In a report entitled Connecticut's Transportation Strategy: Report and Recommendations of the Transportation Strategy Board January 2007, the Transportation Strategy Board adopted many of the recommendations offered by Rail Transportation Excellence Coalition, Elm City Cycling, Clean Water Action at an August 2006 public hearing in New Haven, in the Bicycle and Pedestrian section of its January 2007 report.
Signatures on bikes-on-trains petition, public comment at TSB public hearings and letter writing really did make a difference!
Read the excerpted public comment given at a TSB meeting at Gateway Community College in New Haven last summer and...
VERBATIM PROCEEDINGS
CONNECTICUT TRANSPORTATION STRATEGY BOARD
PUBLIC HEARING
RE: ACTION PLAN FOR CONNECTICUT
AUGUST 9, 2006
60 SARGENT DRIVE
NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT
Verbatim proceedings of a Public Hearing before the Connecticut Transportation Strategy Board held…at 6:58 p.m.
(excerpted)… CHAIRMAN KELLEHER: …Grace Burson? Good evening.
MS. GRACE BURSON: Good evening. Thank you for this opportunity. I’m here as a private citizen, although I’m more or less affiliated with several environmental and activist groups. This is essentially my own opinion that I’m presenting. From the perspective of someone who’s environmental concerned, but who’s also the owner of a car and a bicycle and who uses both to get around in Connecticut and also takes public transportation when possible and I have to say having just gotten back from a year spent in Germany I’m still in a bit of culture shock because on the Swiss/German border the public transit is spectacular. You can get up in the morning and know you can get anywhere within a 100 mile radius on a combination of bike in a designated lane, bus, short haul commuter rail and long haul high speed inter-city rail and that was -- that really spoiled us rotten during the past year.
But I personally don’t think there’s any reason that Connecticut couldn’t be exactly the same.
… So in what I’m saying about the rail and bus aspects that’s my own opinion, but when I talk about bikes I’m also representing the opinion of the other biker who had to leave and asked me to speak for him as well because we’re on the same list so we’ve had the same talking points. So first of all, I just want to reiterate what many people have been saying, that getting people off the highway is paramount at this point. That continuing to build highways is really just blocking ourselves into a corner and doesn’t improve anything because you just build more lanes and more drivers appear to take up those lanes and so it’s kind of self-defeating project and the future is really with public transit and especially with inter-modal forms of public transit.
I want to put in another plug for the New Haven/Hartford/Springfield rail line. I think it’s a terrific idea. I think it’s long overdue. My father has been commuting to work from New Haven to Hartford for the last 28 years and he uses the E-Z Ride or whatever it’s called van pool, E-Z Street, that’s it, but I think he probably would have been riding the train if there had been one all of this time. So probably 10,000 or $20,000 in rail -- in rail fees that he would have paid over the course of that career that instead went to E-Z Street.
And particularly in all of the projected rail improvements, all of which I think are really important, I’d like to make a plug for, including wherever possible room for bikes on those trains. On the Metro North cars, the also long overdue Metro North cars that will be coming online I believe in 2009 I think there’s some question as to whether those will have space for bikes and I’d just like to make a plug for allowing bikes on those cars because the more you can get to the station in some other form than a car the more you don’t need that parking garage that Mike Piscatelli was so eloquently pleading for and fewer -- the less congestion you have in the city center as well as on the highway.
MR. PHIL SMITH: We’ll check, but my recollection is that there are bus (sic) facilities on the new cars.
MS. BURSON: Okay.
MR. PHIL SMITH: Bike facilities, I’m sorry.
MS. BURSON: There was definitely some concern among the subscribers to that email list that they had heard that that was in fact not going to happen, but if it is all the better. And also this is probably something for local municipalities rather than the State Transportation Plan, but bike lanes, bike lanes, bike lanes. It makes a huge difference when you can just cycle happily alongside the traffic knowing that you have your own space where people are not going to come up on your behind and honk and throw things at you out the window and tell you to get out of the road. It’s safer, it’s easier, it’s less of a hassle and everybody’s happy.
There’s been some great progress in New Haven in the past few years with the Orange Street bike lane, but I’ve also heard that with the cost of fuel and paint going up along with the price of oil that that may start to slow down a bit and I’d just like to give a little push to continue to stripe a bike lane anywhere that a street is repaved if at all possible. And as someone who, as I said, I just got back from Europe and have been in the job market and I’m about to probably start a job in Simsbury very soon that New Haven/Hartford/Springfield rail line can’t come soon enough and if it has a bike car on it then maybe I can just take my bike and get off and ride to work and that would be great.
CHAIRMAN KELLEHER: Thank you.
MS. ALEXANDER: Thank you very much and apologies. I’m going to run because I’d like to get home on my bicycle before it’s pitch dark.
CHAIRMAN KELLEHER: We fully understand. Thank you very much Grace.
Our next presenter is Roger Smith. Is Roger here? I’m going to put a little bit of time pressure on. We have four names remaining and if you can help me out with my call by quarter of 9:00, 15 minutes. So --
MR. ROGER SMITH: I’ll do my best.
CHAIRMAN KELLEHER: -- well, you and three others. So you can lead off.
MR. ROGER SMITH: Okay. My name’s Roger Smith and I’m the campaign director for Clean Water Action in Hartford and we don’t normally testify before the Transportation Strategy Board, but we’re here today out of a concern about global warming…
…So our first concern is that carbon dioxide doesn’t seem to be part of the planning process. Transportation right now accounts for somewhere about 39 percent of emissions from fossil fuel sources in Connecticut and we expect that if we don’t do anything that vehicle miles are going to increase somewhere around 22 percent by the year 2020 according to our state climate plan. And these rising emissions are completely incompatible with the global warming goals that our Governor has set out for the state of Connecticut as part of a regional initiative…
And the second recommendation that we have is that we really support an immediate start on our rail system here. I mean, again, with the lag times, you know, we need to get whatever planning is to be done done now so we can actually get this thing started and moving. And I wanted to say that we shouldn’t be choosing between the New Haven to Springfield line and the Shoreline East line. Without both of them we’re not going to be meeting our greenhouse gas goals or our air pollution goals.
And I’m also concerned that we make sure that we’re doing it right. So, you know, if we’re buying new rail cars now we’re going to have them for a while, so you know, do they all have the capability to, you know, to support bikes. And if we’re going to be upgrading any bridges are we sure that we’re doing it in a way that’s going to maximize rail transit over the next 30 years or 50 years or whatever the life is of the bridge? So there’s some things there with lag times that we don’t want to get stuck on the wrong side of it realizing too late that we need to make some expensive changes.
CHAIRMAN KELLEHER: … Jason Stockman?
VOICE: Jason has left and he asked (indiscernible, too far from mic.)
CHAIRMAN KELLEHER: Okay. So we’re going to make up the time because Richard Stowe is our next speaker so you’re going to handle both?
MR. RICHARD STOWE: Yep.
CHAIRMAN KELLEHER: And you’re going be a hero here. You’ve got six minutes.
MR. STOWE: Okay.
CHAIRMAN KELLEHER: If you do it in three I’ll do whatever you want, whatever you propose, we’ll just -- it’ll be policy next week. I’m just kidding.
(Laughter)
MR. STOWE: Chairman Kelleher and TSB members, it’s an honor to address you in such an esteemed academic environment. Karen, it’s a pleasure to see you again this evening. Members, with global warming at our doorstep, the global peak oil era looming, unacceptably high numbers of motor vehicle related deaths and injuries both human and fauna, air quality noncompliance in Connecticut’s most populated corridors, continued gas price increases and vehicular congestion on our roads it is time for the state of Connecticut to seek new cost effective transportation strategies and transportation investments.
Simply widening a highway or enlarging a signalized interchange is no longer a viable -- viable transportation solution option. That includes building concrete freeways dedicated exclusively for buses on top of invaluable railroad right of ways. Instead, the state of Connecticut needs to formulate a comprehensive statewide transportation strategy in which commuter rail and rail freight are primary drivers of the state’s economy and the bicycle replaces the automobile for many short trips.
This strategy includes safer on street cycling through bicycle friendly road design, improvements in rail conductivity with neighboring states. One example would be Metro North service from New Haven through New Rochelle Junction to Jamaica Station, JFK in Nassau County via the Hellsgate Bridge. Bicycles should also be given unfettered inter-modal access to the state’s trains and buses.
The state of Connecticut will soon make its largest purchase of passenger rail cars in over 30 years. At minimum a purchase of 210 M-8 train cars and Kawasaki rail cars with an option to purchase 170 more. Now is the time to select leather seat coverings for the M-8 train car seats. Leather seats will be superior in look, feel and durability. Jet Blue Airways has successfully provided leather seats on all of its coach seats.
The good news is that these cars are designed not only to run on Metro North’s New Haven line, but also on Connecticut DOT Shoreline East corridor. The bad news is that the current design for the M-8 car does not yet include dedicated space for parking bicycles. Tri-Rail, Caltrain, Altamont Commuter Express, Metrolink, Coast or Pacific Surfliner, Capitol Corridor are all examples of U.S. commuter rail lines, which now have dedicated bicycle parking on their train cars. In Europe dedicated bicycle parking on trains is the rule, not the exception.
It’s time for Connecticut’s Metro North New Haven line to join those agencies by providing dedicated bicycle parking on its new M-8 train cars. And just for the record, I had a conversation with Charles Clarke who oversees the rail car design process and it was his opinion that at this point there is not a separate set aside for bicycles on the trains, but if there’s public interest, you know, that could be accommodated.
Any loss of seating due to a dedicated area for bicycle parking may be recovered by purchasing more train cars because we have like the option to buy 380. We’re purchasing 210, but we can upgrade, you know, up the order and the benefit for that, aside from the bicycle -- the bicycle access is that with more -- even though you may have fewer seats per train car, with more train cars that allows for more frequent train service and that’s something everybody would benefit from.
Dedicated bicycle parking on trains allow for -- allow bicyclists to bicycle on both ends of a train trip to locations too far to bicycle commute to. It is a feasible way to contribute to -- to commute to work without a car. Seamless rail commuter service from Grand Central to New Haven, Hartford or Springfield, we went a long way this year with Governor Rell’s proposal to have a branch line between New Haven and Springfield. We should really go all the way on this because the rule of thumb in the rail industry is you lose over half your ridership when you have to just switch from one train to another.
In the 1990s Amtrak went through a Federal consistency review process to gain approval for it’s $1.7 billion northeast corridor electrification project from New Haven to Boston. Amtrak and the DEP Boating Division signed an agreement in 1996 which limited the number of trains traveling east of Old Saybrook to 34 trains per day. In 2003 an enforcement action was taken against Amtrak for exceeding that limit. As a result of that action Amtrak agreed to reduce Shoreline East service to New London but was also granted permission to operate 38 trains per day east of -- east to Old Saybrook. In 2004 that number was increased to 39. Excuse me, east of Old Saybrook, yeah.
A rule of thumb measure for an economically viable electrified corridor requires a minimum of 90 trains per day. So this issue has to be addressed. The limit on the train service is based on a coastal access provision in the Connecticut Coastal Management Act of 1980. When trains cross the five movable bridges which span the Connecticut River, Niantic River, Shaw’s Cove, Thames River and Mystic Harbor boating use is impeded between Long Island Sound and the rivers or harbors north of the drawbridges. With drawbridges Metro North’s new M-8 cars are confined to running it’s service only as far as Old Saybrook. By replacing drawbridges with high-level bridges Metro North’s new M-8 cars can operate frequent service from Grand Central to New London and Providence optimizing the electrification investment on the northeast corridor. With high level bridges boaters will have unimpeded access between the rivers and Long Island Sound.
Trirail recently doubled tracked its corridor and replaced a drawbridge with a $70,000,000 high-level bridge over the New River in Fort Lauderdale. In the 1990s a drawbridge in Bridgeport was replaced with a high level bridge on the New Haven line. New Jersey Transit will likely replace a drawbridge over the Hoboken River with a high level bridge. Interstate 95 has high-level bridges. Why shouldn’t the Shoreline East corridor? Why widen I-95 when you can significantly upgrade the Shoreline East corridor by building high-level bridges and carry people and goods much more efficiently by train?
Amtrak has already started construction on a lift bridge over the Thames River. The replacement of the Niantic River Bridge is in its final design, but has no funding. You must change Amtrak’s current course of action so that drawbridges are replaced with high level bridges, otherwise train service will be severely constrained on the Shoreline East corridor east of Old Saybrook for the remainder of the century.
Let me just say there are lots of other issues of concern in the transportation arena such as modern roundabouts and smart growth without minimum parking requirements. In fact, how many of you have read the book The High Cost of Free Parking? I highly recommend it. And I’ll just conclude that Connecticut, the land of steady habits, will soon see the benefit of positive change. I encourage the state to take action on the specific suggestions contained within this letter. If it does Connecticut will take a leadership position which will likely be watched and emulated by much of the nation on providing safe, sensible, efficient, effective and health-minded transportation for it’s residents, employees and visitors. Thank you for allowing me to run over there.
CHAIRMAN KELLEHER: That’s okay. Thank you Richard very much. Thank you for your passion and commitment for what you stand for.
MR. STOWE: Sure.
CHAIRMAN KELLEHER: And thank you all, those of you that have stayed. It certainly has been very informative for all of us. We appreciate your candor and your input and taking the time out of your busy schedules to be here with us and as I said, Richard exemplified what all of you did which is really a passionate commitment to the opinion that you have and we certainly respect that. So thank you very much.
(Whereupon, the hearing was adjourned at 8:48 p.m.)
the commentary piece written in August for the Hartford Courant. It may have indirectly reinforced our message to policymakers.
It was reprinted in Stamford Advocate & Greenwich Time on Sunday September 10, 2006.
THE HARTFORD COURANT Sunday, September 3, 2006 C5
Commentary
PLACE
COMMENTARY ABOUT WHERE WE LIVE
Make Room for Bikes on Rail Cars
By RICHARD M. STOWE
Last month the State Bond Commission approved $459 million toward the largest purchase of rails cars in state history - 300 new M8's (with an option to purchase 80 more) from Kawaski Rail Car, Inc. and $25 million
toward refurbishing existing rail cars. Initial delivery for new cars is due in 2009.
The good news is that these cars are designed to run not only on Metro-North Railroad's New Haven Line, but also on the state Department of Transportation's Shore Line East corridor.
The bad news is that the design for the M-8 cars does not yet include dedicated space for parking bicycles.
Connecticut should formulate a statewide transportation strategy in which the bicycle replaces the automobile for many short trips and commuter rail replaces the automobile for many longer trips.
This transportation strategy will help reduce our addiction to oil and mitigate its unwanted effects - blood-stained fields in the Middle East, oil-soaked waters in the Mediterranean, global warming, the coming global peak oil crisis, unacceptably high numbers of motor vehicle-related deaths and injuries, air pollution, continued gas price increases and mind-numbing congestion on our highways.
To increase rail safety and speed, we should invest in infrastructure, such as signalization upgrades, double tracking and grade separation projects as well as the new rail cars. Similarly, we should improve bicycle safety by the judicious development of multi-use trails and by using bicycle-friendly road design. Car lanes may be narrowed and shoulders widened by simply repainting roadway edge striping. Narrower car lanes calm traffic and wider shoulders improve safety for bicyclists.
Finally, bicycles and trains should be coupled in an intermodal strategy, in which bicyclists are encouraged to bring their bikes on trains.
Nationally, this was once discouraged by requiring riders to buy bicycle permits and by keeping bikes off peak-hour trains.
When these impediments are removed (Governor Christine Todd Whitman eliminated permits in New Jersey), and separate bicycle parking areas on new train cars are established, more bicyclists commute by train.
Examples of federally-subsidized commuter rail and state-subsidized Amtrak lines that have dedicated bicycle parking on their train cars include Tri-Rail (from West Palm Beach, Fla., to Miami), Caltrain (from
San Jose, Calif., to San Francisco), Altamont Commuter Express (Stockton, Calif., to San Jose), Metrolink (a six-county Los Angeles metro region), Coaster (San Diego County), Pacific Surfliner (San Diego to San Luis Obispo, Calif.) and Capitol Corridor (San Jose to
Sacramento). Central Florida Commuter Rail will provide bike parking on its train cars when the 61-mile commuter rail line serving the Greater Orlando vicinity opens in 2009.
And in Europe, bicycle parking on trains is the rule, not the exception.
It is time for Connecticut to join the parade by providing bike parking on the new M-8 train cars.
The new M-8 train cars and the refurbished cars will give Metro-North's New Haven Line excess capacity for the first time in its history. With a larger inventory of rail cars, Metro-North can not only provide dedicated space on its new rail cars for bicycle parking, but also more frequent train service.
Letting cyclists bring their bikes on trains will reduce demand for scarce motor vehicle parking spaces at stations. Bicycling becomes a feasible way to commute to work without a car.
Including bicycle parking in the final design of the rail cars is a cost-effective investment in our public transportation system. Bypassing such an investment now may lead to much more expensive rail-car retrofits at a later date.
Connecticut will soon see the benefits. And it will likely be emulated by other state rail agencies on the Northeast Corridor. Let's encourage Connecticut legislators and officials to provide safe, sensible, efficient and health-minded transportation for residents, employees and visitors.
Richard M. Stowe of New Canaan is director of Rail Transportation Excellence Coalition of Connecticut and president of the New Canaan Environmental Group, an environmental education organization.
Photograph of Caltrain bike car was published in the Hartford Courant.
CALTRAIN WAS ONE OF THE PIONEER RAIL SYSTEMS in the United States for accommodating bicycles. The system, which runs from San Francisco to San Jose and Gilroy, faces calls for more bike capacity on its trains.
