 150%; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">In
another incident a 64 year old postal worker is kicked down off the platform, <a href="https://abc7ny.com/nyc-subway-crime-man-pushed-on-tracks-penn-station/14491812/">falling
onto the tracks</a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was rescued by
bystanders before the subway train entered the station.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>NYPD has surveillance video but they are
still looking for the assailant.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="line-height: 150%; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">An MTA
conductor, leaning out of his cab, is slashed in his head and neck requiring <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/news/ap-nyc-police-new-york-brooklyn-b2505005.html">34
stitches</a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Again, no arrest.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">In January subway crime was up
45%.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The NYPD then sent an additional
1000 cops into the subway. Last week NY Governor Hochul called out a thousand members
of the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/06/nyregion/subway-national-guard-police.html">National
Guard</a> and instituted random bag checks of passengers entering the system,
looking for weapons.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Will that result in
weapons arrests or just send the bad guys to another station not staffed with
cops?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What’s next… metal detectors?</span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVQH0EFEFTEOt8Oi8G_NEpRjh-f495wqNiD7n4GpuIQZRyR5Xh2XpXXyK-RnN_GBcAq0kgHDFi7yvH68eukDSOBfe0s5PaosDrc85Mh8OGI7fiBfrF9K7xzI364MIlHl3EVQY7bYcmZMAPFDAFe8xiMBrl4azsK9uEKe6xt2pWk0WsPk4mqQ/s3000/guard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1687" data-original-width="3000" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVQH0EFEFTEOt8Oi8G_NEpRjh-f495wqNiD7n4GpuIQZRyR5Xh2XpXXyK-RnN_GBcAq0kgHDFi7yvH68eukDSOBfe0s5PaosDrc85Mh8OGI7fiBfrF9K7xzI364MIlHl3EVQY7bYcmZMAPFDAFe8xiMBrl4azsK9uEKe6xt2pWk0WsPk4mqQ/s320/guard.jpg" width="320" /></a></b></div><b><br /><o:p></o:p></b><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">This is unsustainable and very
expensive, especially at a time when the MTA estimates they lost a half-billion
dollars due to fare evasion last year, with 12% of all riders skipping the
turnstiles.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Clearly, there are too many guns
and knives being carried by people in NYC.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Though undoubtedly discriminatory, I wonder if a return to former Mayor
Bloomberg’s old policy of “stop and frisk” might not reduce this arms race.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Mind you, these aren’t just
one-off crimes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thirty-eight people who
were arrested in the subways for assault last year were responsible for 1100
additional crimes in the city, <a href="https://ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/mornings-on-1/2024/03/06/adams-blames-stretch-of-transit-crimes-on--surge-in-recidivism-">according
to Mayor Adams</a>. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The homeless woman who was <a href="https://nypost.com/2024/03/06/us-news/nyc-subway-cellist-attacker-arrested-again-for-allegedly-stealing-pricy-baseball-cap/">seen
on video</a> attacking a cello player with a metal bottle was arrested in
mid-February and set free without bail.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Days later she was arrested again, this time for shoplifting a $235
baseball cap.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This time her bail was
$500 (though prosecutors had sought $10,000), but that was enough to keep her
in jail… for now.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">So the issue is more than just
attacks:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>it’s about our judicial system
which spits people back onto the streets without bail, even when they commit
violence. <o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">This lawlessness in New York
City is out of control and literal armies of cops and camo-dressed Guardsmen aren’t
much of a deterrent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even without guns
or knives, the crazy (sorry… “mentally unstable”) people roaming the streets
and subways are making everyone feel nervous.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">What does this mean for
Connecticut commuters?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They’re probably
safe on Metro-North but when they get to Grand Central they’re understandably
reluctant to take the subway to their office.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">It’s just another reason for commuters
to persuade their bosses they’re better off working from home, further reducing
fare revenue for the cash-strapped Metro-North division of the MTA.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p><br /><p></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">Read more "Talking Transportation" (c) at:
http://talkingtransportation.blogspot.com/</div>JIM CAMERONhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07619138540116037421noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12900368.post-44321447682815019892024-03-01T16:31:00.002-05:002024-03-01T16:31:55.067-05:00COPS CRACKDOWN, NEW STAMFORD RR GARAGE<p><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Forget what the calendar says,
I say it’s Spring! And with this hopeful
season comes good news on the Connecticut’s transportation front.</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">A reader recently told me my
weekly screed comes off sounding like I’m a “cranky old man”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Guilty, on both counts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So let’s celebrate these rare glimmers of
hope for our roads and rails.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><u><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">INCREASED TRAFFIC ENFORCEMENT</span></u></b><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">:<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The CT State Police has announced a <a href="https://ctmirror.org/2024/02/29/ct-reckless-drivers-state-police">new
crackdown</a> on reckless drivers to, as one pol put it, “take back the
highways”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Special patrols will be
working the interstates and parkways and writing a lot of tickets.</span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI2725bZPJG1ar0Kul1zLNfP11BW0gH7CGTesCk8IN3jXsCY2uR8qUKFVaxKxIzSS0ahMt3oa_IB9l9c_MMCB_ldTC4WJMT9GzLWdCioaubZLjyX11TucyhGtOl-n6joU8s_52K-3hz3nVfhn2y77wII0dQj-vsPG-dtNdg-kLlqgmW6kXCg/s800/Radar-Gun.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="420" data-original-width="800" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI2725bZPJG1ar0Kul1zLNfP11BW0gH7CGTesCk8IN3jXsCY2uR8qUKFVaxKxIzSS0ahMt3oa_IB9l9c_MMCB_ldTC4WJMT9GzLWdCioaubZLjyX11TucyhGtOl-n6joU8s_52K-3hz3nVfhn2y77wII0dQj-vsPG-dtNdg-kLlqgmW6kXCg/s320/Radar-Gun.jpg" width="320" /></a></b></div><b><br /><o:p></o:p></b><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The problem is that this State
Police traffic unit is only a quarter the size of what it once was, and the
overall force is still only 75% of what it should be.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But even spread this thin, any enforcement
may help stop the speeding, red-light-running and impaired driving that has
seen death tolls soar in the last few years.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The question is:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>why the increased enforcement now?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why wasn’t this begun months ago?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The trend in fatalities has
been obvious as has the lack of police enforcement.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The more people see others behaving badly on
the roads the more they’re likely to do the same thing.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">But, it’s Spring!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So let’s take this as good news, albeit it
late.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><u><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">DRUNK DRIVING</span></u></b><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">:<span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span><a href="https://ctmirror.org/2023/05/14/ct-drunk-driving-quentin-williams-robin-comey-alcohol/">As
I wrote last May</a>, Connecticut has a serious drunk / drugged driving problem.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Last year a state lawmakers died in a wrong-way
crash and, in another case, a pol flipped her car in front of the Capitol and
was arrested for DWI. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Meanwhile,
lawmakers have been encouraging more boozing… allowing “to go” purchases from
bars while Connecticut is one of only nine states not banning open containers while
driving.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Well, this year the
Transportation Committee is reportedly considering lowering the blood alcohol
limit defining drunk driving from .08% to .05%.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>That’s good news… if it passes and there are enough cops to enforce it.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><u><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">STAMFORD STATION GARAGE</span></u></b><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">:<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Lastly, we celebrate the long overdue
opening of the massive new garage at the Stamford train station:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="color: #444444;"> </span>914
parking spaces, 92 electric vehicle charging stations, and 120 spots for bicycles.<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUzAuZkJJhmv_ii9YTtUedV6SJm2baDbppDZ65IW_4YhVuKk40KVzPd4bjJg-d_PKFLOCSfNsacdc2MAcPmKfToirTWOAUaSg0P52CQzeT84pwjNeV23B-TxgipT7OTkpd4RoVxTxmG_H-c3rYi0NHvmNWSVcMX8HybhhKsQtlJCC0DAWpqA/s1310/Stamford%20Garage%20-%20CT.gov.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="662" data-original-width="1310" height="162" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUzAuZkJJhmv_ii9YTtUedV6SJm2baDbppDZ65IW_4YhVuKk40KVzPd4bjJg-d_PKFLOCSfNsacdc2MAcPmKfToirTWOAUaSg0P52CQzeT84pwjNeV23B-TxgipT7OTkpd4RoVxTxmG_H-c3rYi0NHvmNWSVcMX8HybhhKsQtlJCC0DAWpqA/s320/Stamford%20Garage%20-%20CT.gov.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rendering of new garage<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The structure is beautiful,
inside and out, adorned with 200,000 color LED lights you can’t miss while
driving by on I-95.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Like the old garage,
it’s connected by a covered pedestrian walkway directly into the station.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The $100 million garage was
months late in opening and <a href="https://talkingtransportation.blogspot.com/2015/11/stamford-rr-garage-saga-drags-on.html">years
later than planned</a>. It was back in 2006 that CDOT decided that it would be
cheaper to replace than to repair the 1985 garage, crumbling from neglect.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A planned PPP (Public Private Partnership) to
do the work got embroiled in political intrigue and a zoning fight with the
city and went nowhere.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">With the new, larger garage now
open for business the old garage will be torn down, a messy project that will
take about six months.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The space will then
be home to a massive TOD (Transit Oriented Development) project.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Another reason for hope, so
Think Spring!<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">Read more "Talking Transportation" (c) at:
http://talkingtransportation.blogspot.com/</div>JIM CAMERONhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07619138540116037421noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12900368.post-16871823458368672522024-02-23T17:26:00.000-05:002024-02-23T17:26:13.895-05:00RED SEA SHIPPING<p><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">What do 15,000 sheep, 7000 US
sailors, that order for your new patio furniture and your recent “TEMU haul”
have in common? They’re all affected by
the shipping bottleneck in the Red Sea caused by the Houthis.</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">You may not know or care about
the Yemen-based Sunni Islamist Houthis, but their attacks on shipping on its
way to and from the Suez Canal are affecting your life and pocketbook.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As they attempt to control the 14-mile wide seaway
known as the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bab-el-Mandeb">Bab
el-Mandeb</a> (also known, appropriately, as “The Gate of Grief”), the Houthis
have recently fired ballistic missiles and drones at 45 ships, including US
warships.<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuH0iN2QvKXM6zxumXw8XRJYrpOnNQDxy5W0zeInxFIJftwrEzLDIOp7sOX5H4Y02OdDn_ZiSLDLWSHLP5VnjecuHVhjoNqwD9JK3bWg2qrTw4WaB-xaEvnapxEzRVmDaQJQDWdzsqYFn7qaUbW9NPDllyvdCjIdT9fAhORVpODtY_2TTLPA/s800/Houthi%20General%20-%20Tasnim%20News%20Agency.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="557" data-original-width="800" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuH0iN2QvKXM6zxumXw8XRJYrpOnNQDxy5W0zeInxFIJftwrEzLDIOp7sOX5H4Y02OdDn_ZiSLDLWSHLP5VnjecuHVhjoNqwD9JK3bWg2qrTw4WaB-xaEvnapxEzRVmDaQJQDWdzsqYFn7qaUbW9NPDllyvdCjIdT9fAhORVpODtY_2TTLPA/s320/Houthi%20General%20-%20Tasnim%20News%20Agency.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Houthi Brigadier General</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">So dangerous has become this
passage, traversed by 15% of global shipping worth $1 trillion a year, that container-ship
owners are now diverting their vessels around the tip of Africa, adding 3-4
weeks of sailing time from China to Europe and adding almost $1 million to each
vessel’s shipping costs.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">It used to cost $2500 to ship
one container from China to the US East coast.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Now it costs $6500.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maritime
insurance rates have also soared.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But
worst of all, the added delivery delays mean there are about six million
shipping containers tied up at sea that should have been emptied and sent back
from the next load.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Remember those <a href="https://www.voanews.com/a/stranded-livestock-land-in-australia-after-red-sea-turn-back-/7485179.html">15,000
sheep</a> I mentioned?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They were on a
ship that sailed from Australia on January 5<sup>th</sup>, headed for
Israel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But, unable to get through the
Suez canal, the vessel turned back after a month at sea with the animals
sweltering in a heatwave.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">While you can switch from
shipping by sea to air freight for some cargos, the price difference can be
substantial.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Containers on ships pay a
flat rate, regardless of weight.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But air
freight costs about $2 per pound.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">China’s answer to Amazon, TEMU,
ships about <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/retail-consumer/rise-fast-fashion-shein-temu-roils-global-air-cargo-industry-2024-02-21/">4000
tons of stuff each day</a>, enough to fill 40 777 jet freighters.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>TEMU had converted from air freight to
shipping by sea last fall, but TEMU is now back in the skies to keep deliveries
to about a week instead of a month.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">There’s a coalition of 20
nations (10 of them helping anonymously) that is trying to keep the Red Sea
open to shipping though most of the work is being done by the US Navy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The task force is known as “<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Prosperity_Guardian">Operation
Prosperity Guardian</a>” which explains the mission well.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Until recently the Houthis had
only targeted Israeli ships, but more recently they’ve gone after French,
Chinese and EU-owned vessels… and the US Navy.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The Houthi’s Iranian-supplied
drones have a range of 1100 miles and their ballistic missiles come at their
targets at 3000 mph.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is the first
time in history that anti-ship missiles have been fired in conflict.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><b><br /> <o:p></o:p></b><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">So far the Navy has fired
about $400 million worth of defensive missiles to stop the attacks, one of
which was halted about one minute before it would have hit a US destroyer.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Logistics expert Michael
Giambrone from the <a href="https://www.oecgroup.com/">OEC Group</a> says
shipping delays may get worse.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“It’s not
a question of if but when” a US Navy ship gets hit by a missile, he told me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">When American lives are lost
on this mission, watch out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You do
remember <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gulf_of_Tonkin_incident">the
Gulf of Tonkin</a>, I hope.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="background: #D3E3FD; color: #040c28; font-family: Roboto; font-size: 15.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">Read more "Talking Transportation" (c) at:
http://talkingtransportation.blogspot.com/</div>JIM CAMERONhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07619138540116037421noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12900368.post-19883337007534716852024-02-16T13:24:00.004-05:002024-02-16T13:24:55.726-05:00ADDING ONE MORE LANE SHOULD FIX IT<p><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">I love doing radio interviews,
literally “talking transportation”. Of
course, having worked in radio for 15 years and then spent 40 years teaching
people how to survive media encounters, I’m at something of an advantage. But I do love to turn naïve questions into
learning opportunities.</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Case in point, this recent exchange:<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><i><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">“So Jim… How do we solve the
traffic problem on our interstates and parkways?”,</span></i></b><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"> asked
the radio talk show host.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i>“Is there
room for adding another lane?”<o:p></o:p></i></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><i><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">“That’s not the answer,”</span></i></b><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"> I
said. <i>“Adding lanes to crowded highways just makes them more crowded.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe not immediately, but within a matter of
weeks or months.”</i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The radio host
didn’t believe me, but history proves my point:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>if you build it, more cars and trucks <u>will</u> come.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Planners and economists call
it “<a href="https://www.governing.com/now/why-the-concept-of-induced-demand-is-a-hard-sell">induced
demand</a>”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By increasing the supply of
something (in this case highway lanes) you in effect lower the price (time
spent driving) and up goes the demand (bringing more traffic, more delays).<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Consider this analogy:<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">A local store is giving away free
food.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The crowds soon swarm the
establishment, muscling out those really in need.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If the store is our highways and accessing
them is free (no tolls), it’s no surprise they’re jammed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The only real cost involved in driving is fuel
and time:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>the hours you waste in
bumper-to-bumper traffic.<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfgt7K1EE5w_D8XFp_Ko-rbms7StQno_ie3y3izL8EtNHdQ_LAvLB4cpjHC06WsjPfDfws4UTu-SCvDpVIlVARt4OQT7M0NMmljkfQjJka_cyygVRf3QSWonkyK3C4DEXmcAu1U6EaM0u5XcQNHKptFHRb79lAXoMaus3LGTMx5U4Gqp5g5A/s1199/I95%20Miami%20-%20Wikimedia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="899" data-original-width="1199" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfgt7K1EE5w_D8XFp_Ko-rbms7StQno_ie3y3izL8EtNHdQ_LAvLB4cpjHC06WsjPfDfws4UTu-SCvDpVIlVARt4OQT7M0NMmljkfQjJka_cyygVRf3QSWonkyK3C4DEXmcAu1U6EaM0u5XcQNHKptFHRb79lAXoMaus3LGTMx5U4Gqp5g5A/s320/I95%20Miami%20-%20Wikimedia.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I-95 in Miami</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Building highways is also really
expensive, especially here in Connecticut.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>CDOT’s plans to rebuild the I-84 / Route 8 “Mixmaster” in Waterbury came
in at between $7 and $8 billion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now
certainly, maintaining existing roads and bridges in the proverbial “state of
good repair” is a must.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But expanding
the highways isn’t the solution to handling more traffic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">There are two answers:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>tolls and trains.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Driving on our freeways at
rush hour shouldn’t be free.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Charge for
the privilege and you’ll moderate the demand.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Some may chose to time-shift their travel, but others may take
alternatives, like our trains.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Interstates 95 and 91 are both
parallelled by robust train lines priced to encourage ridership.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Intrastate fares are kept <a href="https://new.mta.info/document/125161">deliberately low</a> (Bridgeport to
Stamford is just $5 one way and New Haven to Hartford is only $8.25, not
factoring in multi-trip commuter discounts.)<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The billions of dollars not
spent to widen those crowded highways would subsidize a lot of train
rides.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But getting to your home station
and from your destination station to work / school (the “first mile / last mile”
challenge) is an additional expense that should also be underwritten.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">That’s how New York City’s
impending “congestion pricing” revenue will keep funding the bus and
subways.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Those willing to pay the price
for driving in midtown should see less traffic and a faster trip.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nobody is suggesting widening NYC’s highways.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">So, sorry all you talk show
experts out there, the solution to our crowded highways isn’t wider
highways.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The simple mantra “adding one
more lane should solve our problems” is just a never ending race to
carmageddon. <o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">Read more "Talking Transportation" (c) at:
http://talkingtransportation.blogspot.com/</div>JIM CAMERONhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07619138540116037421noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12900368.post-3450375890972493322024-02-10T10:56:00.000-05:002024-02-10T10:56:06.312-05:00STUDENT TRANSPORTATION<p><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">In our small town we call it “The
SUV Parade”, the weekday ritual-like procession homing in on a handful of
targets, carrying that most precious of cargos: our kids, heading to school.</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">But why the private car parade
when the town already spends hundreds of thousands of dollars on school
buses?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why aren’t the kids on the yellow
buses?<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Sure, sometimes they have
early activities or don’t want to shlep their tuba on the bus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But often its because the kids don’t think
its cool to “bus” when mom (or increasingly, work-from-home dads) can drive
them?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Safety is another big concern,
especially where there are inadequate sidewalks or kids would have to walk
through a sketchy neighborhood.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL6wkXnpx-mq79nHyfNuRD5GFS4Pyvje0kHeJdNnj4Hsr0zdjHhyphenhyphenWwAP35AICm4DoRheJi8m6Hy2iBsjQpEuhZOhiZNtlu-V2riNk7F88z3UPQGGq_B2ZoXQo3Hf_NM6kgTlJHBY-rM78q2_qMC6ikv6Gi2KKMk1gjPSNMxvZNgtUn76phUw/s800/Transportation_BusStop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="478" data-original-width="800" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL6wkXnpx-mq79nHyfNuRD5GFS4Pyvje0kHeJdNnj4Hsr0zdjHhyphenhyphenWwAP35AICm4DoRheJi8m6Hy2iBsjQpEuhZOhiZNtlu-V2riNk7F88z3UPQGGq_B2ZoXQo3Hf_NM6kgTlJHBY-rM78q2_qMC6ikv6Gi2KKMk1gjPSNMxvZNgtUn76phUw/s320/Transportation_BusStop.jpg" width="320" /></a></b></div><b><br /> <o:p></o:p></b><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Even riding the school bus can
be fraught with danger when motorists ignore the flashing lights and decide to
pass a stopped bus. First offense for that is $475 and in a <span style="background: white; color: #222222;">construction, utility, traffic or fire
zone</span> that move will cost you $925.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>There’s even a call for equipping school buses with cameras to catch
offenders.</span><o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">According to the <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2024/02/02/school-bus-era-ends">Federal
Highway Administration</a> there has been a sea-change in student
transportation in the last 50 years, especially since COVID.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Today private cars carry more than half of
all students with school buses carrying about 35%.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Interestingly, the parents
with the highest education levels themselves are the ones most likely to drive
their kids instead of putting them on the bus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Of course the former group is more likely to be a stay-at-home parent
while the less educated are probably headed to jobs themselves.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">In a time of tight budgets, “right
sizing” school bus routes may be a more attractive source of cost savings than
cutting teachers.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">But what’s wrong with walking? When I was a kid, I used to walk a mile each
day to and from school… up hill, both ways!
Today bike and foot transport is just 11%. And those taking public transit is about 4%.</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">But in some cities, like <a href="https://www.ctinsider.com/capitalregion/article/ct-bus-transit-equity-free-fare-18648670.php">Hartford</a>,
the CT Transit bus system is so disjointed as to make a two-mile trip a 50 min ordeal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Proponents call student transport a matter of
social justice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They want students to
have free bus passes, just like in NYC where school buses are a rarity.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">For college students that
option is already there: U-Pass.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For
just $20 a semester full-time college and university students can <a href="https://ctmirror.org/2019/10/01/u-pass-a-game-changer-for-some-students/">ride
for free</a> anywhere in Connecticut, even on Metro-North and The Hartford Line
(but not on the Amtrak-run trains).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For cash-strapped
students this free transportation option often makes it possible for them to
attend a school otherwise out of reach.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Plus,
they get to use transit to go shopping or attend social events.</span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHlRRAi1s2CRnkyGKYreKhPMv3TQrKQaNSAY4mWjO8l7HTPeNscUJeqLQfs8maSEhW0M3EAYwC2jTOkgkoYaIItln0dXEGgASdFk_DJwbxHn8Ib81u7Cfyql5uMzDES6953IaupihQcVMMHpU9nOEA8DBtdjxAZEy0uKbTb3fGAu33kTIKWw/s637/UPASS%20%20UConn.edu.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="445" data-original-width="637" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHlRRAi1s2CRnkyGKYreKhPMv3TQrKQaNSAY4mWjO8l7HTPeNscUJeqLQfs8maSEhW0M3EAYwC2jTOkgkoYaIItln0dXEGgASdFk_DJwbxHn8Ib81u7Cfyql5uMzDES6953IaupihQcVMMHpU9nOEA8DBtdjxAZEy0uKbTb3fGAu33kTIKWw/s320/UPASS%20%20UConn.edu.png" width="320" /></a></b></div><b><br /><o:p></o:p></b><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">U-Pass was the brainchild of
then-CDOT Commissioner Jim Redeker back in 2017.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not only does it fill empty seats on mass
transit, U-pass is training the next generation about the value of taking the
state’s trains and buses… even if their parents started them out by being chauffeured.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">Read more "Talking Transportation" (c) at:
http://talkingtransportation.blogspot.com/</div>JIM CAMERONhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07619138540116037421noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12900368.post-61589054976102882722024-02-02T17:19:00.002-05:002024-02-02T17:19:39.529-05:00THE TRANSPORTATION SUMMIT<p><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">It was billed as a “Transportation
Summit”. But the gathering last week in
Stamford was more of a PR event than anything else as Governor Lamont, the
leaders of CDOT, the FRA, Amtrak, Metro-North and the ever-smiling Stamford
Mayor Caroline Simmons sounded mostly like cheerleaders for the multi-billion
dollar spending to come for our rail system.</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Sponsored by the <a href="https://nec-commission.com/">Northeast Corridor Commission</a>, the
invitation-only confab attracted about 60 people, most from the business
community.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Noticeably absent: anyone
representing commuters.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Needless to say,
I was not invited, but neither was the Commuter Council.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fortunately, you can <a href="https://ct-n.com/ctnplayer.asp?odID=22538">watch the entire hour-long
event thanks to CT-N</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">When you attract such a
prestigious panel, you’d expect more than just a lot of self-congratulations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But after the event, the panelists just
hopped back on their trains and headed home… no luncheon discussion or
closed-door huddle on the long still-to-do list.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Saddest of all, there was no
real news that came out of the event so even the sought-after media coverage
was pretty bland.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Oh, Mayor Simmons did ballyhoo
the fact that Stamford ridership is back to pre-COVID levels of 28,000 riders a
day… but failed to mention that the station’s new $82 million, 930-space parking
garage that was supposed to have opened last summer is delayed yet again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When it finally opens <a href="https://ctexaminer.com/2023/11/24/as-stamford-garage-comes-down-future-plans-remain-uncertain/">demolition
of the old garage</a> will take about six months, creating a huge traffic mess
around the station.<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNvjQBBgGqiT_qsHjnxV5iEDiXQfMd5sC6Iuk9isAbVe5SI6MlyaS_4TbecVA-xYL61_Zj-Kq_AX8l4xDhlS6WZ-c1tvbSzfhBUn74hOO_xvFDE2lZ78Mbwtdq-8_G_3s7knUqXyhuw_Yn88pkyLc8lvWt6HGrG9ntvWS7l5NcANTq9hWrzA/s1310/New%20Stamford%20Garage%20-%20%20CDOT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="662" data-original-width="1310" height="162" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNvjQBBgGqiT_qsHjnxV5iEDiXQfMd5sC6Iuk9isAbVe5SI6MlyaS_4TbecVA-xYL61_Zj-Kq_AX8l4xDhlS6WZ-c1tvbSzfhBUn74hOO_xvFDE2lZ78Mbwtdq-8_G_3s7knUqXyhuw_Yn88pkyLc8lvWt6HGrG9ntvWS7l5NcANTq9hWrzA/s320/New%20Stamford%20Garage%20-%20%20CDOT.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New Stamford Rail Garage<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">And Governor Lamont did say
that Metro-North would be running trains to Penn Station in NYC in “three or
four years”, an optimistic promise that caught some transportation experts in
attendance by surprise.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Metro-North President
Catherine Rinaldi said ridership is up to 73% of pre-COVID levels and climbing
(especially on Mondays).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But just after
the Summit the MTA’s own <a href="https://new.mta.info/document/131801">Customer
Satisfaction Survey</a> results showed a 5% reduction in MNRR riders’ happiness
with (lack of) reliability and seat availability leading the decline.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">If they’re trying to attract
riders back on trains, why then the recent cuts in service?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And why do they refuse to reinstate the Quiet
Cars?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And where’s the <a href="https://ctmirror.org/2023/11/12/metro-norths-unfulfilled-wifi-promise/">Wi-Fi
on trains</a> promised by the state’s $23 million investment?<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">With all the discussion of
faster, more frequent service why was there zero mention of the devastating service
cuts on Shore Line East… the New Haven to New London line that saw a $32 million
cut in a time of budget surpluses?<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">And why didn’t the FRA say
anything about the “slow orders” on Metro-North that are still in place after
ten years, making every trip longer?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Does
that means they still think the line isn’t safe?<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Amtrak President Stephen
Gardner said his ridership is at 110% of pre-COVID but admitted that he doesn’t
have enough seats to meet demand.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
new Acela 2.0 trains, dubbed “Avelia”, are <a href="https://railfan.com/amtrak-watchdog-new-acela-build-plagued-by-delays-and-defects/">years
late and plagued with defects</a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfYXnmbSrG82omICrJbtDhuvvW56riJ4x4dDtjW399AjlDbdgaYKICAaZ5zqWY2YmTmQL6caYobkla7mpwgjBmSld0bb68aoeVCKxZ-QU7CED5-whUtFI3Ux0nNOed8CBULhDoYCmr7tn0L65i0XWwYiPyGPuCafrNtnsim2apUE1mcNKz6Q/s450/Avelia_Liberty%20%20Wikipedia.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="232" data-original-width="450" height="165" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfYXnmbSrG82omICrJbtDhuvvW56riJ4x4dDtjW399AjlDbdgaYKICAaZ5zqWY2YmTmQL6caYobkla7mpwgjBmSld0bb68aoeVCKxZ-QU7CED5-whUtFI3Ux0nNOed8CBULhDoYCmr7tn0L65i0XWwYiPyGPuCafrNtnsim2apUE1mcNKz6Q/s320/Avelia_Liberty%20%20Wikipedia.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Amtrak's Acela "Avelia Liberty"<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> </span><o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Gardner note that in Europe
they’ve spent one trillion dollars in the last 20 years on their trains, and it
shows.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even with the new flood of
Infrastructure Bill funding, Amtrak’s only spending $150 billion, what Gardner said
is just “a down payment”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Lack of seats and Amtrak’s dynamic
pricing means a walk-up Acela ticket from Stamford to Boston (just 156 miles)
can cost $190 while a 244 mile trip from Paris to Lyon on the TGV costs $38.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>European railroads offer competition with
multiple companies vying for riders.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Amtrak is our only choice though some have suggested <a href="https://ctmirror.org/2023/01/15/competition-for-amtrak-from-ameristarrail/">private
competitors</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">One thing that everyone on the
panel made clear:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>it’s going to be many
years before we see the Fed’s billions make for a better train ride.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And the necessary construction coming up will
disrupt service making for grumpy, delayed riders.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">As I’ve said for over 20 years
now, “it’s going to get worse before it gets better.”<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">Read more "Talking Transportation" (c) at:
http://talkingtransportation.blogspot.com/</div>JIM CAMERONhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07619138540116037421noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12900368.post-29891113349386854132024-01-26T12:35:00.001-05:002024-01-26T12:35:29.285-05:00HIGHWAY SIGNS<p><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">“Are we there yet Dad?” cried
Junior from the back seat. “Only two
more exits to go, Son” said the Father, scanning the roadway ahead of him. Many miles later, Junior was moaning
again. “You said two more exits, not
dozens of miles!”</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Well, Junior, that’s about to
change.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>CDOT, pressured by the Feds, is
about to renumber all of the exits on the Merritt & Wilbur Cross Parkways
and our interstate highways.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No longer
will the exits be numbered sequentially but, instead, will reflect their
mileage from the NY state line.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">This scheme has long been in
place on the Garden State Parkway, giving motorists a better sense of their
distance to a desired exit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Mileage-based exit numbers also help first responders find an incident’s
location.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And because this renumbering
is being done nationwide, it will add uniformity to all signage.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The Parkways’ sign conversions
will take place next year followed by renumbering on I-91 (in 2027), I-84
(2028) and I-95 (2029).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When the new
exit number signs are in place there will be a smaller sign attached to each
indicating the “old” exit number, at least for a couple of years to help
drivers adjust.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">CDOT is also working with GPS
app providers like Google and Waze to get their maps reprogrammed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All of this work is being paid for with
federal money and the work will only take a couple of weeks to be completed on
each highway.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Meanwhile, Uncle Sam seems to
have lost his sense of humor about changeable interstate traffic safety signs,
like the one I saw recently in New Jersey:<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">“Texting while driving?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fuhgetaboutit!”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or “Get your head out of your apps”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>…<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>“Hands on the wheel, not your meal”… and for our Boston accent
fans:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Use Your Blinkahs!”</span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8ewhSBQpgnm6U5SivyH7Mva5Uw_-ZwrFiZ8PPHkMZ99xLutd8y3mtxVmrsnXZZEj-76v_RxEUAGCE9eKC06MCePONVyCaZm5kEp70v7D0PqGYwpYoZpbHmCcD9PTp3yOyCcwvT4yEZQkJey99w9w38ljBf8p7pQprczPKW7DbohJb59tvmQ/s620/blinkah.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="349" data-original-width="620" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8ewhSBQpgnm6U5SivyH7Mva5Uw_-ZwrFiZ8PPHkMZ99xLutd8y3mtxVmrsnXZZEj-76v_RxEUAGCE9eKC06MCePONVyCaZm5kEp70v7D0PqGYwpYoZpbHmCcD9PTp3yOyCcwvT4yEZQkJey99w9w38ljBf8p7pQprczPKW7DbohJb59tvmQ/s320/blinkah.jpg" width="320" /></a></b></div><b><br /><o:p></o:p></b><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Funny?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Attention getting? Or just confusing?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Federal Highway Administration (FHA) says
too often these signs are just distracting so they’re encouraging states to
keep it simple and serious.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">But when their rule making was
announced there was serious blowback.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In
Arizona they’ve actually held contests for the best sign-messaging and received
thousands of entries.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Among last year’s
winners:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="background: white; color: #333333;">“I’m Just a Sign Asking a Driver to Use Turn Signals”, a
rather obscure reference to the 1999 movie “Notting Hill”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Didn’t ‘get it’?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Neither did I, which is exactly the Feds’
point.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While you’re scratching your head
about some weird pop culture reference are you really watching the road?<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">After
the recent public outcry, the FHA quickly clarified their rules: a little humor
is OK as long as the sign’s intent is clear and the wording concise.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The
CDOT seems sober enough in its signage, aside from an occasional congratulatory
sign for a winning UConn championship, as if I could care.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And so far there’s been no repeat of the
incident awhile back when a hacker took control of a portable variable message
sign and changed it to read “Weicker blows”.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The
then-Governor and the CDOT were not amused.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">Read more "Talking Transportation" (c) at:
http://talkingtransportation.blogspot.com/</div>JIM CAMERONhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07619138540116037421noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12900368.post-72665976961770438772024-01-19T15:38:00.000-05:002024-01-19T15:38:30.530-05:00BRIGHTLINE'S DARK SIDE<p><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Much has been written in
praise of <a href="https://www.gobrightline.com/">Brightline</a>, the modern,
stylish privately owned railroad serving Miami to West Palm Beach to Orlando
with fast, comfortable trains.</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">But the railroad also has the
highest death rate of any railroad in the US, having killed 108 people since it
began operations in 2017… not its passengers but people crossing the railroad’s
tracks.</span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAQjQ2Sv4CaDPuDF2Syk-PEgV1PzhtFY0RICVQw6uL1P_zi_CjdhzXvbc98EWcarrksIPjos_qUIca6W07VrFIOB2m_RNGIQT_Hus-MOmNftV-clObLJgxq1c67fH4W2Sl3ZBk6K2egHBEOshEbALcBKVB5kyTGpgiWueqTRvDF7jKAbv12g/s800/Crash%20-%20UPI.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAQjQ2Sv4CaDPuDF2Syk-PEgV1PzhtFY0RICVQw6uL1P_zi_CjdhzXvbc98EWcarrksIPjos_qUIca6W07VrFIOB2m_RNGIQT_Hus-MOmNftV-clObLJgxq1c67fH4W2Sl3ZBk6K2egHBEOshEbALcBKVB5kyTGpgiWueqTRvDF7jKAbv12g/s320/Crash%20-%20UPI.jpg" width="320" /></a></b></div><b><br /><o:p></o:p></b><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Last week alone at one grade
crossing in Melbourne FL there were two accidents causing <a href="https://www.wlrn.org/transportation-development/2024-01-16/brightline-crashes-florida">three
deaths</a> in as many days.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Those “accidents”
are under investigation by the NTSB, the National Transportation Safety
Board.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But all indications are these
deaths, like the others, were caused by stupidity:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>people driving around the crossing gates that
lower before the train roars through.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Brightline has not been
faulted for these deaths, nor should it be when people foolishly let their
impatience exceed their common sense.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">There is a solution, albeit it
expensive, protecting people from their own stupidity:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>quad gates.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>At every grade crossing there would be two gates lowered on each side, blocking
both lanes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of course, that doesn’t stop
pedestrians or people on bicycles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sadly,
there are also suicides.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But little can
be done to prevent those.<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdpMscW9UA8WgU3TEnXHKwt44FiONs9W96IIksmvtZ927CwHdPkM1DEL9dTtS_-exnm0opgqryZhvgPoVy7FKbmuAdsmZzlCKQ7b3KtivhJJi0nH3feerpXobAXHfYnUhgd3aQs4DrgtByqAvbgaK9K9Vcp_4libqGUShD_fo00DR0GNw3gw/s1440/Quad%20Gates%20-%20HSR.CA.gov.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdpMscW9UA8WgU3TEnXHKwt44FiONs9W96IIksmvtZ927CwHdPkM1DEL9dTtS_-exnm0opgqryZhvgPoVy7FKbmuAdsmZzlCKQ7b3KtivhJJi0nH3feerpXobAXHfYnUhgd3aQs4DrgtByqAvbgaK9K9Vcp_4libqGUShD_fo00DR0GNw3gw/s320/Quad%20Gates%20-%20HSR.CA.gov.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Quad Gates - Idiot proof!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">A more expensive solution
would be what’s called “grade separation”, in effect running the trains on an
elevated track so that road traffic can pass underneath.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But that would be a multi-billion dollar
expense.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">On Brightline’s newest tracks
to Orlando grade crossings are all but eliminated, allowing trains to speed
along safely at 125 mph.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But along the
older, densely populated east coast tracks the trains are limited to 79
mph.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Still, that’s way too fast to “outrun”
if you’re in a car or truck.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Public education campaigns don’t
seem to have helped, either.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Signage at
crossings now warns people of the dangers in English, Spanish and Creole. <o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">What does this mean for our
trains in Connecticut?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well, the main
line of Metro-North from NY to New Haven doesn’t have any level grade
crossings, though there are plenty of them on the New Canaan, Danbury and
Waterbury branch lines.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Also on the
Hartford line running north from New Haven to Springfield MA.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Most grade crossings are
equipped with gates and flashing lights, but some lack both, equipped only with
“cross buck” signs in the shape of a large X.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They read “stop, look and listen”.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Forgotten in all this
discussion is the emotional effect on the railroad engineers involved in these
crashes. They see the inevitable coming but can’t stop their trains and must
know what’s about to happen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It takes a
long time for engineers to recover from the trauma.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">So kudos to Brightline for
running such a popular new train service.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But let’s remember that faster trains are also more dangerous.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And when it’s trains vs vehicles, the trains
always “win”.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">Read more "Talking Transportation" (c) at:
http://talkingtransportation.blogspot.com/</div>JIM CAMERONhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07619138540116037421noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12900368.post-33055368358146191562024-01-12T13:31:00.002-05:002024-01-12T13:31:30.991-05:00SAVING ON AUTO INSURANCE<p><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Are you paying too much for
auto insurance? You’re not alone as
rates in Connecticut went <a href="https://www.spglobal.com/marketintelligence/en/news-insights/latest-news-headlines/us-private-auto-insurance-rates-see-double-digit-jump-in-2023-77178794">up
8% last year</a> and 20% since 2018 thanks to inflation, higher repair costs
and riskier driving by too many drivers.</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">But now there’s a way to lower
your rates significantly … if you are willing to let Big Brother monitor your
driving habits online via <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telematics#Auto_insurance/Usage-based_insurance_(UBI)">Telematics</a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All of the major insurance companies are now employing
this technology to better understand their customers’ driving style and reward
good drivers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMbXzHlVwYqWQgjn1TenPc7mZdVb_76VbrICeibWfbaAStJKns5nvH_sp520JSpBWHDKSN93YOqLmHuhrV8HzVqzFX6lvWLbnlTkn-vLsf7ZDAH_huHBwSjkX4cyeOj7ac8AFc1zx0mJpB8JZd7rTYhgRTen3JCpIi7MpnIpjSO_ketTkTqQ/s800/Telematics.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="481" data-original-width="800" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMbXzHlVwYqWQgjn1TenPc7mZdVb_76VbrICeibWfbaAStJKns5nvH_sp520JSpBWHDKSN93YOqLmHuhrV8HzVqzFX6lvWLbnlTkn-vLsf7ZDAH_huHBwSjkX4cyeOj7ac8AFc1zx0mJpB8JZd7rTYhgRTen3JCpIi7MpnIpjSO_ketTkTqQ/s320/Telematics.jpg" width="320" /></a></b></div><b><br /> <o:p></o:p></b><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">When first launched almost 20
years ago this meant you’d have to plug a fob into your car’s OBD (on board
diagnostics) connection which would monitor how you drive for a few
months.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You’d send the fob back to the
insurance company which would analyze the data and “rate” your policy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How much you drove (distance), how fast you
drove and when you drove would determine your premium.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Think of it this way:<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">If you were shopping for life
insurance you’d first have to take a physical exam.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you were in good health, didn’t smoke and
took care of yourself, the life insurance company would charge you less.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But if you’re overweight, have a two-pack-day
habit and have high cholesterol, you’re a bigger risk and would be charged
more.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So you had an incentive to stay in
good health, not only to live longer but pay less for life insurance.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Now drivers can do the same
thing… not with the old fob plug-in but just by downloading a smartphone app
which monitors your driving.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">‘<a href="https://www.thehartford.com/aarp/car-insurance/discounts/truelane">TrueLane</a>’
is just such an app used by The Hartford, our hometown insurance company and
one of the bigger underwriters in the state.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I’ve been experimenting with the app for a few weeks and love it… but
still have some concerns.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Each time I drive the TrueLane
app knows where I drove, when and how I drove… scoring me on braking,
acceleration, cornering, speed and use of my phone while driving.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It gives me a score and dings me for
offenses.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The neat thing is it shows on
a map where I may have braked too hard or took a corner too fast, teaching me
what I did wrong and, hopefully, improving my skills.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My incentive:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>a 12 – 25% premium discount if I maintain a score of 90% or better.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So far, driving a Prius where acceleration is
already a challenge, I’m scoring about 97%.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">But do I want Big Brother
knowing this much about my driving?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Do I
really want some actuary in Hartford to know where drove and when?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Is my data really private?<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Most of my driving is short,
local trips.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But what if I drove into
midtown Manhattan at rush hour?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Do I get
penalized for that?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or what if I’m
driving at 3 am, a very risky time when a lot of drunks are on the road?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Do I get punished for that?<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="https://www.pcmag.com/how-to/how-to-get-google-to-quit-tracking-you">Our
phones already know</a> a lot of that information and most of us never think
twice about that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But if you’re a good
driver and want to be rewarded for that behavior with lower premiums, one of
these programs might be worth checking.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">Read more "Talking Transportation" (c) at:
http://talkingtransportation.blogspot.com/</div>JIM CAMERONhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07619138540116037421noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12900368.post-53840654199686652462024-01-06T10:49:00.003-05:002024-01-06T10:49:56.636-05:00ARE EVs IN CONNECTICUT RUNNING OUT OF GAS?<p><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Thinking of getting an EV
(electric vehicle) this year? Well,
there’s good news and bad.</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">As many as 50 new EV models
are expected this year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And with </span></b><a href="https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/credits-for-new-clean-vehicles-purchased-in-2023-or-after"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">new
tax incentives</span></b></a><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"> you can get an immediate $7500 credit from the
IRS at the dealership without waiting to file your taxes.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">But there’s plenty of bad news
for EVs, too.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">First came the recent rejection
of Governor Lamont’s plan to follow California (and other states) in banning
the sale in Connecticut of ICE (internal combustion engine) gasoline powered
cars after 2035.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not that the proposal
ever came to a public referendum or even a full vote in the legislature.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rather, the little-know legislature’s Regulation
Review Committee was poised to vote on the ban when the Governor counted votes
and “</span></b><a href="https://ctmirror.org/2023/11/27/ct-gas-car-ban-regulation-withdrawn-ned-lamont/"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">pulled
the plug</span></b></a><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">”, fearing they would reject his plan.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The Governor still supports the
idea and seems headed toward an up or down vote by the General Assembly, though
recent polling doesn’t seem to show a lot of public support.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Then came word that the state
would no longer be offering free EV charging at our interstate highway service
areas. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After all, these charging
stations can cost upwards of $100,000 to install and electricity costs in
Connecticut are the third highest in the US. So why should EV owners get a
literally free ride while the rest of us are paying at the pump?</span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIpwGtto5BsQPiYZpVvZyrwaf1pqbxaWiY5ad56WaGeYUDrBcpVMD0erhfCC1p0oIYuVVWrq15gYjfHyDn6G7uhO5FaFTl_q8ZBuJwc9XBYnulLVTnit_4x8xEleyX2Qb07-aLf0j2dG8wACqAI-WvzDlnK3sDTjTnWxB0S5sK-4mq1Dv9Mw/s1024/EV%20CHARGE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="652" data-original-width="1024" height="204" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIpwGtto5BsQPiYZpVvZyrwaf1pqbxaWiY5ad56WaGeYUDrBcpVMD0erhfCC1p0oIYuVVWrq15gYjfHyDn6G7uhO5FaFTl_q8ZBuJwc9XBYnulLVTnit_4x8xEleyX2Qb07-aLf0j2dG8wACqAI-WvzDlnK3sDTjTnWxB0S5sK-4mq1Dv9Mw/s320/EV%20CHARGE.jpg" width="320" /></a></b></div><b><br /><o:p></o:p></b><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Even UConn students will be asked
to pay for their EV charging at their 50 campus stations across the state.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And </span></b><a href="https://www.ctpublic.org/news/2023-05-15/connecticut-colleges-and-towns-ask-should-they-make-motorists-pay-to-charge-electric-vehicles"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">municipalities
are moving away</span></b></a><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"> from free charging too.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Yes, EVs are cleaner.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But they’re still more expensive to buy, even
with tax incentives. They’re more costly to insure than regular cars.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Given their batteries, EVs are heavier,
causing more damage to our roads… which depend on gasoline taxes (which EV
owners don’t pay) for their upkeep.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Depending on where you charge
your EV, away from home you’ll pay about 56 cents per kWh, twice the cost of
charging at home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That means doing a
fast-charge on, say, a Tesla can cost over $40, about the same as a full tank
of gasoline.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Eversource predicts a 70%
increase in electricity demand in Connecticut by 2050.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So the question is… where’s the generating
capacity going to come from and will there be enough to literally keep the
lights on and charge our EVs?<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Today some 46% of our
electricity is generated using natural gas and 23% of it comes from nuclear
power.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Only 3% of Connecticut’s
electricity comes from wind power, so a lot is riding on expanding that technology
to meet growing demand.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">It’s disconcerting to see
major Northeast wind-farm deals getting </span></b><a href="https://gothamist.com/news/developers-cancel-major-wind-project-off-long-island-citing-economic-headwinds"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">canceled</span></b></a><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"> or </span></b><a href="https://ctexaminer.com/2023/10/03/avangrid-cancels-park-city-wind-contract-pays-state-16m-penalty/"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">renegotiated
at higher rates</span></b></a><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"> as the contractors blame supply chain
issues and inflation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’re not building
new generating facilities fast enough to meet demand, which will only drive up
pricing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Converting our driving to
all-EV is an admirable aspiration but won’t be without its challenges… or
costs.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">Read more "Talking Transportation" (c) at:
http://talkingtransportation.blogspot.com/</div>JIM CAMERONhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07619138540116037421noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12900368.post-41584524770895925262023-12-29T11:32:00.003-05:002023-12-29T11:32:29.432-05:00RED LIGHT, GREEN LIGHT<p> <b><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Did you ever wonder why
our street stoplights designate red as “stop” and green as “go”? </span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWO2w_j2-SqCvPVPNZJ6Mzo8Q4Vojrx9_aUMaQBrsuaK8sEaunL5MSC_0ZnoLGgRn8xQiKjvXROiNxluTDVGLptW5PpY8uehibdb0LMeVDEFu6JqSzu2r0toOg-QH0yrzwo8qpw1TG7b-FONc53fCC4_YIt2Atq-qlIgqmTb546KBpSMZMbQ/s1200/Stop%20Light%20GIF%20-%20Handyman.com.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWO2w_j2-SqCvPVPNZJ6Mzo8Q4Vojrx9_aUMaQBrsuaK8sEaunL5MSC_0ZnoLGgRn8xQiKjvXROiNxluTDVGLptW5PpY8uehibdb0LMeVDEFu6JqSzu2r0toOg-QH0yrzwo8qpw1TG7b-FONc53fCC4_YIt2Atq-qlIgqmTb546KBpSMZMbQ/s320/Stop%20Light%20GIF%20-%20Handyman.com.gif" width="320" /></a></b></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Well, in the 1840s the
British railroads adopted a flag, lamp and semaphore signal system where red
meant danger, white meant safety and green indicated proceed with
caution. They took their inspiration from early industrialization
where factory machines used red to indicate when equipment was off and green
when turned on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But one time the red
glass lens on a signal lamp dropped out of its socket, showing a white light,
which then caused a rail collision.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Traditionally red has
evoked danger and green, a more calming influence. But it was
optical science that reinforced the choice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Red has the longest wavelength in the visible spectrum and is less
likely to be interfered with by other light sources in what’s known as “</span></b><span style="color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Light_scattering_by_particles"><b><span style="color: #3778cd; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">light scattering</span></b></a></span><b><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">”. Think of fog or dust in the air. Red light
penetrates best.</span></b><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">By the 1860s traffic
conditions in London prompted officials to seek a way of controlling
horse-drawn carriages with a signal system and opted for the railroad scheme of
color-coded semaphores and lights controlled by a policeman, often perched on a
raised kiosk in the middle of the intersection.</span></b><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">You can credit American
police officer William Potts for the invention of the first traffic lights in
Detroit in 1920. But back then they were still sequenced by an
officer, making traffic control expensive. Eventually, a timer
system was introduced to sequence the flow. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But there was also a system activated by
sound.</span></b><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">A microphone was
installed on the light pole and when a car approached it would honk its horn
and the light would turn green… but just for ten seconds to allow that one car
to get through. You can imagine the problem that was going to
create.</span></b><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Today we use not only
timers but some sophisticated measuring devices to sequence traffic lights,
including </span></b><span style="color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;"><a href="https://diamondtraffic.com/technicaldescription/124"><b><span style="color: #3778cd; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">inductive loops</span></b></a></span><b><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">. You’ve probably seen signs of them,
buried in the pavement, as you pull up to an intersection,. They
measure the metal in cars as they drive over them, allowing the system to know
that a car is there waiting for a green signal.</span></b><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Even the traffic lights
themselves have improved. They now measure either eight or twelve
inches in diameter and must be visible in every lighting
condition. The older incandescent bulbs that illuminated them used
to burn at 175 watts and needed constant replacement. Now they’re
being replaced with high endurance LED lamps which give as much light but only
require 10 – 25 watts of electricity.</span></b><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">To help the </span></b><span style="color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;"><a href="https://www.wltz.com/2017/07/20/millions-americans-color-blind/"><b><span style="color: #3778cd; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">13 million Americans who are color blind</span></b></a></span><b><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">, stoplights are always arranged with red on top and green
on the bottom.</span></b><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Given the sophisticated
technology and engineering time spent on designing a stoplight system for an
intersection, they’re not cheap. A fully equipped setup can cost
between </span></b><span style="color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;"><a href="https://wsdot.wa.gov/travel/operations-services/traffic-signals"><b><span style="color: #3778cd; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">$250,000 and a half-million</span></b></a></span><b><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"> dollars with an annual maintenance cost of $8000.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s why towns and CDOT are so reluctant to
add new lights, despite requests.</span></b><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">Read more "Talking Transportation" (c) at:
http://talkingtransportation.blogspot.com/</div>JIM CAMERONhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07619138540116037421noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12900368.post-7771120635404782352023-12-22T09:26:00.004-05:002023-12-29T11:31:17.533-05:00THE SANTAS WHO WEAR BROWN<p> <b><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Did Santa make it on time this year? Well, thanks
should also go to United Parcel Service, or UPS.</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">As I wrote a few years ago… When UPS was founded as the
American Messenger Company in Seattle in 1907, most deliveries back then were
to stores, not customers, and were done on foot or by
bicycle. Adding a Model T to their fleet in 1913, the company
started serving neighborhoods. By 1930 the company expanded to most
cities in the East and Midwest, adding delivery by cargo-airline partnerships to their modes of transportation.</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">From 1975 to 1982 UPS was headquartered in Greenwich CT and
was serving all 48 contiguous states and Puerto Rico. In 1988 UPS
launched its own airline fleet, now the 10<sup>th</sup> largest in the US
and serving 815 destinations worldwide. In
1991 UPS acquired Mailboxes Etc and re-branded its 5000 independently owned
stores as </span></b><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_UPS_Store"><b><span style="color: #3778cd; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">UPS Stores</span></b></a></span><b><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">.</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">But how do they do it?</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">When a package enters the UPS system it goes first to the
closest hub by truck, train (if less than 200 miles) or by air (if
farther). After an initial sort it then goes to the hub nearest the
final destination. UPS operates airport
sorting hubs in Philadelphia, Dallas, Ontario CA, Rockford IL and its largest
in Louisville KY, known as Worldport. </span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsY65R2icWBa-TesF_sgJivv1Csi19WFc2Tz9YB5IgIEaaIg0A72AQqUaAzxWaW6A2pwElt6xXw-3vsbIp_Q5sbfgM5tXGl6Wgmjh85LsUmhqFT2QsER9NYF7PuPFjv1dmzcCqzipDJCAVVRLMAt9lZlCCeuKhmAeHXJ9oCf_Hx2Bh_19KMQ/s8400/1224906~UPS%20Inside%20Operations.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5600" data-original-width="8400" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsY65R2icWBa-TesF_sgJivv1Csi19WFc2Tz9YB5IgIEaaIg0A72AQqUaAzxWaW6A2pwElt6xXw-3vsbIp_Q5sbfgM5tXGl6Wgmjh85LsUmhqFT2QsER9NYF7PuPFjv1dmzcCqzipDJCAVVRLMAt9lZlCCeuKhmAeHXJ9oCf_Hx2Bh_19KMQ/s320/1224906~UPS%20Inside%20Operations.jpg" width="320" /></a></b></div><b><br /></b><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louisville_International_Airport#Worldport"><b><span style="color: #3778cd; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Worldport</span></b></a></span><b><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"> is a five million square foot complex the size of 90
football fields with 300 plane loads of packages arriving 24 hours a
day. The facility can sort 416,000 packages an
hour. Processing time is about ten minutes per package. It
is heavily automated, boasting 33,000 conveyors covering 55 miles in length.</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">The packages are then shipped again to the hub nearest the
destination and trucked to local warehouses.
Here’s where more serious technology comes into play with a system
called </span></b><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="https://about.ups.com/us/en/newsroom/press-releases/innovation-driven/ups-to-enhance-orion-with-continuous-delivery-route-optimization.html"><b><span style="color: #3778cd; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">ORION</span></b></a></span><b><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">, <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">On-Road Integrated
Optimization and Navigation. The software has 80 pages of algorithms
combining maps, customer information, traffic conditions, pick-up requests and
package priorities to give each driver the fastest route to complete deliveries.</span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">One of ORION’s time savings tricks
is </span></b><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ups-efficiency-secret-our-trucks-never-turn-left-2011-3"><b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #3778cd; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">avoiding
left hand turns</span></b></a></span><b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"> for
drivers. Not only are right hand turns faster but they’re
safer. UPS says that saves their drivers 20 million miles of
driving, </span></b><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="https://www.wired.com/2014/02/dont-fear-work-automation-overlords-welcome/"><b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #3778cd; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">98
million minutes of idling</span></b></a></span><b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"> and
9 million gallons of fuel a year.</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">UPS vehicles even have their own GPS
system giving its drivers detailed information about each
destination. As the driver gets close to the drop-off location </span></b><b><u><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #3778cd; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">the system beeps</span></u></b><b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">, telling him (or her) to slow down.</span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDfaS-mgfQnuyiRXZgG6e04pw14MYpIz8Z-0EjNgIXSWuJOG0K8YyQAQ2AfbYXNVhN1Hb6fGl64FUAWxedQTgrHMTt_Hi9OMVnf0OTGb0dLYjVQQ_cPs5mtw-WmMRQZXlBfESkUoFe42k9o_kX-X19g3UXBlPrkJ-tvZFJbx4vCQ1aIbKcTA/s962/what-does-a-delivery-driver-do-d.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="888" data-original-width="962" height="295" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDfaS-mgfQnuyiRXZgG6e04pw14MYpIz8Z-0EjNgIXSWuJOG0K8YyQAQ2AfbYXNVhN1Hb6fGl64FUAWxedQTgrHMTt_Hi9OMVnf0OTGb0dLYjVQQ_cPs5mtw-WmMRQZXlBfESkUoFe42k9o_kX-X19g3UXBlPrkJ-tvZFJbx4vCQ1aIbKcTA/s320/what-does-a-delivery-driver-do-d.jpg" width="320" /></a></b></div><b><br /></b><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">When the big brown truck pulls up in
front of your house to make a delivery you’ll notice the driver usually stops
the engine. He doesn’t stroll to your door, he jogs! With
hundreds of deliveries per day per driver, it all adds up.</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Sometimes the driver needs you to sign
to accept the delivery. Even that involves some amazing tech…
DIAD, </span></b><b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #424242; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">the </span></b><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="https://www.theverge.com/2012/2/29/2833318/ups-diad-v-handheld-shipping-computer-launched"><b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #3778cd; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Delivery
Information Acquisition Device</span></b></a></span><b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #424242; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">, </span></b><b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">a 1.3
pound handheld computer that scans barcodes, collects signatures and stores
information about each package. </span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">So hopefully Santa’s helpers in the
brown uniforms have delivered your gifts on time, making for the merriest of
Christmases.</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="background: white; color: #444444; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">Read more "Talking Transportation" (c) at:
http://talkingtransportation.blogspot.com/</div>JIM CAMERONhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07619138540116037421noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12900368.post-69261168381609331822023-12-15T17:04:00.001-05:002023-12-15T17:04:23.580-05:00DO POLITICIANS UNDERSTAND COMMUTERS?<p><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Do the folks in state
government know what it’s like to be a commuter?</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">When’s the last time that
Governor Ned Lamont took a train… not for a photo op, but for real?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He does have a home in Greenwich so he could
be enjoying the great service on <a href="https://www.hartfordline.com/">The
Hartford Line</a> and Metro-North.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But
it seems he’s always driving around in that big (chauffeured) SUV which, by the
way, is not electric (despite his calls for Connecticut to “go green” and
all-electric by 2035!)<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">C’mon Governor:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>walk the talk!<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Or how about our
lawmakers?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When the legislature is in
session, why aren’t they on the train also?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And why do State Representatives and State Senators all have special
license plates for their cars?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Does that
give them special parking privileges or an exemption from law enforcement?</span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-I7_UjpAphYm-KFrrTlsW2o17uZGarwx_HARkMl3vcA2HJPgZdsXTkmhrOD3Fm2hSZhSD1KTcCaleTP2mFllAl5_Z76ebOuMSJ7cgT8gHWwsFgRWUh9i5BshCqcU_pkWMQpZDPqLR8ZNVll3P-9US33GMeng3NQeOfD1OylfPcMf_juyeoQ/s1200/ct2011-13leg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="1200" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-I7_UjpAphYm-KFrrTlsW2o17uZGarwx_HARkMl3vcA2HJPgZdsXTkmhrOD3Fm2hSZhSD1KTcCaleTP2mFllAl5_Z76ebOuMSJ7cgT8gHWwsFgRWUh9i5BshCqcU_pkWMQpZDPqLR8ZNVll3P-9US33GMeng3NQeOfD1OylfPcMf_juyeoQ/s320/ct2011-13leg.jpg" width="320" /></a></b></div><b><br /><o:p></o:p></b><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Admittedly, if the people we
send to Hartford to represent us are all driving, at least they know how bad
the roads are… not that they’ve done anything to improve on that gridlock.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But if they took our trains and buses I’m
guessing maybe they’d fix what’s wrong there, pronto.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">And then there’s the
CDOT.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Their beautiful new headquarters
in Newington on Berlin Turnpike is serviced by four CT Transit<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>bus routes, including one from Hartford’s
Union (train) Station.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But I wonder how
many staffers opt to ride the very mass transit system their agency funds as
their giant parking lot always seems full.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Before Michael Bloomberg was
elected Mayor of New York City, and quite often while he was in office, he rode
on the subways to get to work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His
successors did not.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In Boston,
then-Governor Michael Dukakis regularly rode “The T”.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">These days they’d probably
claim it’s “security” that prevents them from riding mass transit, but that
sounds like more of an excuse than explanation.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">This week’s column was
inspired by DC Mayor Muriel Bowser’s recent admission that <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/critics-demolish-liberal-dc-mayor-forgetting-where-her-own-citys-metro-lines-go-absolute-embarrassment">she
doesn’t even know where her city’s Metro lines run</a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I guess she doesn’t ride either?<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Does Governor Lamont know what
it’s like to ride on standing-room-only Metro-North trains at rush hour?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or has he tried to take Shore Line East to
New London with its four-and-a-half hour gaps in service from New Haven?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnHIXDBQ2GP2ZeNiXYhTqS16C2uByLzfw-Pw1y8m7i4Yreb9lDx4Q-UuhhnEsIA0puv6Y57z__uD9BAbqfg_c1_qyhWUQtDewHCLoOVL1O5-ys9MeQEllGTT_Szpq9lvYjFBE4MOekwc-Ks7G7z_r5ZLv79epZ_0xttM_-TS0YnVeLXfpowg/s1594/Crowded%20Train%20-%20Twitter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1594" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnHIXDBQ2GP2ZeNiXYhTqS16C2uByLzfw-Pw1y8m7i4Yreb9lDx4Q-UuhhnEsIA0puv6Y57z__uD9BAbqfg_c1_qyhWUQtDewHCLoOVL1O5-ys9MeQEllGTT_Szpq9lvYjFBE4MOekwc-Ks7G7z_r5ZLv79epZ_0xttM_-TS0YnVeLXfpowg/s320/Crowded%20Train%20-%20Twitter.jpg" width="241" /></a></b></div><b><br /> <o:p></o:p></b><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Or consider our state’s bus
system:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>how many elected officials, even
locally, have ridden the buses their constituents rely on every day?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If they haven’t, how can they empathize with
what it’s like, let alone fix it?<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">So who’s to represent the
commuter?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why, the newly formed CPTC,
the <a href="https://connecticutcommuterrailcouncil.org/">Connecticut Public
Transportation Council</a>, successor to the Commuter Council.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But its Chairman, Jim Gildea, tells me he
gets the cold shoulder from the CDOT, no longer invited to media events where
the pols wrench their shoulders patting their own backs about how much they’re
supporting mass transit.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">While the CPTC meets monthly
and is always attended by Metro-North’s staff, the CDOT only shows up quarterly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And when big announcements about schedule
changes and such are upcoming, the Council is given no advance notice.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The new year would be a great
chance for the folks who write our laws and run our state’s mass transit to
change their commuting patterns and understand better what its really like to
be a commuter.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">Read more "Talking Transportation" (c) at:
http://talkingtransportation.blogspot.com/</div>JIM CAMERONhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07619138540116037421noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12900368.post-35486221456293975542023-12-08T17:48:00.000-05:002023-12-08T17:48:21.055-05:00YOUR TURN: WHY DO YOU HATE I-95<p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmRJdjBdl_0HyvhVOPbBLWYgUmPKJg86_SvcjqZsNmGKTbs-y4joynJnvkNyG_-ui0dpwFm1ggbjAX0NvCJGNOZGUIJxqFqgS6QYXdAgqaj6Kw_CqF_L-A6m0EIx-eIzfmiHZj4GOUm7cvEU5HUJcV37NKJi4ZSbr0dIYJzjPVkvSF9DUUTA/s600/Stamford-traffic-%20source%20=%20Westfair.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmRJdjBdl_0HyvhVOPbBLWYgUmPKJg86_SvcjqZsNmGKTbs-y4joynJnvkNyG_-ui0dpwFm1ggbjAX0NvCJGNOZGUIJxqFqgS6QYXdAgqaj6Kw_CqF_L-A6m0EIx-eIzfmiHZj4GOUm7cvEU5HUJcV37NKJi4ZSbr0dIYJzjPVkvSF9DUUTA/s320/Stamford-traffic-%20source%20=%20Westfair.jpg" width="320" /></a></b></div><b><br />Last week’s column (<a href="https://ctmirror.org/2023/12/03/why-we-love-to-hate-i-95/">“Why We Love
To Hate I-95”</a>) apparently struck a nerve, generating a lot of comments,
some of which I thought I’d share here.</b><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Carolanne wrote “I-95 needs to
be re-paved.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ever notice how uneven the
interstate is?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s very unsafe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As for (lack of State) police, thank you Democrats
(for defunding law enforcement.)”<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Commenting on the highway’s
condition, Pam from Darien said “I need to follow up with CDOT about the claim
I put in for $350 for repairs to my car after driving on freshly laid pavement
this summer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The black splatters
covering my white car had to be removed professionally. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I HATE I-95.”<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The biggest number of comments
came after my suggestion that, to reduce the use of I-95 by local traffic, some
of the road’s 93 exits be closed.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">For background, this was an
idea studied 20 years ago by the <a href="https://www.ct.gov/opm/lib/opm/tsb/reports_tsb/tsb2003report.pdf">Transportation
Strategy Board</a> (TSB).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While some people
loved the idea of closing exits (many of which are less than a mile apart),
they only wanted to close exits <i>they</i> never used, not of course “their”
exits.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So this idea, like so many
suggestions of the TSB, <a href="https://ctmirror.org/2019/04/02/transportation-strategy-board-deja-vu/">went
nowhere</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Barb in New London reminded me
that the only way to cross the Thames and Connecticut Rivers (and not drive 20
miles out of your way) is to use I-95’s bridges, one of which was in gridlock
recently after <a href="https://www.ctinsider.com/news/article/ct-traffic-delays-i-95-new-london-bridge-road-work-18483874.php">emergency
repairs</a> due to crumbling concrete headers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>She also pointed out that CDOT is not keeping the roadway or breakdown
lanes clear of debris… “furniture, dog crates and bags of garbage… sometimes
there for days,” she wrote.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">But the best email I received
was from a retired Traffic and ITS (Intelligent Traffic Systems) engineer now
living in Glastonbury.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He writes “<span style="background: white; color: #222222;">I-95 was designed and built over 65
years ago. The world and highway design has changed a lot since then. It’s long
past the time that I-95 is brought into the 21st Century but the regional
planning agencies who set priorities for spending, have long refused to
prioritize improvements.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">He
continued…”</span></b><b><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">I
remember 40 years ago thinking the state will someday address it but here we
are 40 years later and it’s worse than ever. </span></b><b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Everyone I know complains about it and says something
should be done. So why then, after decades, is nothing being done? That is what
should be addressed. Who is to blame? CTDOT? WestCOG? The Governor? The
State Legislature? The towns? This is what the media should be addressing. It’s
the only way to break the never ending logjam that has led to more ‘do nothing’
“<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Love it or hate it, I-95
is the carotid artery of this state’s economy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It is vital to all of our lives (even if you never drive on it).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But like many of our own arteries, it’s
beyond being clogged.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s a heart
attack waiting to happen.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p><br /><p></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">Read more "Talking Transportation" (c) at:
http://talkingtransportation.blogspot.com/</div>JIM CAMERONhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07619138540116037421noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12900368.post-62065391474294216672023-12-01T14:08:00.002-05:002023-12-01T14:08:34.160-05:00WHY WE LOVE TO HATE I-95<p><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Someone recently described me
as “the Lewis Black of transportation”:
angry, cynical and sarcastic. That’s
high praise, in my view. So imagine my
surprise that when Lewis performed recently in Waterbury and New London <a href="https://youtu.be/kFbqbqLJhTU?si=UuX2xx4cW7bkFsbL&t=200">he</a> <a href="https://youtu.be/kFbqbqLJhTU?si=UuX2xx4cW7bkFsbL&t=200">riffed on the
highway we love to hate: I-95</a>.</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><i><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">“I lived in Connecticut for
five years (attending the Yale School of Drama),”</span></i></b><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"> he
told the crowd.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i>“There’s nothing more
joyous than driving up I-95.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hooo!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Literally, all they do is repair it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They’re never going to finish it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s like a state law… in order to get
through Connecticut you must spend an hour in your car bitching and
moaning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now that there’s money for
infrastructure, you can count on this going on for the next 100 years.”</i><o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">See if this list captures the
essence of your angst about Connecticut’s busiest highway:<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">TRAFFIC:<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Some 200,000 vehicles a day drive some of
the 89 miles of I-95 in Connecticut.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>That’s double the original design capacity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No wonder the road always seems congested, also
perhaps because we have…</span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhduqa8_P2oACoIjXlavh8ZLcOOYQ4d6SSqbRC5qYRqJj-_pKN0HitmTarE0Hdp-HhTMWotfE4JENkkFdNDMs3CUgiSFAn9s1IL6NJgivyw2yhHvf_vy-t-9PKAnMD2qwz9stnbQn4Ib8gZA0DDnlCZjvYzSqpRB4T1Us_YUESRDO9M1fNpfw/s1150/I95%20Stamford%20-%20Stamford%20Advocate.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="767" data-original-width="1150" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhduqa8_P2oACoIjXlavh8ZLcOOYQ4d6SSqbRC5qYRqJj-_pKN0HitmTarE0Hdp-HhTMWotfE4JENkkFdNDMs3CUgiSFAn9s1IL6NJgivyw2yhHvf_vy-t-9PKAnMD2qwz9stnbQn4Ib8gZA0DDnlCZjvYzSqpRB4T1Us_YUESRDO9M1fNpfw/s320/I95%20Stamford%20-%20Stamford%20Advocate.jpg" width="320" /></a></b></div><b><br /><o:p></o:p></b><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">TOO MANY EXITS:<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I-95
is supposed to be an interstate highway but ends up being a short cut for local
traffic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>According to the CDOT the average
distance driven on I-95, including vehicles going from Florida to Maine, is
just 11 miles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why are there 93 exits in
just 89 miles?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On the New Jersey
Turnpike there are only 18 exits over its 117 mile length.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">TRUCKS:<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Oh, we love to hate them, don’t we?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They clog and hog “our” road and are so heavy
they’ve dug track-like ruts in the pavement, creating a kind of cruise control
for unaware drivers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But remember… we
put those trucks on the road through our voracious consumption and demand for
ever-faster deliveries.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">OPERATIONAL LANES:<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Ever notice those surprise “extra lanes”
between some on-ramps and off-ramps, helping to merge traffic?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They’re great… until some bozo from out of
state gets in them and is surprised to find, always at the last minute, that
they only run a few hundred yards and they have to merge back into the flow.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">BROKEN STREET LIGHTS:<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The busiest sections of I-95 are supposed
to be illuminated by overhead street lights to increase safety.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But do they work?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of course not.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Are they ever fixed?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Doesn’t seem so.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">SERVICE AREAS:<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Local
Connecticut drivers are smart enough not to buy gasoline on I-95:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>the prices on the highway are 20 – 30 cents
higher than local gas stations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And as
for food, did you know that one of the <a href="https://www.wtnh.com/food/food-in-connecticut/big-mac-big-bucks-connecticut-mcdonalds-among-most-expensive-in-the-u-s/">most
expensive McDonalds</a> in the US is at the northbound service area in Darien
where a Big Mac combo meal costs big bucks… $18?<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">NOT ENOUGH TROOPERS:<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>For such a busy highway, there are only a
handful of State Troopers on patrol, coping with accidents, breakdowns and, as
time allows, <a href="https://westportjournal.com/police-fire/state-cops-elusive-120-mph-drivers-route-included-westport/">chasing
after speeders</a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If we want to be
safe, we need more officers enforcing the traffic rules.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">What are your favorite gripes
about I-95?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Drop me a line and let me
know what I missed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Meantime… happy
motoring!<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">Read more "Talking Transportation" (c) at:
http://talkingtransportation.blogspot.com/</div>JIM CAMERONhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07619138540116037421noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12900368.post-15862367655705121672023-11-24T09:37:00.004-05:002023-11-24T09:37:56.063-05:00TRAINS, PLANES & AUTOMOBILES<p><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: bold; line-height: 150%;">Over Thanksgiving I’ve been
musing on some recent developments.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">TRAINS:<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Are you heading into NYC to go
shopping?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Veteran riders will remember
when Metro-North would offer “Shopper Specials” trains to handle the crowds,
but no more.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The trains may be seeing
more passengers but the railroad tells me only that they are “<span style="background: white; color: #222222;">monitoring ridership carefully and (are)
prepared to quickly add trains to any of (the) lines if demand calls for it.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tell that to the standees on many rush-hour
trains.</span></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVIKbwSlmeBsw0NimAWIXv7Xl43FUCrm0Yb9QirJCQ1DseGfi4WW_ZAHWYhWXitlMzNhBQjQsU-meb59CJ-kibqpVwnw6a_O1yk0cqru-kQxcYeyX4M5YPaI8WvjtMbMGVBI3lBk4vMExApkSdpZAZzHimCV-mBFHgl2r2u-nJhpCEeh-cMg/s1102/Trains%20Planes%20movie%20-%20Paramount.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="749" data-original-width="1102" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVIKbwSlmeBsw0NimAWIXv7Xl43FUCrm0Yb9QirJCQ1DseGfi4WW_ZAHWYhWXitlMzNhBQjQsU-meb59CJ-kibqpVwnw6a_O1yk0cqru-kQxcYeyX4M5YPaI8WvjtMbMGVBI3lBk4vMExApkSdpZAZzHimCV-mBFHgl2r2u-nJhpCEeh-cMg/s320/Trains%20Planes%20movie%20-%20Paramount.jpg" width="320" /></a></b></div><b><br /><o:p></o:p></b><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">PLANES:<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">If you’re one of the 3 million
Americans who flew on Sunday, congratulations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>That’s a new one-day record, according to the TSA.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But that’s nothing compared to the </span></b><a href="https://gothamist.com/news/thanksgiving-nyc-subway-record-air-travel-2023"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">5.7
million New Yorkers</span></b></a><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"> who take the subway, bus or commuter rail
<i>each day </i>in NYC.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just saying.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">AUTOMOBILES:<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">What’s really been bothering
me this week is the unchecked pedestrian carnage in our city streets caused by
rogue drivers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">In Stamford last week a 74-year-old
woman was killed in a hit and run as she crossed the street at 6:15 am,
apparently not in a crosswalk.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This
follows the slaughter of two restaurant workers last December as they crossed
the street in Stamford, in a crosswalk, and were struck by a 24-year-old from
Greenwich who didn’t even hit his brakes as he fled the scene.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">And last March a 63-year-old
Greenwich woman, walking her dog away from the roadway, was </span></b><a href="https://greenwichfreepress.com/police-fire/pedestrian-struck-by-car-in-glenville-had-died-police-release-her-identity-196128/"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">killed
by a motorist</span></b></a><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"> in the Glenville neighborhood.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Pedestrian deaths in other Connecticut cities
are just as frequent.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Where are the local police
departments?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why don’t they enforce the
law, ticketing jay-walkers and speeding drivers?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why is walking a game of “Survivor” for
people on foot?<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">As for the state’s plan to
require everybody to “go electric” in their car buying by 2035, it seems there
is far from universal support for the idea.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">This summer DEEP (the
Department of Environmental Protection) asked for comments on the plan to ban
the sale of petroleum-powered cars and got more than 4000 responses.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While the agency says the public
“overwhelmingly supported adoption” of the plan, a further review shows
otherwise.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><a href="https://ctmirror.org/2023/11/22/ct-gas-car-ban-deep/"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Analysis
by The Yankee Institute</span></b></a><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"> showed that 900 of those
comments came from the same email address in a Bridgeport-style attempt to
stuff the ballot box.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of the remaining
responses, hopefully more genuine, 74% opposed the plan and only 25% voiced
support.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">That regulation can move
forward by the vote of just 14 lawmakers later this month, members of the
Legislative Regulatory Review Committee.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But if they vote no then the entire General Assembly would have to
approve it next year, an election year… if they dare.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">I’m guessing nobody is opposed
to the cleaner air that would result from such a scheme.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But the price of electric cars and the lack
of sufficient charging stations would give many pause when considering its
impact on their lives.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">And nobody, in this land of
steady habits, likes being told what they can and cannot do when it comes to
their cars.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">Read more "Talking Transportation" (c) at:
http://talkingtransportation.blogspot.com/</div>JIM CAMERONhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07619138540116037421noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12900368.post-51314239954181004982023-11-17T15:11:00.000-05:002023-11-17T15:11:09.255-05:00MICROTRANSIT<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Tired of fighting all the
traffic and struggling to find parking?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Need to get to the train station, a doctor’s appointment or just want to
go out partying on the weekend?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There’s
a new solution coming your way:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demand-responsive_transport"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Microtransit</span></b></a><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The folks at Uber told me
awhile back that one-third of all their rides in Connecticut are to or from a
train station, what transportation experts call the first / last mile.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But now the state is funding a new,
town-based solution:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>shared vans for as
little as $2 per ride per passenger.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">This week the CDOT announced </span></b><a href="https://portal.ct.gov/Office-of-the-Governor/News/Press-Releases/2023/11-2023/Governor-Lamont-Announces-Launch-of-Microtransit-Pilot-Program"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">nine
pilot projects</span></b></a><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"> to bring Microtransit to communities from
Stamford to Mystic, from Hartford to New Haven.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>To see how this would work, look no further than Norwalk’s </span></b><a href="https://www.wheels2unorwalk.com/"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">WHEELS2U</span></b></a><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"> which
has been running since 2018.</span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie2MkmHXiIAivDDC7zprRR2xyeVHP0FVOfOmSN1pcXp3obyaVlmDCAZneU_MdGDfE8p3Os32Nu0stwP8fxroZUThsbnUAnXr1L0KVtSyKQyHvgNV06dhOuFZxG7x4r3wAYZabAY9nXsO1BBzQNQBHJm_6EQxyoiRRlStZqCR8iooyGfDZj0g/s225/Wheels2U%20Meme%20-%20Wheels2U.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="225" data-original-width="225" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie2MkmHXiIAivDDC7zprRR2xyeVHP0FVOfOmSN1pcXp3obyaVlmDCAZneU_MdGDfE8p3Os32Nu0stwP8fxroZUThsbnUAnXr1L0KVtSyKQyHvgNV06dhOuFZxG7x4r3wAYZabAY9nXsO1BBzQNQBHJm_6EQxyoiRRlStZqCR8iooyGfDZj0g/s1600/Wheels2U%20Meme%20-%20Wheels2U.jpg" width="225" /></a></b></div><b><br /><o:p></o:p></b><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">To grab a ride there all you
need is to </span></b><a href="https://www.wheels2unorwalk.com/how-it-works"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">download
their app</span></b></a><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">, plug in your destination and hit “go”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A van will pick you up in 10-12 minutes for a
shared ride, like an Uber Pool.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And
you’re not allowed to tip the driver.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Norwalk’s WHEELS2U’s three
vans only runs Thursday through Sunday from the afternoon to as late as 11 pm,
but they hope to expand those days and hours.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Pre-COVID they’d carry as many
as 125 passengers per day but these days it’s more like 30, a number they hope
will grow as they’ve just expanded their service area north to the Merritt 7
office district.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Their riders not only go from
the train to work but also head for the bars and restaurants, not having to
worry about limited parking or less-limited imbibing.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">WHEELS2U also operates a </span></b><a href="https://www.wheels2uwestport.com/"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">commuter service in Westport</span></b></a><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">
offering 150 riders a day a lift from their homes to the train stations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Westport service, run by Norwalk Transit,
hopes to expand to other destinations in town, not just the train stations.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The low fares are not expected
to cover operating costs, with the state subsidizing 82% of the cost in Norwalk
and 67% in Westport.</span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVwdjgUC75EllcsAxx0nzgQVKG4WMY3gP2UiWnSPMZI8P94_4-8d-_-nxsgkgT39eBObmzQSpca4xsqh65xJesONH8-XldSiHtUVlvJi9yuiCohm5FNivAZDlsi9KHcmApuBHGbXByEg_mbxsCtAIavKJ9anlHGuZb4lZVnbc4pdBkYsZogg/s1150/Wheels2U%20-%20Norwalk%20Hour.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="767" data-original-width="1150" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVwdjgUC75EllcsAxx0nzgQVKG4WMY3gP2UiWnSPMZI8P94_4-8d-_-nxsgkgT39eBObmzQSpca4xsqh65xJesONH8-XldSiHtUVlvJi9yuiCohm5FNivAZDlsi9KHcmApuBHGbXByEg_mbxsCtAIavKJ9anlHGuZb4lZVnbc4pdBkYsZogg/s320/Wheels2U%20-%20Norwalk%20Hour.jpg" width="320" /></a></b></div><b><br /><o:p></o:p></b><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">“We
receive a lot of feedback on our Microtransit services,” says WHEELS2U CEO Matt
Pentz. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“People in Westport love it,
people in Wilton want it, and our team in Norwalk is very excited about the
innovative opportunities that CTDOT is providing though the pilot project”.</span></b><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">In Bridgeport the bus company,
GBTA, has also been included in the new grant money. They plan to expand
service north to Trumbull with their own app, </span></b><a href="https://www.rideco.com/"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">RIDECO</span></b></a><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">, with
rides provided by the local taxi company.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">“We don’t have to send a 40
foot bus,” says GBTA CEO Doug Holcomb.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>“and as we gather data from the app we can track demand for possible
expansion”.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">GBTA is anticipating demand from
office and factory workers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Eventually
the service may expand to Stratford and Fairfield.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Fixed-route bus service makes
sense in densely populated cities but it’s hoped that Microtransit will bring
on-demand, semi-mass transit to the smaller, more spread-out communities.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">So next time you’re heading
out, save on gas and driving / parking woes by thinking small… Microtransit.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">Read more "Talking Transportation" (c) at:
http://talkingtransportation.blogspot.com/</div>JIM CAMERONhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07619138540116037421noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12900368.post-69559289251633478332023-11-11T09:27:00.001-05:002023-11-11T09:27:43.469-05:00WHERE'S OUR WI-FI?<p><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Why is Metro-North the only
major commuter railroad in the US that doesn’t offer its riders Wi-Fi? That’s a question I’ve been <a href="https://talkingtransportation.blogspot.com/2016/03/why-there-never-may-be-wi-fi-on-metro.html">asking
for many years</a> and I still can’t get a straight answer. </span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Four years ago the Connecticut
legislature gave CDOT $23 million to get Wi-Fi onboard, but it is still not
there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Governor Lamont <a href="https://statescoop.com/connecticut-5g-train-new-haven-line-metro-north/">promised
us 5G Wi-Fi</a>, but there’s still zilch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Why?</span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9Ph_jvjFSHb5cFSFwSq0cW9FYeIkhOdkSvRbDltjm8EBgZ6JEWtUI521cHWX46u0ze8LR44Jwkexkmf0YIglSGKFPFUrdth_2_bnGpJ59S1oYbM37UUxnBAJHUORMCW4qAohzB1aRxx10hf7qc-ROAOUVKY-tRiTDhBuZvSE4DnT1uS6zyg/s891/No-metro-wifi%20%20CTMirror.org.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="891" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9Ph_jvjFSHb5cFSFwSq0cW9FYeIkhOdkSvRbDltjm8EBgZ6JEWtUI521cHWX46u0ze8LR44Jwkexkmf0YIglSGKFPFUrdth_2_bnGpJ59S1oYbM37UUxnBAJHUORMCW4qAohzB1aRxx10hf7qc-ROAOUVKY-tRiTDhBuZvSE4DnT1uS6zyg/s320/No-metro-wifi%20%20CTMirror.org.jpg" width="320" /></a></b></div><b><br /><o:p></o:p></b><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">A little history of this technology
quest might help us to understand.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Ten years ago New Jersey
Transit <a href="https://www.nj.com/news/2013/06/nj_transit_commuters_to_get_wireless_service_inside_stations_trains.html">successfully
demonstrated Wi-Fi</a> on its new double-decker cars under the leadership of
Jim Redeker, then that railroad’s Assistant Executive Director for Technology.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When Redeker came to CDOT he wanted the same tech
for Connecticut commuters and told then-Metro-North President Joe Guilietti as
much.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Guilietti was reluctant, given
the railroad’s bad experience of trying to bring tech to its riders when they
introduced pay-cellphones on the trains.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Months after they were installed the tech had advanced so much that everyone
had a cellphone in their pocket and those pay-phones sat idle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Burned by trying to be an “early adopter”,
Guilietti hired the consultants at McKinsey to prove why you <i>can’t</i> put Wi-Fi
on trains.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Being a good consultant, McKinsey
took the pricey contract and told their client, Metro-North, what they wanted
to hear.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Never mind that Amtrak has
offered free Wi-Fi since 2011, admittedly with some problems, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/17/us/amtrak-is-introducing-acela-like-wi-fi.html">since
resolved</a> (too many people and not enough bandwidth).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>European railroads have been offering
connectivity <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/10/business/worldbusiness/10iht-trains11.1.9898679.html">since
2008</a>, so the tech does exist and it works.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Fast forward to the Lamont
administration and guess who’s the new Commissioner of the DOT… that’s right,
Joe Guilietti from Metro-North.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once
again, no progress on Wi-Fi… until 2019 when then-State Senator Will Haskell (D
– Westport) introduced a bill <i>requiring</i> the railroad to get wired and
allocating $23 million to make it happen.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The bill passed and became law
and CDOT was given the money.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But we
still don’t have Wi-Fi.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Struggling to recover from
COVID and still trying to persuade commuters to get back onboard, you’d think
that CDOT and Metro-North would embrace Wi-Fi as an enhancement to taking the
train.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Imagine how much more productive
you’d be on your way to your job.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Even the CDOT’s own “<a href="https://www.transitcx.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/CX-Action-Plan-At-a-Glance-English-WEB.pdf">Customer
Experience Action Plan</a>” mentions “enhanced wireless connectivity” as item
#26 on its long list of initiatives.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Its
status?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“In progress”.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The problem is that Wi-Fi on
the trains is only as good as the cell signals along the tracks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Train Wi-Fi doesn’t work with satellites, as
airplanes do, but with good old cell signals.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">So CDOT seems to be blaming
AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile for dragging their feet on installing new cell towers
to cover the “dead spots”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But Amtrak’s Wi-Fi,
running on the same tracks, seems to operate just fine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So what’s the problem?<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">While CDOT says it remains committed
to Wi-Fi and is “evaluating various options” to make it happen, Connecticut
commuters are the real losers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Wi-Fi is
everywhere, even in the NYC subways, but not on Metro-North.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Our commuters deserve better.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">Read more "Talking Transportation" (c) at:
http://talkingtransportation.blogspot.com/</div>JIM CAMERONhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07619138540116037421noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12900368.post-33092033422699401132023-11-11T09:26:00.000-05:002023-11-11T09:26:18.533-05:00THE MARVELS OF ENGINEERING<p><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">As a young man I wanted to
become a civil engineer and design the railroads of the future. So I went to one of the nation’s best
engineering schools, Lehigh University, only to find out in my freshman year that
I’d need calculus, physics and chemistry.
So I ran quickly to the Arts College and studied sociology. </span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Still, my admiration of the
work of engineers in designing and running our transportation network has never
diminished.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here are a few recent examples:<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><u><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">CDOT & ABC:</span></u></b><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">As we rebuild our crumbling
interstate highways, the CDOT deserves credit for learning its ABCs… “</span></b><a href="https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/bridge/abc/"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">accelerated bridge
construction</span></b></a><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Over
two recent weekends they demolished and replaced two three-lane bridges at exit
17 in Westport with, considering the enormity of the tasks, minimal impact on
traffic.</span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmdlZhSpyX0LCRlRb27zIq0andlSDLGxEh61Y2flOhvje91CNvNahZwI-Cxxe2YGrKZXacjjCkuDtk3EXAZlJInL3WiK-Rq5TFBKrCv3TlYyvP1YTychmwHEG9MnY0KF2_zw0pyL9O-S-nF-ylF9sc2mjHiE8-9ofbjGfYhJhTJXD8Hr9aGA/s1150/Exit%2017%20more%20-%20Norwalk%20Hour.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="767" data-original-width="1150" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmdlZhSpyX0LCRlRb27zIq0andlSDLGxEh61Y2flOhvje91CNvNahZwI-Cxxe2YGrKZXacjjCkuDtk3EXAZlJInL3WiK-Rq5TFBKrCv3TlYyvP1YTychmwHEG9MnY0KF2_zw0pyL9O-S-nF-ylF9sc2mjHiE8-9ofbjGfYhJhTJXD8Hr9aGA/s320/Exit%2017%20more%20-%20Norwalk%20Hour.jpg" width="320" /></a></b></div><b><br /><o:p></o:p></b><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">They even finished their work
early:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>under-promising and
over-delivering.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The speed of the work on the
$104 million project was enhanced by building the replacement bridges in
advance so they could literally slide into place after the old bridge was torn
down.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just imagine the planning, the
measuring and tight tolerances.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yet, the
first weekend project (for the northbound bridge) was finished 14 hours earlier
than planned.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">A similar bridge replacement
in </span></b><a href="https://portal.ct.gov/DOT/CTDOT-Construction-Advisories/2019/CTDOT-Launches-Website-for-Accelerated-Bridge-Replacement-Project---Route-1-Over-I-95-in-Stamford"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Stamford
on I-95 in 2019</span></b></a><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"> went just as well, with more such
projects to come as Federal dollars rebuild our infrastructure.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><u><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">METRO-NORTH VS MOTHER NATURE:<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The same weekend CDOT was
doing its bridge work in Westport, Mother Nature was closing down rail
operations on the Hudson line near Scarborough in Westchester County.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A giant landslide poured down the hill,
depositing 600 cubic yards of soil and rock on top of the railroad tracks,
affecting over a hundred Metro-North trains and dozens of Amtrak trains.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The landslide happened on a
Saturday morning, but thanks to the MTA’s engineers and construction crews, 43
hours later the tracks were reopened in time for the Monday morning commute.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">An impressive effort, and not
the railroad’s first in battling Mother Nature… nor its last.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But again, engineering prowess came to the
rescue.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><u><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">DRONES AT SEA:</span></u></b><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The Danish energy company
Orsted was embroiled in a </span></b><a href="https://www.wshu.org/connecticut-news/2023-10-25/longshoremen-union-workers-new-london-state-pier"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">labor
dispute at the State Pier</span></b></a><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"> in New London last week.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The International Longshoremen Assoc (ILA)
claims jurisdiction over loading and unloading the vessels there which are
carrying the giant components for planned offshore wind farms.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">However, thousands of miles
away in the North Sea, Orsted is testing use of giant drones to deliver
supplies to their offshore sites.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
four-engine drones have an eight and a half foot wingspan and can carry up to
150 pounds of cargo dangling below the craft.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Once carried out to sea over the construction site’s helipad, the drone
releases its cargo and heads home.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">More amazing engineering, this
time with huge implications on jobs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Drones require an operator but not a ship and expensive crew to complete
their work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If these trials work, that
could mean massive cost savings for Orsted and fewer union jobs for seamen.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">So, the next time you’re
driving or taking a train, think of the engineering that went into that design.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There’s a lot of smart people working very
hard behind the scenes to make your trip possible.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">Read more "Talking Transportation" (c) at:
http://talkingtransportation.blogspot.com/</div>JIM CAMERONhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07619138540116037421noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12900368.post-13217379198751377772023-10-20T14:16:00.004-04:002023-10-20T14:16:53.549-04:00LASERS VS LEAFS & LOCOS<p> <b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">It ain’t exactly Star Wars,
but Metro-North has some new tech that should make your commute more
reliable: Laser Train!</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">This $3+ million custom railcar,
pulled by a diesel locomotive, is blasting our tracks free of the annual
scourge of leaf slime… and doing it at 60 mph.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>So impressive is this new car, that the railroad has “wrapped” it in a
distinctive blue livery so you’ll notice it when it whizzes by, covering every
mile of tracks in the system daily.</span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAxVPvKeXdCNiY7vVOH06RAx-vxQbcH3-nsmTWWijU4Iu2Sc_BK7SqzQhuiaZvA2xoTvD_HG58dvOz6Fn3j1PO5xF1_duUKFpSn3y5HTzjQpWeApjlIzgvOHY6R8BBtxlQHLACwbhnC90ynB5IdOU8xaI4LUv8v_TJsT-dFVK1LOEs0IA62A/s3000/metro-north-rebranded-laser-train_53265814410_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2001" data-original-width="3000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAxVPvKeXdCNiY7vVOH06RAx-vxQbcH3-nsmTWWijU4Iu2Sc_BK7SqzQhuiaZvA2xoTvD_HG58dvOz6Fn3j1PO5xF1_duUKFpSn3y5HTzjQpWeApjlIzgvOHY6R8BBtxlQHLACwbhnC90ynB5IdOU8xaI4LUv8v_TJsT-dFVK1LOEs0IA62A/s320/metro-north-rebranded-laser-train_53265814410_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></b></div><b><br /><o:p></o:p></b><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Lasers for leaf slime?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Really?<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Yes, with the beautiful New
England fall comes the annual problem of wet leaves on the tracks, decomposing
into pectin, one of the most slippery substances known to man.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">So bad was the leaf slime
problem in years past that the railroad could have 25% of its fleet out of
service as the trains’ onboard computers sensed a loss of traction and locked
the wheels’ brakes to stop, grinding flat spots on the wheels, requiring repairs.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">You’d be traveling along on
your train at speed, hit a slimy patch and feel the train’s computer send the
train into emergency braking mode, dumping the air brakes until the train came
to a full stop and got re-set.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It wasn’t
dangerous, just delaying. The railroad would also lower trains’ speeds in leaf-slime
prone areas making more trains late.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">This was especially a problem
on the Danbury branch, a 397-foot uphill climb from Norwalk to “The Hat City”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Often, locomotive-pulled trains couldn’t get
enough traction so that they had to skip stations like Cannondale just to keep
momentum to climb uphill.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">You see, on a diesel locomotive
there are only eight traction wheels making contact with the rails.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But on the electric M8 cars, every car is a locomotive,
so contact with the wheels is spread across the entire train, increasing
traction… another good reason to <a href="https://talkingtransportation.blogspot.com/2022/04/de-electrification-of-danbury-branch.html">re-electrify
the Danbury branch</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Over the years the railroad
tried everything to build up traction… from old-school sand dispensers on locomotives
to “Water World”, a home-built gizmo blasting the tracks with high pressure
water at <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/22/nyregion/leaf-slime-metro-north-train.html">48
gallons a minute</a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And now, lasers.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Credit goes to the Long Island
Railroad for debuting the leaf-blasting lasers first in 2017, but given the
LIRR’s flat terrain compared to hilly Connecticut, that railroad could hardly
put the tech to a real test.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Last year they tried out the
Laser Train in Connecticut and saw a 40% reduction in “slip slide” events,
leading to the lowest wheel-regrinding costs on record.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In fact, Metro-North was given a Gold Award
for Rail Safety this year by APTA, the American Public Transportation
Association.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">So, keep watching for the
Laser Train as it blasts its way through the fall, keeping you on-time and safe
during your travels.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">Read more "Talking Transportation" (c) at:
http://talkingtransportation.blogspot.com/</div>JIM CAMERONhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07619138540116037421noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12900368.post-85212834560550585172023-10-06T13:50:00.002-04:002023-10-06T13:50:47.770-04:00RAIL RIDERS SPEAK UP<p> <b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">“I thought I lived in a
progressive state,” said Luther. </span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">“My wife and kids live in New
London and my three hour rail trip to see them will now take four or five
hours.”<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Luther was just one of dozens
of rail passengers who spoke at public hearings last week on CDOT’s planned
service cuts and fare hikes, explaining how policy decisions will impact the
lives of real people.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Kelly told how she moved from
Phoenix and chose a new home in Madison because of the train service.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“What will these rail cuts mean to the value
of our home?” she asked.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Deborah, a disabled rider,
said the CDOT “will be sued” because they didn’t survey the impact of their
plans on the disabled.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Theater worker Molly said she
moved to Bridgeport because of its train service.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But she said service cuts will hurt those in
the NYC entertainment business because shows don’t end until 10:30 pm.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Public transit is a public good,” and should
be properly funded, she told the hearing.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Several of those who spoke
said their kids rely on trains to get them to school, including Marybeth whose
son commutes on Shore Line East <a href="https://talkingtransportation.blogspot.com/2022/01/commuting-in-wheelchair.html">in
his wheelchair</a>. Now he must be driven to New Haven to make his classes.<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrZZ94_RhOW8cYkOMzMWnkrp2Aspi5Vsw4D-ZbMGSezXHtbaRjcFsce7ygaEEsrYXp2P2Rx_ZhsJdjT2RLi3Wk1jM0Z8X9NBUgRzFjlt-pjvvxgRrChAMt_qthuIDD6s81oJC6On_7Bnu8lwhkrLyN6DmF4SnDpbTGCdARCPrmsVuK84Dtag/s246/Maclean%20Saar%20on%20train%20%20-%20self%20shot.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="138" data-original-width="246" height="138" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrZZ94_RhOW8cYkOMzMWnkrp2Aspi5Vsw4D-ZbMGSezXHtbaRjcFsce7ygaEEsrYXp2P2Rx_ZhsJdjT2RLi3Wk1jM0Z8X9NBUgRzFjlt-pjvvxgRrChAMt_qthuIDD6s81oJC6On_7Bnu8lwhkrLyN6DmF4SnDpbTGCdARCPrmsVuK84Dtag/s1600/Maclean%20Saar%20on%20train%20%20-%20self%20shot.png" width="246" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Maclean Saar commutes in his wheelchair<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Nurse Kristen from Clinton works
at Yale New Haven hospital.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She has colleagues
who also work in Stamford who may now have to quit their jobs because of the
rail cuts.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The proposed cuts on Shore
Line East (from 23 to 16 trains per day) will “kill this railroad” said several
riders.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“It will lead to a death spiral,”
said others, noting that reduced train service will discourage ridership,
leading to even lower numbers and prompting further cuts.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Jim Gildea of the Commuter Council
said that Shore Line East was never given a chance to rebuild post-COVID.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While Metro-North and the Hartford Line saw
service restored to 100% of pre-COVID levels, Shore Line East was only brought
back to 66%, so no wonder ridership was down.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">He added that the state’s push
for greater transit oriented development (TOD) in SE Connecticut will fail
without the trains.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“What developer
wants to build next to a train station with no trains?” he asked.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Almost everyone who testified
noted how terrible traffic has become on I-95.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Less train service will only worsen that, especially on Fridays, while
also adding to pollution.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Several of those who spoke in
the virtual hearings bemoaned the lack of in-person hearings in the towns and
cities most affected by the plans.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Still
others asked what is being done to attract riders back to the trains… or what
CDOT will do if riders do return en masse.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Not that any of what was said
will make a difference.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">While the hearing leader from
CDOT said that all testimony would be “carefully reviewed”, these hearings are
only a formality.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is a done deal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Blame lawmakers who approved Lamont’s budget
cuts to CDOT.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">“CDOT <i>wants</i> to run trains,”
said Gildea.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Let’s give them the
funding to do it”.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">Read more "Talking Transportation" (c) at:
http://talkingtransportation.blogspot.com/</div>JIM CAMERONhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07619138540116037421noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12900368.post-40293079130645405162023-09-29T16:09:00.000-04:002023-09-29T16:09:04.097-04:00BRIGHTLINE VS METRO-NORTH<p><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The railroad world is abuzz
with the opening of the new </span></b><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/22/us/brightline-train-rail-florida.html"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Brightline
high speed rail</span></b></a><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"> service to Orlando, an extension of that
private railroad’s existing train service down Florida’s east coast to Miami. This is really big news.</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The $5 billion expansion to
Orlando was privately financed but with generous tax exempt bonds the railroad
will have to pay back.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Still, this is
the first for-profit passenger railroad in the US in forty years.</span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFN_TxmxHtX88tIsfMQLwERBbb64xXqamJqPb3ngwy3uF-Kx4ASl08B09dzjqX5qs67ouLjvzjb8cOyEnSMW-6kc-bhUajzQnQaUMT8nWuBeYFOm07D93_YNdbvL7t73JvJB700ww8g7DHBTYSkuM6Ed9Z763PbeFJEOEkY1Ou7DGsLXhSXQ/s450/BrightLine_train_test%20-%20Wikipedia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="262" data-original-width="450" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFN_TxmxHtX88tIsfMQLwERBbb64xXqamJqPb3ngwy3uF-Kx4ASl08B09dzjqX5qs67ouLjvzjb8cOyEnSMW-6kc-bhUajzQnQaUMT8nWuBeYFOm07D93_YNdbvL7t73JvJB700ww8g7DHBTYSkuM6Ed9Z763PbeFJEOEkY1Ou7DGsLXhSXQ/s320/BrightLine_train_test%20-%20Wikipedia.jpg" width="320" /></a></b></div><b><br /><o:p></o:p></b><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">How does Brightline compare
with Metro-North?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let’s look at the
basics:<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><u><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">DISTANCE</span></u></b><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Brightline runs 235 miles from Miami to
Orlando compared with Metro-North’s 67 mile run from GCT to New Haven, so
they’re quite different.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To be fair
let’s just compare Metro-North to Brightline’s initial I-95 corridor service
from Miami to West Palm Beach (70 miles).<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><u><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">FREQUENCY</span></u></b><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Brightline trains run once or twice an hour
from 7 am to 12 midnight.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Metro-North
operates at least hourly from 5 am to about 1 am.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><u><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">SPEED</span></u></b><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Though Brightline trains do run 125+ mph in
some stretches enroute to Orlando, between West Palm and Miami the speed
averages about 56 mph due to station stops and track conditions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Metro-North’s fastest run from New Haven to
GCT averages 45 mph on its few super-expresses but more like 35 mph on the
regular trains making local stops.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><u><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">EQUIPMENT</span></u></b><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ah, that amazing “new train smell”!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Brightline’s seven-coach trains were built
(in the US) </span></b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siemens_Venture"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">by
Siemens</span></b></a><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They
offer 2 by 2 seating for about 60 passengers per car.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The leather seats recline, have power plugs
and free Wi-Fi via </span></b><a href="https://www.starlink.com/technology"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Starlink</span></b></a><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">
satellite (at a smoking-fast 70 Mb/sec).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>All Brightline trains are powered by diesel engines.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Metro-North’s M8 all-electric cars were
built by Kawaski (also in the US) and started in service in 2011.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They offer 2 x 3 seating for about 100
passengers per car with power plugs in each row but </span></b><a href="https://ctmirror.org/2022/05/08/why-is-there-still-no-free-wifi-on-metro-north/"><b><i><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">no</span></i></b><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"> Wi-Fi</span></b></a><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">… yet.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><u><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">AMENITIES</span></u></b><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Brightline offers comfy lounges and waiting
rooms with snacks and beverages at stations for passengers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Metro-North offers no station amenities aside
from a bench on the platform and, if you’re lucky, a waiting room.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><u><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">FARES</span></u></b><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Brightline fares between West Palm and
Miami start at $41 roundtrip ($84 in first class).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The new railroad also offers <a href="https://www.gobrightline.com/offers">big discounts</a> for families and
groups.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Commuters can buy discounted 12
and 40 trip tickets.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On Metro-North
their New Haven to GCT start at $47 roundtrip with similar discounts for
seniors and multi-ride commuters.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But there
is no first class on Metro-North.<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR8k-lDKwq01AWyWdhZT5s0tZ5fHNICTqCPwZBzLDzkMAzo89qaXlX8RxQNYntUaPe4nLKIyYw7zHuX8tR3BbrIl_aFRDvWkhZ02CDB0r5_UWNH33Eq-17wF2YqMm4BeADUTW3nZ8JrWQu7i1w_vjXlW6zSLBkmI5xAziMEzaYFHaj7aI30g/s451/Brightline%20-%20West%20Palm%20Beach%20%20%20Wikipedia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="338" data-original-width="451" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR8k-lDKwq01AWyWdhZT5s0tZ5fHNICTqCPwZBzLDzkMAzo89qaXlX8RxQNYntUaPe4nLKIyYw7zHuX8tR3BbrIl_aFRDvWkhZ02CDB0r5_UWNH33Eq-17wF2YqMm4BeADUTW3nZ8JrWQu7i1w_vjXlW6zSLBkmI5xAziMEzaYFHaj7aI30g/s320/Brightline%20-%20West%20Palm%20Beach%20%20%20Wikipedia.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">West Palm Beach Station<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><u><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">FIRST MILE / LAST MILE</span></u></b><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You can’t take the train if you can’t get
to the station, so Brightline makes that easy, offering free shuttles to and
from their stations as well as car parking.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Metro-North offers parking at CT stations (which are owned by CDOT) and
administered by the towns and cities. Some towns have a 5 year waiting list for
permits.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><u><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">SAFETY</span></u></b><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Brightline is the </span></b><a href="https://apnews.com/article/miami-us-news-ap-top-news-transportation-technology-florida-0973281682ed4cc9bbd33a5fd569d5d5"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">deadliest
railroad in the US</span></b></a><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"> as it regularly sees collisions at its
315 grade-crossings between Miami and Orlando.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Since its start in 2019, 98 people have died, most of them
suicides.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Metro-North also sees a large
number of suicides but because there are no grade crossings on the mainline, it’s
nearly impossible for its trains crash into cars or trucks.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">So yes, Brightline is a big
deal in the transportation world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But it’s
not true HSR (<a href="https://www.britannica.com/technology/high-speed-rail">high
speed rail</a>) in the global sense of the phrase.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">Read more "Talking Transportation" (c) at:
http://talkingtransportation.blogspot.com/</div>JIM CAMERONhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07619138540116037421noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12900368.post-29377012599545124222023-09-22T13:16:00.003-04:002023-09-22T13:16:58.756-04:00FEWER TRAINS & BUSES, HIGHER FARES<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">How’s this for a double-whammy? CDOT is proposing a cut in train and bus
service while also raising fares… just as I <a href="https://ctmirror.org/2023/06/11/ct-trains-2023-budget-higher-fares-less-service/">predicted
months ago</a>.</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Blame both plans on COVID and
what it did to ridership… still down about 30% on Metro-North compared with
2019… <a href="https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/governor-hochul-announces-new-york-city-subway-sets-post-pandemic-ridership-records-back-back">but
climbing</a>, day by day. On Shore Line
East, CDOT’s railroad from New Haven to New London, the ridership is down 68%
from pre-COVID numbers. Low ridership
like that, says CDOT, is unsustainable.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">That’s why the agency is
proposing to cut two Metro-North trains per day, Monday through Thursday, but
eliminate eight trains a day on Fridays when ridership is now the lightest. On Shore Line East instead of 23 trains a day
there will only be 16.</span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhty_ykOt4ipyZ_4kLOHhK2BtAEmOcgKY4_3cuk3FLcqYSVxzg1i-yg4lPEI1F3wT64hwpt_C6oZ6250JqZLY4uh798TF0tzNB7KYizj4_4ppXrs_G3FTowWBuF_7cb-KROhOwWta9c0OVxf4C3Ibf0F9qM0iq-xo5gYiBrLONgq9IeUsg9dg/s1000/SLE-M8-Scott-Hartley.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="667" data-original-width="1000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhty_ykOt4ipyZ_4kLOHhK2BtAEmOcgKY4_3cuk3FLcqYSVxzg1i-yg4lPEI1F3wT64hwpt_C6oZ6250JqZLY4uh798TF0tzNB7KYizj4_4ppXrs_G3FTowWBuF_7cb-KROhOwWta9c0OVxf4C3Ibf0F9qM0iq-xo5gYiBrLONgq9IeUsg9dg/s320/SLE-M8-Scott-Hartley.jpg" width="320" /></a></b></div><b><br /><o:p></o:p></b><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">This is <a href="https://ctmirror.org/2023/05/21/how-to-kill-a-train-line/">how to kill a railroad.</a> Reduce service, make the train a less
reliable option further discouraging ridership, then use the accelerating
decline in passengers as an excuse for more service cuts… rinse and repeat.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The problem is CDOT has not
announced <i>which</i> trains are being cut, just how many. Riders’ reactions will depend on whether or
not ‘their’ train is affected.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">What will this mean to peoples’
lives? Just look at the effect of service
reductions imposed by Amtrak on September 5<sup>th</sup> on Shore Line East due
to track work. Where 22 trains used to
run each day, now there are just 14.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">For reasons never explained by
CDOT, this track work is being done in the daytime, not at night when the
impact on trains would be minimal. Nor
was there any substitute bus service planned as was run in years past.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">For student Cassie Bianchi
this service cut meant she had to drop out of college.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">This Westbrook student used to
take a bus, a train and another bus to attend classes at Southern CT State University
in New Haven. But her <a href="https://ctmirror.org/2019/10/01/u-pass-a-game-changer-for-some-students/">UPass</a>
student ticket is not honored on Amtrak.
And with the reduced service she’d have to leave home at 6 am to catch a
7:03 am train to make it to her 10 am class.
The return trip would get her home at 8:30 pm. Talk about unsustainable.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">For bus riders there will also
be cuts on routes running across the state,<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">And yes, fare increases are also
proposed: almost 6% on Metro-North and
5% on Shore Line East. Mind you, there
hasn’t been a fare hike since 2018 so these hikes don’t even cover inflation.</span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmrRdL2LgDCJUIVZ3FX9pHkG3TRMsJiOG3puBHgDrJrwkV_omANk2q_DYIeZUQ5Uwnvkvw5F0jWsqdla0P2DN_pBfK_oINsRNyL2PRpnamBtWeObdBbed_-JH0EzfjMzrYTO-0wcPgn2LBf9YK94JFzpSu2WsIHIc6xJ90QOVveerfnbxdfg/s264/SLE%20Logo%20w%20M8%20%20-%20%20CT.gov.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="264" data-original-width="250" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmrRdL2LgDCJUIVZ3FX9pHkG3TRMsJiOG3puBHgDrJrwkV_omANk2q_DYIeZUQ5Uwnvkvw5F0jWsqdla0P2DN_pBfK_oINsRNyL2PRpnamBtWeObdBbed_-JH0EzfjMzrYTO-0wcPgn2LBf9YK94JFzpSu2WsIHIc6xJ90QOVveerfnbxdfg/s1600/SLE%20Logo%20w%20M8%20%20-%20%20CT.gov.jpg" width="250" /></a></b></div><b><br /><o:p></o:p></b><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">What can be done to stop all
this? Not much, given that these changes
were baked into CDOT’s budget this spring.
In other words, you can thank your state lawmakers (and Governor Lamont)
for this double whammy. They approved
the reduced spending, but with CDOT’s support, I might add.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Sure, there will be <a href="https://portal.ct.gov/DOT/Publictrans/Bureau-of-Public-Transportation/Service-and-Fare-Equity-Analysis">public
hearings in October</a>, two held ‘virtually’ and two in person. But why are those hearings being held in New
Haven and Hartford and not in Stamford or Bridgeport or Old Saybrook where
those affected by these plans actually live and ride?<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">One might think that CDOT’s
leaders are trying to avoid their customers’ rage. And one wouldn’t be wrong. These hearings are what I call “political
theater”: cathartic but an
illusion. You think your opinions matter
and might change minds, but let’s face it:
this is a done deal.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p>
<br /></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">Read more "Talking Transportation" (c) at:
http://talkingtransportation.blogspot.com/</div>JIM CAMERONhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07619138540116037421noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12900368.post-45869967046380734012023-09-15T14:57:00.000-04:002023-09-15T14:57:52.544-04:00WALKING THE APPALACHIAN TRAIL<p><b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Diana Jackson walked 2192 miles. </span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">The Darien native is one of over 3300 people each year who
try to walk the entire length of the </span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><a href="https://www.nps.gov/appa/index.htm"><b><span style="color: blue; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Appalachian Trail</span></b></a></span><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"> (the AT), from Georgia to Maine. But she’s
one of the 25% of them that actually complete the task.</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">She learned to hike with her parents in the White Mountains
of New Hampshire and at age seven announced her goal of making the entire
trek. Her parents humored her, but on graduation from Wellesley
College she got serious and spent six months in preparation. “I thought of this
as my gap year”, she said.</span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_5VnMZsgcRJeVzm1gmIWqAR1cMKffNrG2Pg_gEYHsXZpD0LPr8shZXpZUvpUH2tLBwgqE_R7EJWSigYoRTYUQ4e3D9r4mSYoYuIXD-j68FZqnTONXVmqs9zcFRxzWqWZ2mOed6kv5R32wLhH_24zgPjxbuVoaSlcOmALjkgwUbkeNiK3dkA/s960/Diana%20Jackson%20-%20On%20the%20AT%20%20%20by%20DJ%20(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_5VnMZsgcRJeVzm1gmIWqAR1cMKffNrG2Pg_gEYHsXZpD0LPr8shZXpZUvpUH2tLBwgqE_R7EJWSigYoRTYUQ4e3D9r4mSYoYuIXD-j68FZqnTONXVmqs9zcFRxzWqWZ2mOed6kv5R32wLhH_24zgPjxbuVoaSlcOmALjkgwUbkeNiK3dkA/s320/Diana%20Jackson%20-%20On%20the%20AT%20%20%20by%20DJ%20(1).jpg" width="240" /></a></b></div><b><br /></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><o:p></o:p></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">“I have a tendency of psyching myself out,” she says, so
she didn’t read too many books about the dangers of the
adventure. But she did drop a lot of money on a tent, sleeping bag
and the first of four pairs of hiking boots… each replaced as they wore out.</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Starting in late March south of Springer Mountain in
Georgia, on her first night it rained and she got soaked. Crude
shelters are maintained by volunteers along the trail, but they are first come,
first served and the early Spring nights were as cold in Georgia as the later nights
when she finished in Maine.</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">If Diana was lucky, she’d find a hostel just off the trail
where for $25 a night she could get a bunk. But most nights her
dehydrated dinners heated over her camp stove were her cuisine of choice. Her
trail name was “Little Debbie” in homage to her favorite snack. But over six
months she lost 40 pounds.</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Though her backpack weighed 45 pounds, she was able to
average about 20 miles of walking each day.</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">In most places the AT is described as “the green tunnel”
but in others there are serious mountains to climb and rivers to cross (some
without bridges). She relied on an app called </span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><a href="https://faroutguides.com/guides/"><b><span style="color: blue; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">FarOut</span></b></a></span><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">, using GPS to keep on the trail and lead her to drinkable
water, shelters and hostels. At least once a day she could find a
cell signal to let her family know where she was and how she was doing.</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Twice she suffered injuries, falling face first and hurting
her knee. She was all alone and without her usual first aid kit so
she just kept going, “pushing through the pain” until she could find help.</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxNPLyDGi8MLSV1jwenHoDpy8-QmBZZC4yU4R-Qy2jwh3yHZdj5nQFFQpCwNMJER3qxYxKoVvQ0kudtq15I2Mv5NJkQWRCBu46yeZo0wXMZPchyNlpu-khbULl8u5W0mu2OoRVB_37BrIINXd5ejxqPm3kRcmKVIjM78ExXQ0JJd3CUGIBOQ/s960/Diana%20Jackson%20-%20Mt%20Khatadin%20%20by%20Diana%20Jackson.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="960" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxNPLyDGi8MLSV1jwenHoDpy8-QmBZZC4yU4R-Qy2jwh3yHZdj5nQFFQpCwNMJER3qxYxKoVvQ0kudtq15I2Mv5NJkQWRCBu46yeZo0wXMZPchyNlpu-khbULl8u5W0mu2OoRVB_37BrIINXd5ejxqPm3kRcmKVIjM78ExXQ0JJd3CUGIBOQ/s320/Diana%20Jackson%20-%20Mt%20Khatadin%20%20by%20Diana%20Jackson.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">After seven months she could see her goal in sight, 5269
foot </span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Katahdin"><b><span style="color: blue; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Mount Katahdin</span></b></a></span><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"> in northern Maine, the official end of the AT. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But it took her a couple of days to reach the
summit, alternately crying, laughing and filled with joy. Her
parents joined her for the final climb, though she put them on a slightly
easier trail.</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">After the victory came the inevitable letdown but also some
important life lessons. “I had always doubted myself,” she
says. “But now I know I can do anything.”</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">She’s no longer jealous of classmates with high paying
jobs. “I can join the corporate world anytime, but now, when I’m
young, is the time to live this dream. The trail is the happiest place for me.”
As well as the beauties of nature, she misses the camaraderie of her fellow
hikers.</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">Read more "Talking Transportation" (c) at:
http://talkingtransportation.blogspot.com/</div>JIM CAMERONhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07619138540116037421noreply@blogger.com0