Category Archives: Columnists

Talking Transportation: Rules Vary for Bikes on Board

Posted on by
Jim Cameron

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” are 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.

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 it’s 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.

Editor’s Notes: i) Jim Cameron is the founder of the Commuter Action Group and advocates for Connecticut rail riders. He writes a weekly column called ‘Talking Transportation,’ which is published by a number of publications in the state.
ii) ”Talking Transportation” recently won first place in the general column/commentary category in the Connecticut Society of Professional Journalists Excellence in Journalism Contest.

Talking Transportation: The Folly of a Bridge to New York

Posted on by
1
Jim Cameron

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.”

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 14-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 15 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.

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 Long Island Sound has been studied by experts as recently as 2017. They concluded that there were serious environmental issues and maybe 10 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.

Editor’s Notes: i) Jim Cameron is the founder of the Commuter Action Group and advocates for Connecticut rail riders. He writes a weekly column called ‘Talking Transportation,’ which is published by a number of publications in the state.
ii) ”Talking Transportation” recently won first place in the general column/commentary category in the Connecticut Society of Professional Journalists Excellence in Journalism Contest.

Talking Transportation: Is This Leading by Example, Governor Lamont?

Posted on by
Jim Cameron

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 $3,500 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 2,300 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, $7,423 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 3,300+ 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.

Editor’s Notes: i) Jim Cameron is the founder of the Commuter Action Group and advocates for Connecticut rail riders. He writes a weekly column called ‘Talking Transportation,’ which is published by a number of publications in the state.
ii) ”Talking Transportation” recently won first place in the general column/commentary category in the Connecticut Society of Professional Journalists Excellence in Journalism Contest.

The Movie Man: Mystic Film Festival Screens Over 100 Films

Posted on by
Kevin Ganey is ‘The Movie Man’

The eighth annual Mystic Film Festival opened Thursday, Oct. 2, at the Mystic Luxury Cinemas. The festival screened over 100 films, which were mostly short films but approximately 20 feature-length films were included.

The festival was founded by Shareen Anderson, who also serves as its executive and artistic director. Anderson’s career as a producer, director, and writer in film and television (documentaries, specifically) spans two decades. Her work has appeared on CNN, Netflix, the Food Network, and National Geographic.

While in Johannesburg, South Africa, Anderson founded the Jozi Film Festival in 2011.

Upon moving to Mystic in 2017, Anderson took note of the local tourist industry and established artistic community. She came to believe that Mystic was a perfect opportunity for a local film festival.

“People here like going to the movies,” she said. “I just decided to go for it… and here we are eight years later.”

The filmmakers participating in the festival this year are mostly from the northeast (New England and New York) while others come from California. Anderson is particularly proud to host international filmmakers this year.

She adds that student films are also submitted, and their quality can be indistinguishable from the rest of the submitted work.

Anderson continues to work in film and television while running the festival, which she refers to as her “passion project.” She boasts that everyone involved is a volunteer and that this is a true community effort, with meetings held either weekly or monthly year-round.

She has high hopes for the Mystic Film Festival’s future but notes that planning just a four-day event requires time and work. She emphasized that it ultimately comes down to bigger sponsors.

The Festival concluded Sunday, Oct.5.

For more information about the Festival and how to get involved, visit the Festival website.

About the Author: Having lived in Old Lyme and Lyme since the age of three, Kevin Ganey has always had a passion for movies that is beyond simply watching, but understanding the craft of cinema and and experiencing films as if they were a musical album. Kevin also has his own website devoted to movie analysis, CityOfCinema.com, and also co-hosts a podcast, Moviehouse Mystics, with Koda Uhl (available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube.)

Talking Transportation: Jim Cameron Finally Boards the NextGen Acela

Posted on by
Jim Cameron

I finally had a chance to ride the new NextGen Acela and I have to admit, I was wrong: This really is Amtrak’s train of the future.

But here are a few tips for making your next ride frictionless. These tips are mostly about riding Acela, but many hold true for slower Northeast Corridor trains.

WHAT’S A NEXTGEN ACELA? These are the new trains built by Alstom, previously known as Avelia Liberty. They hold 25% more passengers than the existing Acela trains and can, at least for 32 miles with fast, straight track in New Jersey, travel up to 160 mph compared to the old Acela’s 150 mph.

Just a few of the new trains are running so far but 26 are more on the way, replacing the older Acelas, which will be retired.

BOOK EARLY: We booked our Acela tickets about two weeks in advance and scored senior fares (10% discount) of “only” $204 one way from Stamford to Washington DC. Waiting at the station to board I heard the ticket agent startle a younger passenger seeking a ticket to DC by quoting her the same-day walk-up fare of $402 one way. A minute later the helpful agent said she could make the same trip a half-hour later (on the slower train) for half as much.

RESERVED SEATS: Seats on all Acelas are now reserved. But don’t trust the seating chart you’ll see online. When we boarded the train we found our seats faced backwards (not in the direction of travel) and had no window. But a helpful conductor found us better seats right on his phone. Consult a third-party seating chart to make sure you get the seats you want.

If you want the Quiet Car, be aware there’s only one car with 59 seats. Otherwise you’ll be enjoying the “finance bro” across the aisle making deals enroute by phone.

BOARDING ADVICE: The cars on the NextGen Acela are much shorter than the regular trains, so position yourself carefully on the platform to minimize walking once the train arrives. I noticed Amtrak staff at each station helping minimize “dwell time” for the train by getting passengers off and on as quickly as possible.

USE THE RED CAPS: If your train originates at your station, like our return from DC, get priority pre-boarding with the help of the Red Caps. Avoiding the throngs queueing to board is worth a tip, even with reserved seats.

HOW’S THE RIDE?: In a word, spectacular. All the Acelas run no faster than Metro-North in Connecticut, but south of NYC it’s a whole different railroad. True to its promise our train hit 159 mph on the straightaways in New Jersey and the ride overall was very smooth, unlike the 25-year-old Amfleet cars or the 50-year-old Amfleet cars on the slower trains.

SERVICE: Enroute the cabin cleaning staff came around to collect trash and Café Car items were available (credit cards only) from a cart moving between the cars. The Café Car itself looked great with self-serve windows displaying the food items. But there are no tables to sit down, just some counters where you can perch and munch.

The food offerings were “premium” and priced accordingly.

The on-board Wi-Fi was spectacular… truly 5G.

ON-TIME?: Like many Amtrak trains, even the super-Acela tends to run a few minutes late in Connecticut because of Metro-North traffic. We departed about ten minutes late from Stamford but, because the schedule is padded, were on time out of Penn Station NY and arrived early in Washington DC.

IS IT WORTH TRYING?: Yes, at least once. Amtrak has a lot riding on these new trainsets, so try one soon and you’ll see what the future will be like.

Editor’s Notes: i) Jim Cameron is the founder of the Commuter Action Group and advocates for Connecticut rail riders. He writes a weekly column called ‘Talking Transportation,’ which is published by a number of publications in the state.
ii) ”Talking Transportation” recently won first place in the general column/commentary category in the Connecticut Society of Professional Journalists Excellence in Journalism Contest.