CONNECTIONS: Linking Transportation and the Environment in Connecticut: May 9, 2011 Edition

– By Kirsten Griebel

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 policy 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.”

Malloy Green Lights Bus Rapid Transit Line

Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy got right to business after striding in to the press conference he called to announce his decision on the New Britain - Hartford busway.  The verdict: while he respects the opponents and their views, Malloy believes we should go forward on the bus rapid transit project.

Playing into part of his decision was the federal government's position that abandoning the busway project, already ten years in the making and in cooperation with the federal Department of Transportation, would not enhance Connecticut's position in future grantmaking rounds.

April 4, 2011 Press Conference

The Governor said that he does not believe the busway and revitalizing the rail line from Waterbury to Hartford  to be an either/or proposition, as some do.  As a result, Malloy will aggressively pursue the construction of the New Britain-Hartford Bus Rapid Transit project and a parallel initiative to study and plan for the Bristol/Waterbury commuter rail line.  That rail line would link to the Hartford-New Haven line in Berlin under Malloy’s proposal, increasing travel time by only three minutes from the original Waterbury/Bristol rail proposal. Malloy has directed a study of the Central Connecticut Rail Alternative to be included on the April Bond Commission Agenda for $1 million.

The Governor’s press release appears in full below.  Click here for a copy of Malloy’s letter announcing his decision to opposing parties, and a letter from FTA Administrator Peter Rogoff to Malloy.

Point : Counterpoint on Bringing Bus Rapid Transit to Central Connecticut

Last month we posted a story about how bus rapid transit  put one city on the map as a “World’s Most Visionary City.”  Because it’s fast and flexible, bus rapid transit (BRT) is often cited as the ideal public transport system.

Bus rapid transit is close  to coming to central Connecticut in the form of the New Britain–Hartford busway--if a ten year planning effort and the promise of 80% federal funding are allowed to proceed.

Despite the features of bus rapid transit, strong federal support for the busway project, and the number of construction jobs and other work the busway project would generate, the project has developed a few vocal detractors.

What is “Bus Rapid Transit,” anyway?
If “bus rapid transit” makes you think of a regular city bus, think again.  

Originally developed in Brazil, BRT is a high speed bus with a dedicated lane intended to give many of the benefits of a light rail system without the cost.

BRT combines the quality of rail transit and the flexibility of buses. It can operate on bus lanes, HOV lanes, expressways, or ordinary streets. A BRT system combines a simple route layout, frequent service, limited stops, Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) technology, passenger information systems, traffic signal priority for transit, cleaner and quieter vehicles, rapid and convenient fare collection, high-quality passenger facilities, and integration with land use policy.

According to AltTransport and MarketPlace, cities across the country are investing in Bus Rapid Transit over rail as a way to meet the increasing demand for public transportation in the time of devastating budget cuts . Rapid transit buses are hundreds of millions of dollars cheaper than the alternative.

Can We Get Bus Rapid Transit Too?
Read the Point : Counterpoint
The Sunday March 20 edition of the Hartford Courant featured opposing viewpoints on the bus rapid transit project as well as a Courant editorial in favor of keeping the project moving.

Read them here:

• Op Ed - Forward On Busway: Benefits Of Transit Corridor Are Clear
• Op Ed - Whoa On Busway: Project Would Block Rail, A Better Option
• Courant Editorial - Green-Light The Busway: Bus Rapid Transit Gov. Malloy should push ahead on regional transit project

The Courant editorial nicely summarizes the reasons for going forward with the bus rapid transit project for central Connecticut.  CTLCV supports the project as well.

Today Governor Malloy hears presentations from both camps – proponents and opponents of the New Britain-Hartford busway project. Stay tuned for the decision.