THE HIDDEN DANGERS OF THE FALL

I love the fall.  But I hate the leaves!

Sure, they look pretty as they change colors, but when those leaves are spent and fall to the ground, they present real problems for travelers.

Whether you rake your leaves yourself or have someone “blow” them for you, disposing of leaves is a hassle. 

Growing up (many years ago) I remember we used to burn our leaves, heedless to the air pollution and health effects.  A better alternative is to use a mulching-mower and just grind up the leaves on your lawn, providing much-needed nutrients to your soil.  Or try composting them on your own property.

In most towns leaves must be bagged and left curbside for pick-up.  In other towns, like Stamford, Middletown and Farmington, you can just rake the leaves into a pile at the curb, loose, and the town will vacuum them up… eventually.

Often however, the piles of leaves left curbside get rained on, creating a giant soggy mess, blocking parking and leading to slippery roads.  At speeds of 40–45 mph, it can take up to three times longer to stop on wet leaves compared to dry pavement, with stopping distance increasing from about 80 feet to over 200–250 feet.

But the slippery, almost winter-like driving conditions caused by wet leaves also affect our trains.  Their wheels also slip on wet leaves and the trains’ “brains” sense it and go into emergency braking.  You’ll know this is happening when the trains suddenly “dump their air”, and brake quickly.

Usually it’s just a minute or so to reset the computer and you carry on.  But as in a real emergency, braking and stopping distance are quickly diminished.  Which is why railroads take a number of defensive steps to literally clear the tracks.

So bad was the leaf slime problem in years past that Metro-North would have 25% of its fleet out of service as the trains’ brakes locked the wheels to a stop, grinding flat spots on the wheels, requiring repairs.

This is especially a problem on the Danbury branch, a 397-foot uphill climb from Norwalk to “The Hat City”.  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.

You see, on a diesel locomotive there are only eight traction wheels making contact with the rails.  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 re-electrify the Danbury branch.

In years past the railroad used high-pressure water jets to blast the slippery leaf pectin from the rails.  But now they have resorted to lasers.

Laser Train photo by Emily Moser

Metro-North’s Laser Train uses high-intensity lasers to remove this contaminated layer in a single pass at speeds up to 60 mph, allowing Metro-North to clean the entire network at least once a day.  The train is a rare sight, usually operating overnight to clear the tracks in time for the morning rush hour.

Last year the Laser Train saw a 40% reduction in leaf-related “slip slide” events, leading to the lowest wheel-regrinding costs on record.  

So enjoy the fall and the beauty of the foliage.  But beware the dangers, whether driving or training, of “slip sliding away”.

 

 

 

TAKING YOUR BIKE ON THE TRAIN

 

Taking mass transit is great.  But when you step off your train or bus, what do you do to get to your final destination?  Increasingly, that means BYO wheels:  a bike, e-bike or scooter.

The problem is, the rules for bringing your “wheels” is much different depending on your carrier.

METRO-NORTH:

You can bring your non-electric-powered bike on the train anytime except rush-hour.  Some cars include wall-mounted racks; check TrainTime for bike-friendly trains and car markings.  If you have a folding bike that can stow in the overhead rack, you can bring it anytime.

But if your bike or scooter is powered, the rules are quite different.

Metro-North Bike Racks

First, you can’t ride your e-whatever at the station, on the platform or in the train. You can only bring your wheels on the train if it folds up, weighs less than 100 pounds and is your property, i.e. not a CitiBike, VEO etc.

You cannot charge your e-bike on the train.  It must have UL-certified batteries and be stored in an area so it doesn’t block other passengers.  Whatever the rules may be, the train conductor or railroad staffer always has the final say and can stop you and your bike from being on the train.

Remember… if your final destination is Grand Central Terminal there are any number of Citi Bike stations just outside on the street.  At New Haven there are bike-shares available through Ride New Haven.

SHORE LINE EAST & HARTFORD LINE:       The e-bike rules here are quite similar.  Unlike on Metro-North, regular (non-electric) bicycles are welcome anytime.  On the Harford Line, CT Rail trains welcome bikes anytime for free.  But Amtrak Hartford Line trains accept bikes only with a reservation and a charge of $20.  All e-bikes with lithium-ion batteries are banned on all trains on the line.

At Hartford’s Union Station you can rent a scooter (but no bikes) through VEO.  Bikes may be added in the future.

CT TRANSIT BUSES:

Connecticut’s buses were pioneers in allowing bikes… not on the bus, but on racks mounted on the front of the bus.  The racks only hold two bikes, and its first-come, first-carried.

Only standard non-motorized bikes are allowed on racks; e-bikes, scooters, and motorized vehicles are not permitted, regardless of weight.

OTHER BUSES IN CONNECTICUT:

All GBTA (Greater Bridgeport) buses are equipped to carry your bicycle… two-bike maximum, first-come first-served.  Norwalk Transit rules aren’t crystal clear.  You might want to consult your carrier’s website or ask the driver before trying to transport your device.

PORT JEFFERSON FERRY:

The Port Jefferson Ferry allows bicycles and e-bikes onboard, but according to company policy, they are considered luggage and must be kept with the rider at all times.  Cyclists are required to carry their bikes as well as any baggage up and down staircases to the passenger decks.  If there’s room you can use the elevator.

Whatever your destination, always BYO (and wear) a helmet when operating on two wheels.  And remember:  E-bikes and scooters should use UL-certified batteries and never be charged aboard any vehicle or station.

 

 

THE FOLLY OF A BRIDGE TO NY

Why is much of Connecticut talking about a bridge from Bridgeport, across Long Island Sound, to New York State?  How did we get sucked into a debate about a project that every transportation expert I spoke with said just won’t happen?

You can blame (or maybe credit?) Connecticut housing developer Stephen Shapiro for this distraction as he pipe-dreams way outside his area of expertise.

“A reporter from The CT Post called me to talk about housing,” he told WFSB’s “CT ‘25”.  “I always liked the idea of a bridge.  And now this thing has ballooned into a massive story.”

Shapiro on WFSB 10-5-25

He even helped by generating a lovely artificial intelligence image of the structure, complete with red, white and blue towers, which was gobbled up by the media.

A fourteen mile bridge, costing a guesstimated $50 billion?  It’s a good thing Shapiro didn’t dangle the idea of flying cars to the reporter.

Shapiro has never built a bridge.  His expertise is in affordable housing projects in cities like Bristol, Fairfield, Milford and Easton.  That’s great, and certainly needed.  But a bridge?  Nah.

I asked CDOT about the idea of such a bridge and they said “None of the regional MPOs (regional planning agencies) have this in their long-range plans.  It is not in CTDOT’s long-range plan for the state either.”

It’s not that our state’s planners lack vision… just money.  They must focus on the feasible, not fanciful.

Shapiro says a cross-sound bridge would get Connecticut residents to the lovely Long Island beaches faster.  But that’s hardly the justification for a $50B bridge.  And anyhow, what’s wrong with Connecticut’s beaches?

As for the $50B estimated price… Shapiro says the new Tappan Zee Bridge replacement, the Mario Cuomo Bridge, cost $4B for its three mile length.  “If  you prorate that out to fifteen miles, it’s $20B,” he says.  Factor in inflation and adding a train line on the bridge and you’re at $30B.  Rounding upward, because things always cost more than planned, and he suggests a $50B price tag is reasonable.

But is that a fair calculation?  Is that how Shapiro bids on housing development jobs?

And what would it cost to drive across this hypothetical bridge?  Shapiro suggests a one-way toll of about $40.

Shapiro's AI vision of a bridge to NY

Compare that to the one-way fare of about $75 for a car and driver on the Bridgeport – Port Jefferson ferry.  That makes Shapiro’s bridge look like a bargain… except only those who take the ferry pay the fare.  Build a bridge and all of us taxpayers pay for it, even if we never go to the Hamptons.

And if there were a bridge, wouldn’t that just worsen traffic in Connecticut with more New Yorkers going to New England?

The idea of bridging LI Sound has been studied by experts as recently as 2017.  They concluded that there were serious environmental issues and maybe ten or more state and federal agencies would need to be involved.  Most concerning, the report said that tolls would cover only 22% of the debt service (with guess-who paying the difference) and that it would take five years to plan and eight years to build.

Meantime, our state’s housing crisis is happening right now.  I wish Shapiro would focus on his real skill-set and not dangle unfeasible, bright shiny objects in front of a click-hungry media.

 

IS GOVERNOR LAMONT LEADING BY EXAMPLE?

 

What would happen to you if you borrowed your company’s car and, thanks to built-in tracking technology, were caught driving 113 mph?  Or how would your HR staff “dialogue” with you if the car’s mileage wasn’t properly logged, you had apparently used it for personal trips, then left it sitting in a garage and when you did return it to the motor pool it had $3500 in damage?

This isn’t a hypothetical question.  These are actual cases of state employees, including former Chief of Staff to Governor Lamont, Jonathan Dach.

All of this comes to light in the latest detailed report from the Auditors of Public Accounts, a non-partisan, independent body appointed by the legislature. Their reports make for interesting reading, but little else:  they have no enforcement powers or ability to penalize for wrong-doing.

Consider their report this past week on how the Governor’s office is run:

·       Of the three cars assigned to the office, mileage logs were not kept.

·       The Governor’s Office had 92 laptop computers for their 30 employees.

·       Time sheets for staffers were approved by superiors who had no direct knowledge of the employees’ work hours.

In response to the audit, the Governor’s Office said they agreed with the findings and would try to do a better job.  End of story.

Some of these matters require mandatory referral to the Office of Ethics, but there seems to be little enforcement happening there, the case of Jonathan Dach being a good example.

You’ll remember that Dach was the Governor’s Chief of Staff, a $215,000 a year gig that was, as the Governor’s Office said, “a round the clock job”.  Dach apparently spent a lot of that time driving including 2300 miles for personal trips visiting the beach, restaurants, brew pubs and even a Dave Mathews concert, according to the audit.

Electronic tracking in another state-owned Ford Escape showed somebody once drove 113 mph on a trip from New London to Hartford.  That’s illegal, even for a staffer in the Governor’s office.

What did Ned Lamont have to say about all this? 

“The people of Connecticut deserve transparency and accountability… we need to lead by example,” he said last June.  He added that he would seek reimbursement from Dach for personal use of the state car.  But there’s been no further word on what, if any anything happened since Dach left his job in June.

As for the computers, $7423 worth of laptops “could not be located”.  But the Governor’s staff added that as soon as a laptop is no longer under warranty, it’s replaced and the old model is given to interns for their use. Great.  Blame the kids.

Regarding the time sheets for the $3,746,724 annual payroll for the office’s couple dozen staffers, the audit says “limited resources” in the office meant they had not adopted a formal timesheet approval process.

In an era of tight finances, it’s discouraging to read that the Executive branch of state government, which claims that it wants to lead by example, has failed in its oversight of equipment and staff.  It makes one wonder what’s happening in the other 88 agencies in our state, their 45,000+ employees and 3300+ state vehicles.

And though they are lacking in any real power, kudos to the Auditors of Public Accounts for making all of this information public.