An excellent editorial in the June 28, 2011 Hartford Courant strikes at the heart of the myth that highways are self-supporting and not subsidized and therefor other forms of transportation are should pay their own way too. The editorial notes that since 1947, the amount of money spent on highways, roads and streets has exceeded the amount raised through gasoline taxes and other so-called user fees by $600 billion. Today, highway user fees pay only about half the cost of building and maintaining the nation's network of highways, roads and streets. ... At some point very soon, someone in a leadership position is going to have to deliver the bad news about the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy and the fact that there is no such thing as a freeway. Then perhaps we can analyze what the system really costs and how we intend to pay for it.The full editorial is worth a read. See http://www.courant.com/news/opinion/editorials/hc-ed-transportation-costs-0628-20110628-5,0,3838620.story#tugs_story_display.
Christine Stuart reports in CT News Junkie that "The state auditors released their finding on the acquisition of the land owned by Aetna for the New Britain-Hartford Busway. The bottom line: the purchase of the land was done properly. The report stated that there was "no misuse of taxpayer dollars," and disputes the claims that the Department of Transportation overpaid for the land. Not the news the Republicans were hoping to receive when they requested a review of the land purchase for the busway. The Auditors' Report states that: "...[T]he amount DOT paid was in accordance with the Federal regulations governing property acquisitions that are made using Federal funds. The amounts paid were supported by appraisals prepared by independent appraisers that DOT hired. The appraisers were hired to determine the fair market value based on the amount of damages that Aetna would suffer from the taking of the properties. That should not be confused with estimating the fair market value when there is a willing seller and a willing buyer, which in this case would most likely have been considerably less. DOT reviewed the appraisals and made its initial offers to Aetna, totaling $5,630,000, as required by the Federal regulations. Aetna refused the initialoffers, but subsequently ended up accepting them." Read the Auditors' full report here.
With a bill pending approval by the House and Senate to install tolls to pay for the completion of Route 11 in Southeastern Connecticut and the recent announcement by Governor Malloy, US Representative Joe Courtney and ConnDOTon funding a $5 million feasibility study for Route 11, the CTLCV Education Fund has asked both sides of the issue to weigh in. This project has been studied for decades and the environmental and economic impacts are huge. To read both sides of the debate click here: Route 11 Debate. For questions, contact Kirsten Griebel at kirsten.griebel@ctlcv.org or 860.236.5442.
The League of American Bicyclists, a non-profit group that promotes the rights of cyclists, gave Connecticut a "D" on the state's friendliness to cyclists. Connecticut ranked 40th among other states in bike-friendliness - not so great, but at least we improved from 44th place in 2009. The top five states for bike friendliness include: - Washington: B
- Maine: B
- Wisconsin: B
- Minnesota: B
- New Jersey: B
Connecticut's recent legislative history may shed some light on our bottom-tier standings. With the last week or so, despite having it on its meeting agenda, the legislature's Finance Committee failed to act on the "vulnerable user" bill, which would have increased penalties for reckless drivers who injure cyclists, pedestrians and other non-car users of the public roads. In all likelihood, the bill is dead this year. In contrast is Maryland, where Governor Martin O'Malley signed the Manslaughter by Vehicle-Criminal Negligence bill, which adds protections for cyclists and pedestrians. It adds a potential misdemeanor manslaughter charge for motorists who cause fatalities by driving in a criminally negligent manner while sober. For more information on the state rankings and evaluation categories, see:
At the LOB
- Last week the Senate referred Bill 720, the Vulnerable User bill, to the Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committee. They now have to act on it within seven days (by May 12th) in order to keep it alive. CTLCV, along with a number of other organizations, has been supporting this bill as it improves safety and encourages pedestrian/bike friendly streets, a tenet of smart growth. It is currently on the CTLCV legislation watchlist.
- This bill successfully cleared both the Transportation and Judiciary Committees with the Judiciary Committee voting 41 to 4 in favor. As a positive for this bill, the fiscal analysis states a potential $75,000 in revenue gain (from new fines), so this is a win – win; a win for the economy and the environment. Representative Pat Widlitz, a CTLCV environmental champion, is Co-Chair of the Finance Committee and it is our hope she will throw her support behind this bill this week.
- Governor Malloy and the Bond Commission released $89 million to fund the New Britain-Hartford Busway on April 29th. This completes the state’s 20% matching funding commitment to the project. Despite the potential for some very drastic federal transportation budget cuts, the New Starts funding for the NB-H Busway is still intact. CTLCV joined a broad and diverse group of supporters to thank the Governor for his vision and leadership on this investment in the first new major public transportation project in CT in decades.
Around the State
- Connecticut’s Complete Streets was recently recognized by the National Complete Streets Coalition as one of the top fifteen best Complete Streets policies in the country. The bill, Public Act 09-154, was authored and championed in the state legislature by former State Representative Tom Kehoe. Complete Streets and the new Vulnerable User bill make for more liveable cities and towns by making our roads safer for people who are walking or on bikes or other non-motorized transportation. Safety and accessibility for pedestrians and cyclists is critical to changing Nutmeggers’ mindset of auto dependency and to get out of their cars and try walking or biking as alternatives. A big part of this is a campaign to educate people about sharing the road and understanding that roads are for all users not just for cars.
- It looks like the current state budget will put an end to the state subsidy of Dial-A-Ride leaving it up to the municipalities to fund the program. The budget also decreases municipal matching grants for transit by about $1 million or about 25% of forecasted expenditures. Otherwise the bus operations budget for the state maintains its current level of funding. Karen Burnaska, Transit for Connecticut, considers this pretty good news given the major budget deficit facing the state. Maintaining the state’s investment in public transportation is critical for the health of Connecticut’s environment.
Around the Nation
- Congratulations to the Michigan League of Conservation Voters on their recent success in getting out the vote to approve a bus system expansion in the Grand Rapids region that also includes the first Bus Rapid Transit system in Michigan. The ballot referendum to approve a property tax increase for expanding the region’s bus service passed by only 136 votes out of 34,432 cast!
Similar to the New Britain – Hartford Busway, the Michigan Bus Rapid Transit will have a dedicated bus-only lane for about eight miles and may cut travel times in half. It is part of a larger comprehensive transit strategy that reinforces the need for regions to plan and build multi-modal transportation systems.
As Ryan Werder, Political Director for Michigan LCV, said “It was an effort that tied us closely with business leaders, non-traditional allies, the mayors of every community involved. With the margin as close as it was, it was the ground game and GOTV work that made the win possible. We are now using this as an opportunity to highlight both the importance of politics in the process of advancing Michigan's environment as well as promoting the common agenda process that identified public transit as a priority.”
It’s all over the Connecticut news, but in case you missed it, the federal government reallocated Florida’s spurned $2.4 Billion (yes, with a B) in high-speed rail funding yesterday. The good news is that Connecticut got a $30 million piece of it, especially since Congress’ recent budget agreements suggested that the Florida money might not be reallocated at all. But the less good news is that our award was significantly less than what we had strenuously advocated for ($100 million). According to the Connecticut Mirror, DOT Secretary Ray LaHood announced his agency had received almost 100 applications for various rail projects around the country, totaling $10 billion. From those, DOT chose 15 states and Amtrak to receive $2.02 billion for 22 high-speed intercity passenger projects. The investment in the Northeast corridor to speed up trains is "unprecedented," DOT said in a news release, and includes a $450 million award to Amtrak to expand capacity and reliability in the region. In all, the Northeast corridor is slated to get $795 million for a range of projects. And as the New York Times editorial puts it, Florida voters will get some time to think about their governor’s decision to spurn the rail money “as they sit in traffic jams, burning up $4-a-gallon gasoline. In fact, some of them clearly have thought about it because Mr. Scott now has some of the worst approval ratings of a Florida official in the last decade.” Take your pick of a few of the articles covering the rest of the story:
CTLCV joined with Transit for Connecticut, Tri-State Transportation Campaign, Regional Plan Association, and CRCOG in this Letter to Editor of the Connecticut Post:At first glance, the cost of the New Britain-Hartford Busway may seem high ("Bus-only highway should be scrapped," editorial, April 29). However, the cost of the project that has been touted includes not only the cost to construct the busway but also to purchase right-of-ways, construction of a bike path adjacent to the busway, and the construction of bridges as well as 11 bus stations, all other structures required for the busway and the purchase of new vehicles. Additionally, the cost estimate includes a buffer to account for inflation of costs. The Connecticut Department of Transportation has said on numerous occasions that due to the current economy, it is very likely that bids for the project may come in at or below the estimate. Read more: http://www.ctpost.com/default/article/Busway-necessary-for-state-s-transit-future-1369276.php#ixzz1LxlZ8wHB
CTLCV joined with a broad coalition of 27 signatories from entities representing everything from CCSU to developers, chambers of commerce, the League of Women Voters, labor and environmental groups, who took note of the Bond Commission’s recent decision to release funding to get the Hartford-New Britain bus rapid transit project. The coalition’s thank you letter to Governor Malloy appears below.
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May 2, 2011
The Honorable Dannel P. Malloy
Governor, State of Connecticut
State Capitol
Hartford, CT 06106
Dear Governor Malloy,
Please accept our thanks and appreciation for your steadfast support and leadership of the New Britain/Hartford Busway project.
We believe that the New Britain/Hartford Busway project represents the future for both Connecticut’s economy and transportation infrastructure. The benefits of investing in the Busway are multifold for the state. The construction of the Busway will generate thousands of construction and associated jobs; millions of dollars to be invested in transit-oriented development projects surrounding the Busway will create new jobs and business opportunities; the Busway will offer congestion-free travel to transit riders and help decrease traffic on the most congested part of I-84; and harmful carbon emissions will be decreased.
We commend you for your leadership and support and thank the Bond Commission for releasing the funds needed for the Busway to proceed. If you have any questions please contact Karen Burnaska, Transit for Connecticut or Lyle Wray, Capitol Region Council of Governments. We look forward to working with you as the Busway becomes a reality.
Sincerely,
Tim O’Brien, State Representative, New Britain and Newington
Pedro E. Segarra, Mayor, City of Hartford
Timothy T. Stewart, Mayor, City of New Britain
Scott McBride, Deputy Mayor, Town of Newington
Lyle Wray, Executive Director, Capitol Region Council of Governments
Gerry Amodio, Executive Director, New Britain Downtown District
Lori Brown, Executive Director, CT League of Conservation Voters
Karen Burnaska, Coordinator, Transit for Connecticut
Tom Colligan, Interim Executive Director, CT Coalition for Environmental Justice
Cheryl Dunson, President, League of Women Voters of CT
Oz Griebel, President, MetroHartford Alliance
David Kooris, Vice President, Regional Plan Association
Avner Krohn, President, Jasko Development
Charles LeChonce, Business Manager, CT Laborers District Council
Ryan Lynch, Connecticut Coordinator, Tri-State Transportation Campaign
Jeffrey Merrow, Business Manager, Laborers Local 611
Jack Miller, President, Central Connecticut State University
William F. Millerick, President, New Britain Chamber of Commerce
Don Strait, Executive Director, CT Fund for the Environment
Mary Tomolonius, Executive Director, CT Assoc for Community Transportation
City of Hartford Neighborhood Revitalization Zones:
Bernadine Silvers and Jackie McKinney, Co-Chairs, Board of Directors, Hartford 2000, Inc.
David Corrigan, Chair, Frog Hollow NRZ
Donna Thompson Daniels, President, Blue Hills NRZ
Lynn Ferrari, President, Hartford’s CSS/CON NRZ
Brandon McGee, Vice President, Northeast NRZ
David Morin, Secretary, Parkville Revitalization Association
Tomas Nenortas, Chair, South Downtown NRZ
After months of research and evaluation, the National Complete Streets Coalition has named Connecticut’s Complete Streets law, enacted in 2010, as one of the best in the country. Championed by former Representative Tom Kehoe, the complete streets law is an important component of smart growth policy, making roads safe and usable for transportation alternatives to the car. Safe, usable streets make for more livable cities and towns. The complete streets report, which includes the coalition’s ten elements of an ideal complete streets policy, is available at http://www.completestreets.org/webdocs/resources/cs-policyanalysis.pdf.
Tom Swarr, Chair of the CTLCV Education Fund, passes along this very cool link to StreetFilms.org, a site that documents livable streets worldwide in short films that show how smart transportation design and policy can result in better places to live, work and play. Their nearly 350 videos have been viewed over 3.5 million times and have inspired action and behavioral change worldwide. Street Films produced Moving Beyond the Automobile, “a ten part video series that explores solutions to the problem of automobile dependency. It's a visual handbook that will help guide policy makers, advocacy organizations, teachers, students, and others into a world that values pedestrian plazas over parking lots and train tracks over highways. Cars were then, and this is now. Welcome to the future.” Still wondering about the bus rapid transit project coming to Hartford & New Britain? Check out this 3-minute video:
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