Why you pay more for walkable and bikeable neighborhoods

Analysis in the Atlantic Cities:

http://www.theatlanticcities.com/jobs-and-economy/2012/05/why-you-pay-more-walkable-neighborhoods/2122/#

“It wasn’t that many years ago that walkable urban places had a price penalty associated with them, not a price premium,” Leinberger says. “That’s the structural shift. And when you have a structural shift, it’s important to change your public policy to take it into consideration.”

Hartford's (and possibly the US's) greatest poet had a great walking commute

http://travel.nytimes.com/2012/02/26/travel/for-the-poet-wallace-stevens-hartford-was-an-unlikely-muse.html

"Contrary to mythology, Mark Twain did not conjure up his masterpieces while puffing cigars on a Southern riverboat. He wrote them, or at least parts of them, at a table in a third-floor billiard room in his house in Hartford, where he and his family lived for about 17 years. (He also cranked out his books at a summer house in Elmira, N.Y., but either way the slow churn of the Mississippi River was nowhere in sight.)"

"Wallace Stevens never learned to drive. Even though many of his neighbors had no idea what he was up to, he would amble along Asylum Avenue methodically measuring the pace of his steps and murmuring phrases to himself — phrases that would become some of the most haunting lines in the English language."

The truth about traffic studies

Great post from Phil Langdon at New Urban News (now Better Cities and Towns): http://bettercities.net/news-opinion/links/15853/truth-about-traffic-studies

Excerpt "In a recent issue of Washington City Paper, Lydia DePillis raises the question of whether traffic consultants fudge their results.

In the District of Columbia, any development proposal that requires wholesale zoning changes has to be accompanied by a study describing how the project might affect pedestrians and motor vehicles, and what could be done to lessen its impact. And since Washington is doing well these days, traffic studies have become a common—yet not well understood—part of civic debates."

Factors Influencing Pedestrian Safety: A Comprehensive Literature Review

Great resource from the UK for walking advocates here. In some ways, some UK cities are light years ahead of Bridgeport in terms of promoting street safety.

http://www.pedestrians-int.org/content/18/222006_p.pdf

BGreenBridgeport aims to make Bridgeport the nation's cleanest, greenest, safest, most affordable city

The BGreen Bridgeport program recently released an incredible sustainability study, written by RPA. See details at http://www.bgreenbridgeport.org/.

The report includes a lengthy section on transportation, complete streets policies and making Bridgeport better for biking.

Contact the group if you'd like to get involved as a volunteer to help make this plan happen!

New Reports on Healthier, Safer, More Bike-Friendly Neighborhoods & Policies

A round up at Bike Providence: http://www.bikeprovidence.com/2011/04/who-bikes-other-new-reports-on-smarter.html

Fairfield Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan Interactive Public Forum

Information on this upcoming event:

Thursday, April 14th
6:30 p.m. Informal Reception
7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. Presentations and Break-out Sessions

Osborn Hill School, 760 Stillson Road, Fairfield

Featured Speakers
· Ken Flatto, First Selectman
· Kirstin Etela, Fairfield Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee
· Chris Lyddy, Deputy Chief of Police
· Joe Devonshuk, Director of Planning & Zoning
· Bill Hurley, Town Engineer
· Sarah Levy, Public Health Educator
· Mark Nielsen, Greater Bridgeport Regional Planning Agency

Learn about:

• The 2010 Fairfield Bicycle/Pedestrian Survey
• Fairfield’s sidewalk inventory and accident data
• Bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure
• Help the Advisory Committee identify:
• Streets and areas of special concern
• Possible bike routes, bike lanes and sidewalks
• Bike racks and other bicycle/pedestrian facilities in town

For more information, contact:

Lauren Lanham, Assistant to the First Selectman
203-256-3030
Email llanham [a/t] town.fairfield.ct.us (replace "[a/t]" with "@" sign)

Governor Malloy Moves to Add Rail Cars to New Haven Line: Buses on Waterbury Branch

Governor Malloy Moves to Add Rail Cars to New Haven Line: Buses on Waterbury Branch Will Free Up Rail Cars for Overburdened New Haven Line

(Hartford, CT) - Governor Dannel P. Malloy moved today to add much-needed rail cars to the beleaguered New Haven Line - announcing that buses will be used on the Waterbury Branch commuter rail line beginning Saturday, freeing up two 7-car, diesel-powered trains that can be put into service on the New Haven Line. With each car carrying about 100 people, the action will make about 1,400 additional seats available.

"This brutal and punishing winter has meant unprecedented breakdowns on the New Haven Line and anything we can do to supplement service, we will do," Governor Malloy said. "We are happy to use existing resources to help our partners at Metro-North."

"Furthermore, this is an important step toward maintaining commerce during this difficult winter season," the Governor added. "People need to get to work. If they can't, their companies suffer and, ultimately, our overall economy suffers."

The branch line runs from Waterbury to Bridgeport, where it connects with the New Haven Line. There are stops in between at Naugatuck, Beacon Falls, Seymour, Ansonia and Derby/Shelton.

Because of the weather-related rail car breakdowns, Metro-North has announced a reduced train schedule beginning Monday, February 7 and continuing through Friday, March 4, 2011. The Waterbury bus schedule will be posted on the Metro-North website. Customers may also call 212 532-4900.

The buses will come from CTTransit, which operates bus service around the state, under the auspices of the Connecticut Department of Transportation (DOT). The busing plan will be essentially the same plan that was operated successfully and reliably in the summer of 2009 when there was a major track-upgrade program on the rail line. Generally, buses will leave Waterbury heading for Bridgeport about 15 minutes earlier than the regular train times. A combination of express and local buses will be operated. For the return trip, buses will connect with trains at Bridgeport. Express and local buses will also operate for that service.

Metro-North operates the New Haven Line and its three branches - Waterbury, Danbury and New Canaan - under a contract with the DOT. It has 37 million passenger trips annually, consistently making it the busiest or second-busiest in the country.

Revised weekend bus service will begin Saturday, February 5, 2011.

Homicidal Drivers: Video Shows Police Officer Drinking At Tavern Before His Car Hit, Killed Teen

State police have obtained a video showing the off-duty Windsor Locks police officer who drove a car that struck and killed a teenager drinking at a Suffield bar before the crash, sources close to the investigation have told The Courant.

Coverage in the Hartford Courant: http://www.courant.com/community/windsor-locks/hc-windsor-locks-cops1110-20101109,0,4982907.story

Latest National Transportation News from T4America

T-Bill

· Last week, President Obama urged Congress to pass his $50B infrastructure plan ASAP.

· AASHTO is calling for a new gas tax (8.4% sales tax instead of flat 18.4 cents) to fund the next t-bill.

Federal Grants

· LaHood unveils all TIGER II grantees. NY, NJ and CT are among the grant winners. Requests top $19B for $600M program.

· HUD awards $100M in grants to help communities plan become more livable and sustainable. NY and CT are among the 45 regional winners.

Bike Walk Connecticut is Looking for a Full Time Executive Director

Bike Walk Connecticut, a 501 (c) (3) organization working toward a bicycle and pedestrian friendly Connecticut, is looking for its first full-time Executive Director to work out of its new office in Hartford, Connecticut. Become part of this growing organization and help it achieve its potential as a strong statewide bike/walk advocacy and education organization. The Executive Director is responsible for managing the overall affairs of Bike Walk Connecticut including the implementation of board-approved projects, programs, policies and procedures in fulfillment of its mission.

see full description here:

Pentagon Aircraft Naming Staff: Sick and Twisted?

Tweet from urbandata: 20thC aircraft names: Mustang, Hornet, Falcon. Now: "Reaper"? Who @ Pentagon is Sick & Twisted? WSJ: U.S. Drones Hacked http://bit.ly/4VaI9m

Urge your CT Representative to Co-Sponsor the Complete Streets Act

Rosa DeLauro has done it... how about the others? Here's how.

YOUR LETTERHEAD

November (DATE), 2009

Re: New Report Highlights Need for National Complete Streets Policy

Dear [REPRESENTATIVE X],

I am writing to share with you a new study entitled “Dangerous By Design: Solving the Epidemic of Preventable Pedestrian Deaths” (http://blog.tstc.org/2009/11/09/report-too-many-us-roads-are-dangerous-by-design/) that examines the national epidemic of preventable pedestrian deaths, and to urge your support for a national Complete Streets policy and increased funding for pedestrian facilities in our state.

More than 76,000 Americans have been killed in the past 15 years while crossing or walking along a street in their community. Overwhelmingly, these deaths occurred on poorly designed roadways that encouraged speeding cars and made little or no provision for people on foot, in wheelchairs, or on a bicycle. The report finds in Connecticut, only 1.7 percent of funds authorized under the federal transportation law have been spent on projects to improve the safety of walking and bicycling. Yet pedestrians comprise 12.6 percent of all traffic deaths in Connecticut.

Here in [DISTRICT/COMMUNITY], the problem is especially severe. [INCLUDE LOCAL STATISTIC AND/OR EXAMPLE HERE.]

[ORGANIZATION NAME] commends you on your work to improve transportation safety for all Connecticut residents. Please add to that record of achievement by co-sponsoring the Complete Streets Act (H.R.1443/S.584), which ensures that all users of the transportation system, including pedestrians, bicyclists, transit users, children, older individuals and individuals with disabilities are able to travel safely and conveniently on and across federally funded streets and highways. This is a strategy that will not only make our streets safer, but will help make our communities more livable by providing people with attractive transportation options.

[ORGANIZATION NAME] looks forward to working with you to ensure that our streets are safe for everyone.

Sincerely,

YOUR NAME

YOUR TITLE

YOUR ORGANIZATION

Deadly Bridge on Route 1 in Connecticut: Tell ConnDOT to Wake Up

If you are one of the many local residents who uses this route while cycling from Bridgeport to any points east of Downtown New Haven, you may be concerned about the Tomlinson Bridge rail crossing. Apparently, cyclists are literally falling and being injured almost every day on the tracks, which cross the road at a 30 degree angle with no warning. Enlarge the photo here to see exactly how crappy the situation is.

The bridge was built a few years ago, is the only crossing from Downtown New Haven to points east -- and it seems only a matter of time before a cyclist dies here. Over 20 serious injuries have been documented by New Haven's pedestrian and bicycle activists, but since most cyclists here are residents from the surrounding Latino neighborhoods in East Haven and New Haven and might not be likely to report injuries, the actual number is probably much higher.

http://www.seeclickfix.com/issues/1300 has a constantly-updated summary that we've enjoyed following along, with many images, a somewhat graphic video of a cyclist falling over and getting injured on the tracks during a group ride, and over 200 comments detailing how advocates are trying to address the issue.

A direct link to the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOAITwySMIU or click here for the New Haven Independent's version.

Looks like the cyclist fell even though people were yelling to the crowd to be careful. The video post says :

Cyclist takes a spill on the railroad tracks on the eastern approach to the Tomlinson Bridge on Forbes Ave/Route 1 during a Critical Mass ride in New Haven, Conn. on 09/25/2009. Despite the protests of hundreds of local residents, ConnDOT has taken no action to make the crossing safe for cyclists, other than to post a sign of a toppling cyclist next to the east-bound lane of the bridge.

The original issue reported on SeeClickFix has resulted in stories in Streetsblog and on the front page of the New Haven Register, among other places, and been viewed 4,500 timies.

You can file complaints directly with ConnDOT at http://www.dotdata.ct.gov/contacts/contact.aspx. Or call Governor Rell's office in Hartford - 800-406-1527.

Speaking of SeeClickFix, the Hartford Courant has a nice op-ed today about why citizens should be allowed to report neighborhood concerns anonymously, and why some towns' efforts to stop that won't work.

See here and here for more background on the Tomlinson Bridge. Since ConnDOT reportedly has no interest in doing anything about this, maybe a lawsuit is the only way to fix this?