"Talking Transportation"

WILL HIGHER GAS PRICES HELP MASS TRANSIT?

2026-03-28T13:17:00.001-04:00

Who’s not upset about higher gas prices? Proponents of mass transit.

Transit advocates might be accused of a little schadenfreude, taking satisfaction in drivers’ pain at the pump. Or maybe they’re renewing their long term dream: Maybe this will finally push people out of their cars and onto the train and bus!

Maybe not.

In 2008, when gasoline spiked, ridership on Metro-North surged. Connecticut commuters did the math and decided the train beat sitting on I-95 burning $4 gas.

But these days gasoline is not the main cost of driving.

Sure, the price of gas is just the most visible expense … the one glowing at you on every street corner. But for most drivers, that’s only a fraction of what they’re already paying. The real costs are “sunk”: car payments, insurance, maintenance, depreciation. Whether gas is $3 or $5, you’re still writing those checks every month.

Your car doesn’t get cheaper just because you leave it in the driveway. It just sits there like a very expensive lawn ornament, depreciating.

So when gas rises by a dollar a gallon (as it has in a month), the typical commuter might spend an extra $30 or $40 a month. Painful, yes. But not exactly life-changing when you’re already paying hundreds monthly for the car itself.

Gas prices are the classic example of an inelastic market. Prices go up… and people grumble, but they keep driving, in many Connecticut locales because it’s the only option.

Of course, the transportation equation depends on what alternatives to driving you might have. Is there a bus? When’s the train? How frequent and reliable is the service? And what’s the fare?

Assuming there are mass transit alternatives to the daily drive, some commuters may become part-time transit riders. They’ll drive some days, take the train others, especially when traffic or the weather are brutal. Or maybe when gas spikes even higher. Or when parking in Stamford or New Haven feel like highway robbery.

Early signs are already there. Commuter ridership on Metro-North Railroad was ticking up even before the Iran war. That may continue.

Ironically, the railroad is now running a social media campaign encouraging riders to avoid standing in the aisles and vestibules on crowded trains, instead sitting in that dreaded middle seat on the three-seat side. They say this will “avoid crowding”. That’s putting the mass back into mass transit.

So the real “trigger price” for behavior change in commuting isn’t just a number on the gas pump. It’s a combination of factors: sustained high prices, lousy traffic, expensive parking, and most of all, whether you actually need to make the trip at all.

Work from home seems a lot more attractive these days, something we didn’t have as an option in previous oil “shocks”. Thank you COVID, the ultimate commute-killer.

Let’s be honest: you can’t argue with the convenience of driving. But to save money, people will adjust: combine trips, carpool, skip errands, shop online. Or even rethink that low-mileage SUV.

PS: Just as gas prices rise, there’s another 5% fare increase coming this summer for commuter rail in Connecticut … and a potential 30% cut in Bridgeport bus service. Timing is everything.

COULD YOUR MAIL REALLY STOP?

2026-03-21T10:43:00.000-04:00

You may not get any Christmas cards this year. Or bills. Or junk mail. The U.S. Postal Service is once again warning it’s in real trouble, and this time, they’re not whispering.

You want to see someone speaking truth to power, check out Postmaster General David Steiner testifying to a House Oversight Subcommittee. “Without action,” he told the pols, “the Postal Service will run out of cash.”

Without Congress doing something the USPS won’t stop your home deliveries, at least not every day. But we may lose Saturday mail. And see smaller post offices close. And first class rates could zoom up to about $1 per letter.

The problem is simple: first-class mail is dying. Not sick. Not struggling. Dead… replaced by email, autopay, and whatever app you’re using to read this.

Think of it. How much “real” mail do you get each day? I mean letters from people, not just companies trying to sell you something. How many letters do you send and how many stamps do you buy? Compare your volume of paper mail to your email and you’ll understand the problem.

Not that the USPS hasn’t innovated on technology. I love their “Informed Delivery” option telling me (ironically, by email) what will be delivered to my real mailbox later in the day.

There’s been a 50% drop in first class mail since the early 2000s. And it’s first class where the USPS has historically made its real profits, not with marketing mail or packages. In 2019 a stamp was 55 cents. Today it’s 73 cents. And despite that jump the Postal Service is losing about ten cents per letter in delivery cost vs revenue.

That’s what we call a death spiral: raising prices to cover losses, only to drive away the customers you needed to survive… just like on our commuter rail lines.

The problem is worsened because the Postal Service has to deliver to every address in the US. In Connecticut that means everywhere from Hartford to Union (population 785, so small it doesn’t even have its own zip code).

To do its job the USPS maintains a fleet of 257,000 vehicles, from trucks to delivery vans, serving 168 million delivery addresses. They have over 530,000 employees making the USPS one of the largest employers in the country.

And those employees, while they presumably enjoy the jobs, are also promised nice pensions. Long time workers (hired before 1984) can retire with pensions of 60%+ of their final salary.

Despite staffing reductions of 25% between 2008 and 2015, the Service is looking at $10 - $15 billion in annual pension and retiree health benefits in the next few years, long-subject to pre-funding requirements.

The USPS also supports more than 33,000 physical post offices nationwide, making it the largest retail network in the US, roughly the same as Starbucks and McDonalds combined but with a lot fewer customers. That’s a lot of overhead.

How will the Congress respond to the Postmaster General’s dire warnings last week? Probably by letting USPS borrow even more money beyond its current $15 billion cap, because nothing says “long-term solution” like more short-term debt.

So pick your poison: higher prices for stamps, fewer post offices, reduced deliveries, all of the above… or just “kick the can down the road”? Which do you think Congress will choose in this election year?

A GIFT AT THE PUMP IN AN ELECTION YEAR

2026-03-13T16:55:00.002-04:00

Do you want a “gas tax holiday” to help buffer the rising cost of fuel? Your first reaction is probably a loud and enthusiastic “Yes!”

But before we all start planning what to do with those extra quarters’ savings per gallon, it’s worth asking a couple of uncomfortable questions: who really benefits and who’s really paying for it later?

Governor Lamont says suspending the gas tax would help your already-squeezed wallet as global oil prices climb during the Iran war. Fair enough.

But let’s not forget one small detail. It’s also an election year.

And if that sounds familiar, it should. The last gas tax “holiday” came in 2022 — another election year. Funny how that works.

Still, as one seasoned Connecticut legislator once told me: “Sometimes good politics is also good policy.” Translation: even a political stunt can occasionally help people.

Gas taxes fund the state’s Special Transportation Fund (STF) which spends about $2.3-billion-a-year for highways, buses, rail service and the endless maintenance required to keep Connecticut moving.

Right now the STF looks healthy enough. But the state’s own forecasts show trouble ahead as costs rise and revenue from gasoline taxes slowly declines.

A gas tax holiday would drain about $40 million a month from the fund… money that normally pays for things like fixing potholes, maintaining bridges and subsidizing Metro-North.

So yes, a gas tax holiday would save you a little money at the pump. But remember: the state’s transportation system still needs to be paid for somehow.

Until recently, transportation planners worried that electric vehicles would slowly starve the STF because EV drivers don’t buy gasoline and therefore don’t pay gas taxes. But now federal policy toward EVs has been, shall we say, less enthusiastic. Which means that deficit problem may arrive later than expected.

Of course, with gasoline pushing toward painful levels again, an electric car is suddenly looking pretty attractive, assuming you can afford one.

Remember the last “holiday” in 2022, when Russia invaded Ukraine and fuel prices surged? The state suspended the 25-cent-per-gallon tax for nine months, then slowly restored it over five months so drivers wouldn’t feel the shock all at once. Average savings worked out to roughly $100 to $120 per driver. Nice, but not exactly life-changing.

In other transportation news this week… the Connecticut Department of Transportation seems to be going after truckers again.

During February’s blizzard, CDOT did an admirable job clearing the highways. Unfortunately, their work was repeatedly slowed by tractor-trailers ignoring the statewide truck ban and jackknifing across the interstates.

Currently the fine for violating a truck ban is just $90. That’s barely more than a parking ticket. CDOT wants to raise the penalty to $250, which might finally get some drivers’ attention as a deterrent to risking travel in a blizzard.

But where exactly are trucks supposed to go? If they pull off the highway during a storm, where exactly can they park? Connecticut has only 363 truck parking spaces statewide at rest areas. But CDOT estimates that more than 10,000 trucks a day travel I-95 alone.

Truckers get paid for delivering freight on time, not for sitting in a parking lot waiting for the snow to stop.

So if the state wants stricter compliance with truck bans, it might help to provide drivers with two things: more notice … and somewhere safe to park.

IS OUR ECONOMY IN A "STRAIT" JACKET?

2026-03-06T16:55:00.000-05:00

Why are your gasoline prices jumping? Because oil tankers can’t travel through the Strait of Hormuz… and not just due to the Iranians, but because of insurance.

Funny thing about global oil trade: it’s not controlled by admirals or presidents.
It’s controlled by insurance underwriters in London.

My favorite go-to expert on all things regarding world shipping is Sal Mercogliano’s amazing YouTube channel, “What’s Going on with Shipping”, a nightly TV addiction of mine. As a former merchant mariner turned academic, Mercogliano points out that the cost of war risk insurance is what’s really stopping the tankers.

When you own a $100 million tanker (empty and not carrying a drop of oil) you usually pay 0.1% – 0.3% of the vessel’s value per trip for coverage. This past week the underwriters were demanding 1-3%, or about $1-3 million per voyage.

If 20–40 tankers make that transit daily, the theoretical exposure could reach $5–10 billion per day of insured cargo and vessels.

At those prices, anchoring your tanker becomes cheaper than risking the transit. Because crippling a tanker doesn’t take a $100 million fighter jet anymore. A $50,000 drone boat will do just fine: a lot of bang for the buck.

Russian LNG tanker attacked by drone in Mediterranean

The recent Red Sea crisis of 2023 shows how widespread these attacks have become: 164 missiles and 265 drones fired at shipping, 79 ships targeted and 29 vessels hit. And that’s just by the Houthis. Imagine if a real navy joined the party.

Can the White House realistically offer to have Uncle Sam underwrite that cost and assume those incredible amounts of risk? It may have to, right after it finishes fixing health care, student loans, and the Northeast’s commuter rail system.

How about US Navy escorts? That could be done, though in the Red Sea crisis the Pentagon did not run full convoy escorts like it did during the 1980s tanker war. And again, not cheap.

What’s this all mean to Connecticut, the economy and your wallet?

Like Covid, this may qualify as what economists call a “black swan” event: extremely rare and unexpected, having a massive impact and, after the fact, people claiming it was predictable (which it probably was). So maybe that makes this a gray swan instead?

Think of the 39-mile-wide Strait of Hormuz as the Merritt Parkway of global oil traffic: too narrow, over‑capacity, and one bad move from a miles‑long backup. The difference is that when something goes wrong in Hormuz it’s not a Subaru crashing into the guardrail near Trumbull… it’s a supertanker full of crude and a shock to the global economy.

2 million bbl VLCC - Very Large Crude Carrier

With about 20% of the world’s oil passing through this, the world’s most vulnerable oil chokepoint, we can expect higher gasoline and home heating oil prices, a devastating effect on the stock market, a disruption of global supply chains and soaring inflation. That probably means higher food prices, more expensive airline tickets… and, of course, even higher gasoline prices.

When Hormuz sneezes, the global economy doesn’t just catch a cold; it ends up in the ER with a stack of unpaid bills and a lecture from the IMF.

WINTER WARRIORS: CDOT VS MOTHER NATURE

2026-02-27T17:22:00.000-05:00

I used to think March 1st meant Spring was around the corner. This year it means Winter is just getting warmed up. Last week’s blizzard followed by mid-week “flurries” convince me that May is a better hoped-for date for a reprieve.

Meantime let’s give credit to all those who kept us moving in the worst of what Winter has had to throw at us.

ON THE RAILS: While some railroads (like NJ Transit and the LIRR) “temporarily suspended most service” (i.e. shut down) before or during the blizzard, Metro-North kept chugging along, albeit on a reduced schedule. Amtrak kept the Northeast Corridor technically open which in a blizzard counts as a small miracle. Understandably, people were warned to stay off the roads, but if travel was absolutely necessary the train could get you there. So thank you to the crews that worked tirelessly to keep the station platforms plowed, track switches cleared and the trains still running.

ON THE ROADS: Here’s where the miracles happened. The faceless teams of plow operators and salters worked night and day reopening our interstates as quickly as possible. Even on Wednesday, with another brief storm, my drive along the coast on I-95 from Fairfield County to Rhode Island appeared clean and well plowed. I saw several conga-lines of plows clearing the travel lanes and shoulders and using bucket and dump-trucks to remove what remained.

Where does all that snow go? Most is what they call “toss snow”, literally tossed off to the side of the road. On bridges and overpasses, giant snow blowers are called into action. In cities like Hartford larger amount of snow are trucked to state property to await melting.

But there was so much snow to be removed this week that CT’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) temporarily allowed dumping in local rivers and even Long Island Sound. That’s despite the fact that plowed snow carries road salt (chlorides), sand, oil, tire particles, litter, fertilizers, and other contaminants, which can degrade water quality, harm fish and aquatic life.

Clean water is important. So is clean pavement.

CDOT uses salt brine to pretreat our highways, roughly the equivalent of 100 pounds of salt per lane-mile in each direction, lowering the freezing temperature of water to - 6 degrees F. Years ago they used sand but abandoned that for environmental reasons. Then come the plows and salt trucks.

Morton Salt mines

Understandably, rock salt is in short supply this year so it now costs over $80 a ton. Most comes from Morton Salt’s mines in upstate NY while some is also imported by the shipload from as far away as Chile.

In some states, fracking brine (euphemistically called “produced water”) is used for highway treatment. But that’s banned in Connecticut due to its residual radioactivity.

All of these salty corrosives aren’t good for your car, damaging the frame, underbody, brake and fuel lines, suspension components, and fasteners. Rust never sleeps. That makes washing your vehicle after a storm even more important… after, of course, removing the ice and snow atop your vehicle lest it fly off at high speed endangering other drivers.

CDOT had almost 650 trucks clearing 10,000+ lane miles of state highways during the blizzard. In your town or city your local DPW cleared the local roads. And in shoreline communities like Madison the 22” of heavy, wet snow was still being cleared days after the storm.

So effective were the CDOT crews that Governor Ned Lamont later dispatched CDOT personnel (drivers and mechanics) and equipment to Rhode Island and Massachusetts to assist in their clean-up.

Thank you also to neighbors who didn’t park their cars on local roads impeding plowing and then cleared their sidewalks, incentivized by local ordinances.

And then there are the private plow operators whose long hours during and after the blizzard have made for a lucrative if exhausting period of work.

The Winter of ‘26 isn’t done with us yet. The crews will keep plowing. We’ll keep salting. And come April we’ll all complain about potholes instead.

DIESEL DEJA VU ON SHORE LINE EAST

2026-02-20T16:51:00.002-05:00

It was only three years ago that CDOT made a big hoopla over adding electric-powered M8 trains to the Shore Line East rail line from New Haven to New London, promoting how clean, quiet and fast they were.

Governor Lamont hailed them as “fighting climate change by investing in cleaner, greener transportation.” Passengers loved the new cars for their quick acceleration, comfy seats and plugs for charging their devices.

Now CDOT says they’re too expensive to operate and will be replaced by the older diesel locomotives and second-hand coaches from Virginia.

As CDOT Commissioner Eucalitto told lawmakers, reverting to diesels is better than cutting service, as if this was the only option in his $15 billion five-year transportation program.

DOES CDOT WANT TO KILL SHORE LINE EAST?

It sure seems so… and with Amtrak’s help. Post-COVID while the other rail lines were restored to full service, Shore Line East was not. CDOT blamed low ridership … the predictable result of running fewer trains and then acting surprised when fewer people ride them.

Compared with the shiny M8 trains, diesels are slower to accelerate and create a witches brew of noxious gases even though they burn what’s called ultra-low sulfur diesel (ULSD) fuel, the railroad equivalent of “clean coal”. Nothing says “climate leadership” like bringing back the spewing exhaust.

Photo Credit - Ewing Leon

The real reasons for this reversion?

First, Metro-North needs those Shoreline East M8’s to run elsewhere. They’ve already been sighted on the Harlem line. When equipment gets tight, the shoreline always seems to be the first place CDOT looks for “flexibility.”

And second, because CDOT says it can save $8.8 million by not having to pay Amtrak for electricity to power the M8’s or for the privilege of using their overhead catenary power lines.

Amtrak is acting like a greedy electric company… charging you to plug your hair-dryer in their socket even before you turn it on. But saving $8.8 million by making service worse is the kind of efficiency that only works on spreadsheets.

DOES AMTRAK HATE COMMUTER RAIL?

While in most of the US Amtrak operates as a guest on freight railroads’ tracks, in the Northeast Corridor they’re the boss and their profitable Acela trains get the VIP treatment while commuter lines schedule their trains in between. That’s why Amtrak is able to bully CDOT and Shore Line East: it’s their tracks and wires.

But in Connecticut where the state owns the tracks west from New Haven to the NY state line, Amtrak is our customer and we get to call the shots. So why doesn’t CDOT just tell Amtrak to play nice if they want to keep those over-priced Acela trains on time?

Amtrak pays Metro-North a bonus for keeping its trains on schedule in Metro-North territory. Maybe we could make a deal for letting our M8’s keep running on Shore Line East?

NEW LOCOS & RAILCARS

CDOT has 60 new passenger cars and six dual-mode locomotives on order which should start arriving later this year. But none are promised to Shore Line East. Instead the branch line riders to Waterbury and Hartford will be riding in style (in cars with Wi-fi) while Shore Line East commuters (or what’s left of them), are clunking along in 35-year-old hand-me-down trains. Hartford gets Wi-fi while New London gets nostalgia with a cloud of diesel exhaust.

Shore Line East was created to relieve highway congestion on I-95. Now it risks becoming a case study in how to discourage rail ridership without ever formally abandoning it. Is it any surprise that locals refer to the southeast part of our state as “Connecticut’s forgotten corner”?

VANITY LICENSE PLATES

2026-02-06T17:26:00.002-05:00

Your car has a face, and in Connecticut, that face can be subject to editorial review by the Department of Motor Vehicles. Six characters may not seem dangerous, but in the wrong order your choice of vanity plates may apparently pose a serious threat to public morality. Or so says the DMV.

Since 1937, Connecticut motorists have been allowed to personalize their license plates… slowly, cautiously, and always under supervision. The earliest vanity plates were just two initials. When possible combinations maxed out, you could do four letters. And by the 1970’s, six characters combining letters and numbers.

Today you can also order one of the dozens of different special plates supporting various organizations or causes ranging from Friends of the Amistad to Preserving Long Island Sound. There are plates for your pet, Special Olympics, Greenways, the Marine Corps League, Gold Star families, the Red Sox and Amateur Radio too. The DMV’s most recent addition celebrates Connecticut as “The Pizza State”.

Mind you, not all requests for vanity plates are approved, despite their application fee of roughly $90 to over $140, depending on the plate. That’s because the killjoys at the DMV don’t allow anything profane, crude, obscene, or vulgar. Context, irony, and spelling variations are apparently not mitigating factors.

Examples of some of the 350 applications reportedly rejected in 2024 include WEEDBIZ (drug dealer?), F4RTBOX (bad muffler?), BIGSEXY (don’t ask) and GR8FUL (presumably a Jerry Garcia fan). But somehow these plates got approved: DICKS, BUTTS, BALLS and TOOL. And we have confirm sightings of FUBAR, COVFEVE, PUTIN and RUSSIA.

So yes, these plates have existed in the wild, roaming our highways freely, confusing children and giving their parents a chuckle and something to explain to the backseat crowd.

I had a doctor once whose plate read NOPCMD. I asked him why he hated computers. He said I was misreading the plate and that I’d forgotten he was a urologist.

In a similar vein there’s the New Hampshire woman, Wendy Auger, who for many years has proudly displayed her plate PB4WEGO, harkening back to the phrase always uttered by Dads to their kids before a road trip.

It took the NH DMV 15 years to notice, which says less about the plate and more about the review process. For a time the DMV told Auger to return her plates as they suddenly realized they refer to a bodily function. The state has since relented. After all, New Hampshire is the “Live Free or Die” state.

Not surprisingly, Connecticut lawmakers receive special plates identifying them as members of the House or Senate, with leadership titles prominently displayed. We’re told these plates confer no special treatment, no parking privileges, and no immunity from law enforcement. The word “told” is doing a lot of work here.

SNOW, SALT AND UNPLUGGED PROMISES

2026-01-30T17:56:00.000-05:00

Connecticut seems to be surviving the recent series of winter storms the way it always does: with salt, overtime, and lowered expectations. Life must go on and we’re all counting on CDOT to keep us moving.

So kudos to their 900 drivers and 650 trucks that worked tirelessly to first, pre-treat some 10,000 “lane miles” our state highways with salt brine, then plow the snow when it came.

If only our municipalities did as good a job.

Drive from town to town and you’ll see a vast difference in road clearing. In some, because cars were taken off the road before the storm, streets are clear. In others where cars were left parked at the curb, it may take days to chisel them out from the icy berms caused by plowing… like some sort of archeological dig.

Still to be excavated as well are dozens and dozens of bus stops across the state.

Kudos also to our railroads which, even in the teeth of a giant snow and ice storm, kept service running, albeit at a reduced level. Where other states’ railroads pre-emptively shut down before the storm (think NJTransit), Connecticut’s trains kept running.

Amtrak did what Amtrak always does in a storm: run enough trains to claim victory while canceling enough to remind you who they are. A week later and they’re still struggling.

As I wrote last week, rail riders deserve open waiting rooms and cleared platforms at stations (a service usually provided by local towns). But one experiment in keeping platforms clear of ice and snow without using tons of rock salt has proven something of a disappointment.

I refer to the state’s boldest experiment yet: electrically-heated station platforms in Darien! What could possibly go wrong?

Back in 2023 a $32 million contract was awarded by CDOT to rebuild crumbling station infrastructure at Darien with new platforms heated by electricity… the first such project in the state.

Now, explain the math to me: how will we pay some of the highest electric rates in the US to melt snow vs the cost of human shovelers and bags of salt? Where’s the savings?

Admittedly there’s more to this particular contract… better speakers for train announcements, improved lighting, public information display boards, new elevators, ADA-compliant ramps and sidewalks, and EV charging infrastructure. But we’re talking 32 million taxpayer dollars!

Work on the whole project was due for completion by the middle of this year, but almost immediately the project ran into trouble.

Demolition of the old platforms encountered unmapped underground utilities and unexpected infrastructure requiring extra work. The original steel railing vendor went bankrupt. The completion date was pushed back and another $6 million was added to the cost. Funny how that happens.

Last November the first half of the project was finally done but they’re far from being finished. The elevators still aren’t running and only half of the platforms have been replaced.

But how did the one new electrically-heated platform do in the recent ice and snow storm? Just OK.

Heated Platform - Darien

The one platform that is working (on the NY-bound side of the station) seems to have fared well in the recent storm. But Eversource says it is still waiting for paperwork from CDOT as well as state and local inspections before they can throw the switch on the other side. And CDOT says they’re waiting for Eversource to return a signed agreement.

And we’re all waiting for Spring.

WINTER TRAVEL HACKS

2026-01-25T12:48:00.004-05:00

I hate Winter. And Winter hates transportation.

Growing up in The Great White North (Canada, eh?), Winter seemed to last about six months. This Winter in Connecticut seems even longer. But feet of snow and sub-freezing temperatures don’t have to stop you if you follow some tried and true travel hacks.

TRAVELING BY CAR:

If a storm is coming, get your car off the street and into a garage. That way the trucks can plow and you don’t have to dig out your ride. If you do have to clean off your car after a storm, include the roof in your efforts. Otherwise your car may start launching “ice missiles” at unsuspecting targets as you’re driving down I-84. That can mean a fine and possible injury to others.

Keep your gas tank full. Your windshield washer tank too… with ice-melting fluids, not water. Replace worn wipers before winter storms. Frozen, shredded rubber on dirty glass turns night driving into roulette.

When you start your engine, let it idle for at least 20 to 30 seconds before driving to ensure adequate oil distribution. Don’t race the engine. This isn’t Daytona, and cold oil doesn’t respond well to your enthusiasm.

Drive with your traction control turned on and proceed with caution. Just because you’re in a SUV, don’t assume that because your car is bigger it’s safer.

Check your tires. For every 10 degree drop in temperature you lose one PSI in tire pressure. Under-inflated tires mean longer stopping distances (before factoring in the ice), lower fuel economy and higher risk of blowouts.

If you’re in an EV anticipate that your car won’t charge as well in the cold. And expect to lose 20-40% of your normal driving range. Pre-conditioning the battery while plugged in can claw back some of that mileage.

Without sounding like a scolding parent, just assume the worst because Winter always does. Keep an emergency kit handy: a blanket, flashlight, phone charger, and gloves in the car aren’t paranoia, they’re planning.

TRAVELING BY TRAIN:

While train travel is much safer in bad weather, it’s not immune to physics. Sub-zero temperatures are the enemy of all things mechanical.

To their credit, Connecticut’s railroads have a much better record of performance in Winter than in years past when service was pre-emptively cancelled to avoid stranding passengers. But remember… parts of this railroad are 100+ years old and centenarians don’t like playing in the snow.

While apps like TrainTime have vastly improved communications, they’re not perfect. Trust your eyes and crowd-source any mistake you see to our Twitter account (@CTRailCommuters) to advise your fellow riders.

If your station’s waiting room is locked or the platform is not shoveled / sanded, document it and call your Town Hall. Commuters deserve heat and a safe path to their train.

Grabbing the first train in the morning darkness turns you into a guinea pig as it encounters frozen switches and doors so later trains don’t have to. Overhead power lines can snap and strand you without heat, so opt for diesel powered trains if they’re an option.

And don’t forget to download and activate your ticket before boarding in case cell service is lost and you’re hit with an $8 fine under Metro-North’s new rules.

Keep your cell phone (and its Winter-hating battery) fully charged and close to your body heat to preserve its power. Stashing your phone in a bag or outside pocket will drain your power quickly.

Finally, ask yourself “Is this trip really necessary?” Sometimes the smartest winter travel decision is deciding not to travel at all.

PRIVACY IS DEAD

2026-01-16T16:40:00.001-05:00

OMG! Wegman’s supermarkets are using artificial intelligence and facial recognition? Outrageous! Alert the authorities! Cancel dinner!

Never mind the fact that on your way to shop you passed by dozens of video cameras and license plate readers. Or the fact that your cellphone has been constantly pinging your location enroute. Attention shoppers: you have no privacy!

Supermarkets are not alone in their use of this tech. CVS, Home Depot, Macy’s, Target and Walmart do too. They say it’s just for controlling theft (of which there is plenty), but I’m not buying it. By knowing your face they know everything about you: your online shopping history, social media posts and credit history.

With digital price shelf tags that update in seconds, the only real question is how long before the algorithm decides your face looks like it can afford to pay another 12 percent.

Even turning on your cellphone may involve recognizing your face. Calling Customer Service? They may use voice recognition or even measure your tone of voice for signs of stress and frustration.

Airlines can deduce the reason for that last minute trip you’re booking. If it’s for a funeral, critics wonder if they might charge you more because you absolutely need to travel ASAP. Airlines insist they’d never raise fares because you’re flying to a funeral. Of course not. They just happened to notice you booked one way, last minute, to Des Moines… right after your phone searched for “obituary.”

And when you do board your flight, it may be facial recognition scans that will get you on the plane, not just a boarding pass. Coming home from overseas your quick processing will depend on facial scanning by Customs and Border Patrol.

Did you buy anything overseas you didn’t declare? With a few (pesky but legal) steps, your credit card statement becomes a travel diary, complete with timestamps, locations, and a helpful list of things you “forgot” to declare.

Want to catch a Knicks or Rangers game at Madison Square Garden? Facial recognition may deny you access, even with a ticket, if you’re a lawyer who’s sued them in the past. Justice may be blind, but MSG security definitely isn’t.

In your car your face is less visible so companies like Flock depend on your license plates, color and model of your vehicle to ID you. That’s why cops are cracking down on obscured or “ghost” plates used to avoid tolls, the automotive equivalent of shoplifting. Here’s a site showing Flock cameras near you.

Flock also can also deploy drones to keep an eye on things… useful in law enforcement but a bit too scary for the Bridgeport City Council which, in a rare moment of restraint, overwhelmingly rejected a $500,000 contract covered by state funding.

Bridgeport joins a growing list of cities rejecting Flock out of privacy and data-sharing concerns. Those cities claim that Flock does more than scan license plates, but also the faces of protestors. And shares its data with the Feds.

Imagine the possibilities.

In China facial recognition identifies jay-walking pedestrians, shames them publicly and gives them demerits. Rack up too many points and you must take re-education classes… and you’re not allowed to ride high speed trains.

Washington got upset about TikTok and its ties to China. The Feds panic about a funny app while quietly building their own all-seeing data ecosystem.

Not that there’s much you can do, at this point. Privacy is dead. Our lives are an open book. The only question left is who’s still pretending not to read it.

STRAWBERRIES IN JANUARY ?

2026-01-08T17:06:00.000-05:00

Over the holidays a dear friend sent me a wonderful present. Not the proverbial “muffin basket” (of which I write so often), but a fresh fruit bonanza from Edible Arrangements that looked like a bouquet of flowers… beautiful and oh so tasty!

As we devoured the perfectly ripe melon and delicious strawberries, it got me thinking about how lucky we in Connecticut are to be able to enjoy fresh, out-of-season fruit in the depths of winter. But how it makes its way to our supermarkets is not only a tale of botany but of logistics and long-distance transportation at some cost to our environment: nature assisted by fossil fuels.

Take for example:

STRAWBERRIES: Mostly from Mexico, these are trucked but are prone to spoilage, hence the price. Trade disputes and seasonal Customs duties have periodically increased costs, also affecting avocados and berries. Climate impact: relatively high.

ORANGES: Mostly from California and Florida, this fruit is picked, washed, sanitized, sorted and packed within 24 hours of ripening on the vine. Stored at 38 – 45 degrees Fahrenheit in refrigerated trucks it begins a four to six day drive cross-country. At food distribution hubs the truckloads are broken into smaller lots for local delivery. Climate impact: moderate.

GRAPES: Your favorite snacking fruit has come a long way… 5000+ miles from Chile. After harvest the grapes are chilled to 32 degrees and packed in “reefers”, refrigerated shipping containers, for the 12 – 14 day ocean voyage to ports like Wilmington DE and Philadelphia for trucking to Connecticut. Climate impact: lower due to shipment by sea.

BLUEBERRIES: These are grown in Chile and Peru, hand-picked, washed, graded and packaged for refrigerated shipment to the US by boat. Climate impact: lower per‑pound impact because sea freight is fuel‑efficient.

BANANAS: This is the perfect fruit for long-distance delivery. In Ecuador, Costa Rica and Colombia bananas grow on massive bunches weighing about 100 pounds. Harvested while green and fully mature (but not ripe), they are washed, cut and packed into 40-pound boxes which must be stored at exactly 56 – 58 degrees and shipped in reefers with sophisticated monitoring of oxygen and CO2 levels. After their 8 – 14 day ocean journey to the US East Coast they are trucked to huge ripening facilities where ethylene gas is slowly added. In about a week they’re ready for local stores. Climate impact: relatively low.

PINEAPPLES: Almost all come from Costa Rica and Ecuador, not Hawaii. Picked almost fully-ripe, they are packed and shipped in reefers at a steady 45 – 50 degrees. From harvesting to our local stores it’s a 10 to 16 day journey. Climate impact: moderate.

MELONS: Cantaloupe and honeydew are largely imported from Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico in winter, with the Dominican Republic and other Caribbean sources supplying some specialty melons. Climate impact: moderate due to long distance reefer trucking.

LOCAL GREENHOUSES: Not everything we enjoy in the winter is imported as some Connecticut greenhouse keep turning out leafy greens, some tomatoes, cucumbers and herbs year round. Climate impact: Minimal transport needs are offset by substantial winter heating requirements, which can give greenhouse crops a higher overall climate impact than their short travel distance might suggest.

So the next time you’re standing in the produce aisle, marveling at strawberries that taste like July, remember you’re not just buying fruit: you’re looking at the literal ‘fruits’ of a globe-spanning transportation system running on diesel, refrigeration, container ships, human beings and carefully timed logistics. It’s a small reminder that our everyday conveniences quietly depend on a vast transportation network, one we rarely think about until those strawberries show up in the dead of winter.

WHO'S RUNNING THIS RAILROAD?

2026-01-01T16:05:00.000-05:00

As we all adjust to the crazy new ticketing rules on Metro-North, it’s an appropriate time to step back and explain the bizarre patchwork of ownership and responsibility that makes our state’s railroads possible. Because, when problems arise we should know who to blame and hold accountable.

If you’ve ever wondered who’s actually in charge when your train is late, your ticket doesn’t scan, and parking enforcement is already writing you up, congratulations, you’ve stumbled upon the mysteries of Connecticut rail governance.

You may not realize it, but a single train ride on commuter rail in our state may be touched by seven or more different agencies, each responsible for a different part of your ride.

THE RAILROAD TRACKS: Fortunately, the State of CT owns the railroad tracks, signals, power lines and right-of-way from Greenwich to New Haven, the largest section of the Northeast Corridor that is not owned by Amtrak. That gives us more control of ‘our’ trains. But Amtrak owns the tracks, etc. north of New Haven to Massachusetts (aka The Hartford Line) and east of New Haven (Shore Line East) to New London.

THE STATIONS: Here’s where it gets more confusing. Most train stations in the state are owned by CDOT but a few are owned by the towns and cities where they are located. In some cases the town owns the station but it sits on CDOT-owned land.

As for who is responsible for the operation and maintenance of the stations, it’s usually the owner but CDOT contracts with third parties to run big stations like Stamford, New Haven, Hartford and Bridgeport. Remember this when you’re slip-sliding on the platform waiting for your train.

STATION PARKING: Parking at the stations is ultimately controlled by CDOT as they own most of the parking lots. At the big stations with parking structures (Stamford and New Haven, for example) CDOT hires third parties to run the show. In the smaller towns, where CDOT owns the land, they may lease it to the towns to operate.

The cost of parking is often determined by the local authorities, in most cases the towns or agents of CDOT. On CDOT-owned land the parking is available to all, regardless of where you live. In town-owned lots, rates and even access can be limited to local residents.

Commuter rail may be regional, but parking policy seems aggressively parochial.

THE TRAIN CARS: On the New Haven line, CDOT owns about half of the railcars with Metro-North (MTA) owning the rest. On Shore Line East and The Hartford Line, CDOT owns the cars except those operated with Amtrak equipment.

TRAIN OPERATIONS: CDOT hires Metro-North to run the trains on the New Haven line and branches. The two agencies work under an “operating agreement” the size of a Manhattan phone book and just as readable. On Shore Line East the trains are run by Amtrak and on The Hartford Line some trains are run by Amtrak and others by a CDOT contractor, TransitAmerica.

SCHEDULES: CDOT tells Metro-North the level of service they want and then works with that agency on how to deliver it (given financial constraints in their state budget). On Shore Line East and The Hartford Line it’s a similar deal, but this time working with Amtrak.

THE FARES: CDOT sets commuter fares for trains in our state, not Metro-North or Amtrak. The fares usually increase in lockstep: the latest MTA fare hike in NY soon to be matched by July’s CDOT fare increase.

How does all this work out for you, the rider? How can a single train trip be touched by so many state and local agencies, towns and city departments?

The short answer is… it does work, sort of. But it leaves passengers confused when it doesn’t. If you get a parking ticket at the station, do you think Metro-North is to blame? If your train is running late or over-crowded, who do you call?

Ours is an imperfect system, a relic of decades of bi-state compromises, overlapping authorities, and well-meaning bureaucrats and operators doing their best inside a structure that practically guarantees confusion.

"BEST OF 2025"

2025-12-26T11:26:00.002-05:00

Jim Cameron's Talking Transportation columns are some of the best-read pieces on our site. And while Jim takes some holiday time off this week, here are his five most widely read columns from 2025 for readers to re-enjoy -- or fume over, whichever is the case.

No. 5: Avelo Airlines — neither woke nor broke.

While understandable, public anger over Avelo Airlines' contract with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to fly deportation flights for the Department of Homeland Security is misplaced.

Read the column here.

No. 4: Blinded by the (head) light

You are driving down a dark narrow road and suddenly blinded by an oncoming pair of headlights. !!X#&%($!!! Where's the road? Am I going to crash? Why is this happening and what can I do?

Read the column here.

No. 3: CT’s Real ID deadline is looming

Quick. Look at your Connecticut driver’s license! If you don’t see a gold star in the upper right corner, you’ll soon be unable to use that as ID to fly.

Read the column here.

No. 2: Shapiro’s Folly – a bridge over Long Island Sound

How did we get sucked into a debate about a project that every transportation expert I spoke with said just won’t happen?

Read the column here.

...And on to the most-read Talking Transportation column of the year...

No. 1: Out-of-state license plates are costing CT towns big money

“This is the number one form of tax evasion in Connecticut. Connecticut is losing millions annually and our DMV does not care.” So says the president of the Connecticut Association of Assessing Officers.

Read the year's best-read column here.

Best wishes for a Happy “News Year”!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO I-84

2025-12-20T12:37:00.002-05:00

Happy Birthday to Interstate 84. You’re now 64 and you look every mile of it… truly the ouroboros of CT highways

Last week marked yet another birthday for Interstate 84 in Connecticut, first opened on December 16, 1961, a milestone that deserves candles, cake, and perhaps a moment of silence for every commuter who has ever thought, “How is this highway still not finished?”

Back in the 60’s, I-84 wasn’t just a highway. It was a promise. The sleek, modern “Yankee Expressway” would whisk drivers effortlessly from Danbury to Hartford and beyond. Congestion would vanish, they said. Town centers would breathe easier, they hoped. America would drive happily ever after, wouldn’t they?

Spoiler alert: ‘they’ were wrong.

The early 1960s were the golden age of highway hubris. The federal government was handing out interstate money like Halloween candy, and Connecticut happily obliged by deciding that U.S. Route 6, a perfectly serviceable road that inconveniently (at least to drivers) passed through towns, had to go.

What better solution than a wide, limited-access highway careening over and through over hills, rivers, and Hartford neighborhoods and downtown alike?

When the first 15-mile stretch opened between the New York line and Sandy Hook, officials celebrated as if traffic had been permanently solved. It hadn’t even reached Hartford yet but optimism was cheap, and costly concrete was plentiful.

By the time I-84 finally lumbered into the capital city years later, the damage was already baked in. Entire neighborhoods were carved up in the name of progress. The highway bent, twisted, doubled back, stacked lanes on top of each other, and introduced a master class in left-hand exits, the traffic engineering equivalent of juggling chainsaws. And we’re still debating how to fix all that… the topic for a future column, if not a thesis.

Consider the Waterbury “Mixmaster” where I-84 crosses Route 8, a traffic interchange so messed up that national traffic engineers hold it up as an example of what never to build again. And that’s before CDOT spends $3-5 billion to replace it.

And yet, every decade since the ribbon was cut brought the same response to the ever-worsening traffic: Just widen it.

Traffic backed up? Add lanes. Still backed up? Add more lanes. Still bad? Rebuild interchanges, add HOV lanes, re-stripe everything, and promise that this time it’ll work. This logic has been faithfully applied for more than six decades — making I-84 not just a highway, but a self-sustaining traffic experiment in futility.

So as I-84 blows out its birthday candles, it stands as a living monument to “induced demand”, the transportation principle politely explained in planning textbooks (yawn) and painfully experienced by anyone who’s crawled through Waterbury at rush hour (ouch): the more road you build, the more traffic shows up to fill it. Like magic. Or mold.

To be fair, I-84 has aged exactly as expected. It’s constantly under reconstruction and needed repairs, perpetually congested, and somehow always remains essential despite being deeply flawed, much like Connecticut itself.

So happy birthday, I-84. Sixty-four years young. You were built to end traffic and instead, you’ve given us a lifetime of it.

TRAIN TICKET TURMOIL AHEAD ON METRO-NORTH

2025-12-12T14:37:00.000-05:00

If you’re a Metro-North rider in Connecticut, already juggling limited parking, train delays, and the usual commuter indignities, get ready for something new in January. Not a fare hike (for once), but a complete rewiring of how train tickets will work, courtesy of the MTA (Metropolitan Transportation Authority). All this comes under the guise of a “better customer experience”

Let’s get one thing straight before the panic sets in: Connecticut is not raising rail fares in January. That’s just in New York, so if you only consume NYC-media’s recent coverage of this story you are understandably confused.

However… another 5% hike that CTDOT approved for the our trains will hit in July 2026. Just classic Connecticut: slow, steady, predictable fiscal pain: higher fares, worsening service.

Why the need for fare hikes at all? In part, because of fare evasion.

The NYC Citizens Budget Commission estimates the MTA loses $1 billion a year because of that problem, $46 million on Metro-North and the LIRR alone. And on NYC buses (soon to be made ‘free’ under Mayor-elect Mamdani?), 45% of riders already just jump aboard without paying.

So, in part, the fare hikes are like that ‘public benefits’ surcharge on your electric bill: the rest of us pick up the tab for uncollectable bills.

January’s big changes affecting us? The new MTA ticketing rules which absolutely do apply to Connecticut riders because we share the system, just with different fare hike schedules.

ONE-WAY TICKETS WILL SELF-DESTRUCT AT 4 AM

Buy a ticket today, use it by 4 a.m. tomorrow, or it evaporates. “Poof”! The MTA markets this as “flexibility.” Commuters might call it “gotcha, but make it digital.” Late for the train because you couldn’t activate your ticket in a cellphone dead-zone? Or ‘forget’ to activate that e-ticket before the conductor comes around? That’ll cost you a $2 onboard surcharge, a fee whose primary purpose appears to be reminding you who’s in charge.

ROUNDTRIP TICKETS… GONE!

They’re being replaced by the new “Day Pass”, valid until 4 a.m. the next morning and good for unlimited travel that day. Great for joy-riding and easier for conductors to scan. But more convenient for riders? Well, maybe.

10-TRIP TICKETS… ALSO GONE
In their place comes a “mobile pay-as-you-go reward”: buy 10 trips within 14 days and the 11th is free. It’s the kind of loyalty program only a government agency could invent: stick around long enough, pay full price consistently, and eventually you’ll get something resembling a perk. Even Dunkin’ Donuts has a better frequent customer program.

And again, all of these rule changes apply equally to riders from Connecticut and New York, because the MTA controls the fare products (with CDOT’s blessing) even on Connecticut-run service. And all this applies to Metro-North, Shore Line East and Hartford Line trains.

What Connecticut riders are getting in January is a system that’s more complex, less forgiving, and seems designed with the breezy assumption that Metro-North passengers have the time and mental bandwidth to memorize expiring tickets, activation rules, and mobile-only discounts.

So enjoy this moment of clarity. Your ticket rules are changing in January, but your ticket prices are not… at least not yet. In today’s commuter world, maybe that almost qualifies as a holiday stocking-stuffer.

WHITE HOUSE BOOSTS COST OF DRIVING

2025-12-05T17:29:00.002-05:00

Don’t look now, but the Trump White House is changing the cost of your driving commute.

Maybe you missed this news, perhaps disturbed (yet unsurprised) by our President’s daily tirades… attacking Somalis as “garbage” one day, pardoning a convicted drug smuggler the next or his continued threats of invading Venezuela. How easily we miss the real news by getting distracted by these “bright, shiny objects”.

We all know that Connecticut drivers must cope with some of the highest gas prices, longest commutes, and oldest highways in the Northeast. Now Washington has decided to dramatically weaken fuel-economy standards for new cars, cutting the 2031 target from roughly 50 mpg to about 34. This threatens to make things worse for everyone, especially current and future electric-vehicle owners.

On the surface, the rollback is pitched by the White House as a win for “affordable cars,” claiming that these relaxed MPG rules will shave maybe $900 off the cost of a new gas-powered SUV. But for Connecticut commuters who routinely log 12,000–15,000 miles a year, those savings will evaporate quickly: cars that burn more fuel cost more to operate, and in a pricey state like ours, the pump always gets paid.

But the bigger, less obvious impact of the mileage rules will be on electric-vehicle drivers, the very people who bought into the promise of lower operating costs, cleaner air, and a modernized transportation system.

According to the Connecticut DMV, there are 2.7 million cars and trucks in our small state. But only about 60,000 of them are EVs.

For those current EV owners, the MPG rollback creates more uncertainty… beyond just finding a charging station. EV resale values depend on strong future demand. So when Washington signals that gasoline-powered cars will stay dominant longer, that EV market may sputter. Fewer people will shop for EVs, fewer choose them, and used EV prices will likely soften.

Federal tax incentives (up to $7500) for new EV buyers already expired this fall but some Connecticut rebates continue… for now.

Then there’s the EV charging network — or, more accurately, the charging network we were promised. Federal programs launched with great fanfare in 2021 pledged 500,000 publicly available chargers nationwide. But fewer than 400 federally funded chargers have actually been built under the $7.5 billion program.

In Connecticut, fast-charging deserts for thirsty EVs persist across Litchfield County, the Quiet Corner, and shoreline towns east of New Haven. Even Fairfield County’s charging stations, while more plentiful, are frequently congested or out of service.

For future EV buyers, the rollback removes one of the biggest forces pushing automakers to build affordable electric models. Without strict fuel-economy rules, carmakers can meet federal requirements by selling profitable gas-powered SUVs rather than investing in lower-cost EVs that would appeal to everyday drivers. The result? Slower arrival of mid-priced EVs, the very models that would make ‘going electric’ a realistic choice for middle-class families in these tight times.

Remember four years ago when Elon Musk promised us a Tesla for $25,000? In fact the new entry-level models now cost about $37,000 or more.

Here in Connecticut, where we import every gallon of fuel we burn, a slowdown in EV adoption is more than an environmental setback. It’s an economic one. More money will leave the state for out-of-region fuel suppliers. And an unreliable, underbuilt charging network threatens to stall our transportation future.

The real bottom line? You may find new gas-powered cars will be cheaper, but the cost of driving them will go up in (exhaust) smoke.

AMTRAK'S TILT PROBLEM

2025-11-27T12:15:00.000-05:00

How was your travel this holiday weekend?

If you’re one of the 82 million Americans who traveled at least 50 miles for Thanksgiving, perhaps some of you opted for Amtrak instead of driving. Our nation’s passenger railroad estimates a six percent boost in ridership this year, as Amtrak’s growth and popularity continues.

Not that taking the train is cheap: a one-way, last-minute fare from Stamford to Washington DC on Thanksgiving day was as much as $400 on one train! It’s a matter of demand exceeding supply. Still, Amtrak is proud of these fares which, nationwide have seen the railroad increase overall revenues by 10%.

Aside from worsening highway traffic and delays, why chose the train instead of driving? Because the investment in its infrastructure is finally paying off with better service.

Stations are being improved, crucial bridges (like the Walk Bridge in South Norwalk) are being reconstructed, new tunnels are being built, tracks and overhead power lines replaced. You can see the improvements as you travel.

And then there’s the new equipment.

Amtrak’s long expected (and four years delayed) NextGen Acela is turning eyes as it whooshes up and down the corridor. It’s a really sweet train, with only five sets in service so far but with 23 more sets to come by 2027. But these sleek new trains are having problems, especially between New Haven and Providence, one of the ‘curviest’ parts of the Northeast.

Fast trains abhor curves. While the new Acela can go as fast as 160 mph, it can do so only on about 40 super-straight miles of its 450 mile journey from Washington to Boston. In the rest of Connecticut it can go no faster than Metro-North.

In fact, the new Acela is slower than the old Acela, especially from New Haven to Providence. The reason? Tilting, or lack thereof.

To handle all the curves in Connecticut, Acela is designed to automatically tilt into the curves, maintaining speed without having passengers’ beverages sliding off their tray-tables into their laps.

But because the NextGen Acela is still awaiting final certification by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), it’s limited in how much it can tilt into curves. That means that, between Providence and New Haven, the new Acela takes ten minutes longer than the older models, worsening those supposedly-faster trains’ on-time performance.

Because our tracks in Connecticut are older and placed closer to together than in other parts of the corridor, the tight clearances between passing trains could cause a problem… especially if two passing trains should both be tilting in the wrong direction and sideswipe each other.

As the NextGen Acelas prove their reliability and improvements are made to our tracks, it’s expected that the FRA will lift some restrictions and all the new trains will ultimately operate at maximum efficiency.

With more and faster trains, the increase in available seats may lead to lower fares. But what Amtrak really needs is competition… the topic for another story.

CARLESS IN CONNECTICUT

2025-11-21T14:41:00.000-05:00

Is it possible to live in our state without a car?

We have over 1.1 million cars registered in Connecticut (not counting SUVs, pickups and vans) for our 2.6 million licensed drivers. But that still doesn’t account for another half-million adults who don’t drive, by choice or economic necessity.

According to AAA, in Connecticut it costs about $11,000 a year to operate a new car (not counting its purchase price), well above the national average. You can blame high insurance premiums, property taxes, registration and maintenance… plus the cost of gasoline. That means the average driver pays about 70 cents a mile to drive.

But in most of the state, access to a car is essential for daily living, especially if you’re older.

Something like 19% of all Connecticut residents are over age 65. Over age 70, traffic fatalities increase with age; by age 85, drivers have probably outlived their ability to drive safely.

Every year some 600,000 adults in the US stop driving. But because seniors make 90% of their trips in private cars, either driving or as passengers, what happens next?

When seniors stop driving it impacts more than their mobility: it can also affect their health. Seniors who stop driving make 15% fewer trips to the doctor. They can’t get out to shop as much. They isolate socially, which can lead to depression and a downward spiral in health.

Living in the suburbs, 80% of seniors reside in car-dependent neighborhoods. Some 53% of those areas don’t have sidewalks and 60% are not within a ten minute walk of a transit stop, assuming the elders can still walk that distance.

The cost of bus fare isn’t the main reason that dissuades seniors from riding the bus. It’s not knowing where the bus stops are, when they run, the lack of a shelter and, yes, probably a fear for their safety. Plus not all buses kneel, which makes boarding a challenge.

Many affluent communities offer free or low-cost ride services for seniors (and others with disabilities). In Greenwich there’s “Call A Ride”, in Fairfield “Dial A Ride” and in Darien “At Home in Darien”. And several cities offer on-demand, Uber-like services such as Norwalk and Westport’s “Wheels2U” and New Haven’s “Via NHV”.

At the other end of the mobility spectrum, many of our cities and towns have gone to great expense installing bike lanes. But when’s the last time you saw them being used? They sound great, offering a chance for exercise and enhanced mobility, but they’re hardly useful year-round. And they certainly don’t replace the utility of a car.

Metro-North, Shore Line East and the Hartford Line are great if you’re going to a city center. But getting to the station usually means relying on a car. And when you alight from the train in many towns, that last-mile to your destination still involves a cab or bus (if it runs your way).

So can you live, work and play in our state without a car? You decide.

TRUTH IN FLYING?

2025-11-14T09:55:00.000-05:00

You ever get the sense the airlines are lying to you?

Sure, the government shutdown wasn’t their fault. But are they always honest — in this instance and others — when flyers face delays?

How often has a promised 20-minute delay morphed into an hour? And then another hour? And maybe even a cancellation?

Because these most recent delays were beyond their control (they can blame Congress), airlines were not required to do much… aside from apologize. Some did offer meal vouchers and hotel rooms, but for the most part travelers were on their own as schedules and staff were juggled.

Overall, the federal shutdown is estimated to have cost airlines, hotels, and car-rental companies about $1 billion a week. And that’s not even counting the cost to travelers for their time and expenses.

But when the airlines say, “We apologize for the delay, but it’s not our fault,” there are some things they can and do control, especially as they drive for maximum revenue on every flight… like paid-for seat assignments, one of the so called “junk fees”.

A US Senate report says one airline alone, United, raked in $1.3 billion just for letting passengers pick their seats… more than the $1.2 billion their earned for handling checked bags.

Assigned seats ease the boarding process and give fliers what they want… aisle access, that comfy middle seat or, my favorite, the window seat. I want to see where I’m flying and I’ll pay to get it.

So imagine the outrage of passengers on several airlines who paid $15 - $30 for a window seat and found it had no window!

A Window Seat with NO Window?

United and Delta airlines are now facing a class action suit potentially affecting more than a million passengers who were affected, paying for window seats with no windows. It’s just the way the aircraft were built and the seats were laid out, so the airlines knew before offering those seat reservations.

If they knew the ‘window seats’ had no windows, why not warn passengers before they click?

(I encountered the same problem on Amtrak on its new NextGen Acela, choosing a window seat in advance only to board the new train and find a bulkhead and no window.)

What’s the airline’s defense? Well, they say that just because it’s called a window seat doesn’t mean you get a window… that the seat name refers more to its placement nearest the fuselage vs the aisle.

In its defense, United’s attorneys literally said “The use of the word ‘window’ in reference to a particular seat cannot reasonably be interpreted as a promise that the seat will have an exterior window view.”

Really. That’s what they said.

All of which reminds me of former bosses at Metro-North in the bad old pre-COVID days of over-crowded, standing-room-only trains. When one passenger suggested a refund for not getting a seat he was told, “You’re paying for transportation. We never promised you a seat.”

Such customer service!

A METRO-NORTH CONDUCTOR'S MEMOIRS

2025-11-07T10:50:00.002-05:00

Being a train conductor seems like a simple, boring job: collecting tickets, opening and closing doors, reminding people to keep their feet off the seats. Yawn.

But there’s a lighter side to the job, as I wrote a few years ago, based on former conductor Michael Shaw’s great book, “My Rail Life” after he retired from a 36 year career on the New Haven line. He clearly loved his job. And he swears these stories are true.

He once told passengers on a standing-room only train: “OK, folks. We are half way to Grand Central. It’s time for everyone who’s been seated to get up and give their seats to folks who’ve been standing.”

Asked by a passenger boarding at Grand Central, “what times does this train arrive in Stamford?” he answered candidly, “Usually about 20 minutes after the schedule says”.

On another train he announced: “Folks, I have good news and bad news. The good news is that Metro-North fixed the air conditioning you complained about not having all summer long. The bad news it’s now winter.”

Honest to a fault, he turned in everything left by passengers on his train to the Metro-North Lost and Found… even an envelope containing $400 in cash. (The lost money wasn’t claimed so he got it back.) On several occasions he’d find a lost briefcase or cell-phone and personally return it to the owner’s home the same day.

He also loved razzing his fellow railroad workers, once announcing, “If you have any railroad questions or would like to take your picture with a real railroad engineer, come to the front of the train and say hello to is Jerry who loves chatting with people.” The engineer’s name was not Jerry and the real man at the controls really didn’t like people.

Approaching Bridgeport, Shaw announced the connection for the Waterbury train, adding “Be sure to ask your Waterbury conductor for one of the free 100 Years Commemorative pins.” There were no such pins.

On late Friday late night trains Shaw would bet with his fellow conductors watching drunk passengers boarding at Grand Central, guessing who would be first to throw up. Shaw immediately chose a 95 pound blonde he saw staggering to the nearest car with her equally inebriated boyfriend. Even before leaving the station his co-worker came and gave him his winnings.

Shaw always went out of his way to keep passengers informed about delays. In the horrendous winter of 2014 when the railroad almost ground to a halt, he printed a one-page apology for the previous day’s delays and did his own seat-drop of 500 copies before the train left New Haven. His regular passengers were so grateful for his candor they gave him a standing ovation as he entered each car to collect tickets. His railroad bosses were not amused.

Approaching an obviously “senior” citizen to collect his fare, the old timer asked if Shaw needed his ID to prove his age. Saying that wouldn’t be necessary, the old timer asked “Are you saying I look too old?” “No,” said Shaw. “You look honest.”

On another occasion he approached an elderly, grey-haired woman who wanted to buy a senior-discount ticket. “Are you over 65?,” he asked in a teasing voice. “Actually, I’m 82” she said. “Well, you look marvelous!,” said Shaw, asking “What’s your secret?”. Without a smile or batting an eyelash she said “Rough sex.”

If you need a good chuckle, you’ll love this book.

NIGHT DRIVING - Blinded by the Light

2025-10-31T11:17:00.004-04:00

“Blinded by the light
Revved up like a deuce
Another runner in the night”

Manfred Mann

Has this ever happened to you? You’re driving on a narrow road in the dark, when the headlights of oncoming traffic suddenly blind you, leaving you wondering where is the road and whether you might crash.

With sunset now coming as early as 5 pm (thanks to the return to Standard Time), driving in the dark becomes a real challenge if not a danger. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) data shows nighttime crashes are three times more likely than daytime, even on dry roads.

WHY IS THIS HAPPENING? There are several reasons that headlights appear so bright. The first is that the headlights may not be properly aligned, aiming too high. And with more vehicles riding higher from the road (think SUVs and trucks), their headlights shine more directly into oncoming traffic.

Most problematic are the new kinds of headlights we use. The older incandescent (yellowish) lightbulbs are being replaced by LED or xenon lights, which are blue-white and more glaring to your eyes.

That’s because bright oncoming headlights, especially the bluish ones, cause the pupils in your eyes to constrict rapidly, literally blinding you until the oncoming vehicle passes and your eyes adjust.

WHAT CAN YOU DO? When bright lights come at you, don’t look into the oncoming beam. Instead, look to the right edge or lane marker of your driving lane. Use anti-glare mirrors, especially in your rear-view mirror, so headlights on vehicles behind you don’t hit your eyes. Most of all, slow down! Being blinded on darkened roads, coated with wet slippery leaves, is dangerous.

WILL BLUE LIGHT GLASSES HELP? Even with good driving habits, glare from new headlight technology can still feel intense leading some drivers to look for solutions like special glasses. But the jury’s still out on this idea.

Stylish... but safer?

Some manufacturers and optometrists say that lenses designed to block or filter short-wavelength blue light can help reduce the perceived glare by filtering out that part of the spectrum. Some glasses described as “for night driving” (the ones that are often yellow in tint) also have reflective coatings.

Doctors say some patients swear by these specs, making them more confident. But safety experts say you shouldn’t take this as license to drive faster than is safe for the road conditions.

WHAT ELSE CAN YOU DO? You can start by making sure you’re not part of the problem. Get your own headlights checked for alignment at your mechanic or national chains like Midas or Goodyear. It’ll cost you about $100.

It used to be that the Connecticut DMV checked headlight alignments during your bi-annual emissions tests, but that ended in 2001. A bill (HB 6163) before the Connecticut legislature in 2023 would have restored those tests, but it never became law.

In the UK they’re taking this problem more seriously, upping testing of headlight brightness and where they aim down the road. Some are even calling for a ban on super-bright LED and xenon bulbs. UK stats claim 280 collisions a year in that country are caused by the dazzling bulbs.

Meantime, take it easy on the roads at night. Maybe even avoid driving in those hours, if you can. Try the glasses, if you’d like. But above all… stay safe!

THE HIDDEN DANGERS OF THE FALL

2025-10-24T14:47:00.003-04:00

I love the fall. But I hate the leaves!

Sure, they look pretty as they change colors, but when those leaves are spent and fall to the ground, they present real problems for travelers.

Whether you rake your leaves yourself or have someone “blow” them for you, disposing of leaves is a hassle.

Growing up (many years ago) I remember we used to burn our leaves, heedless to the air pollution and health effects. A better alternative is to use a mulching-mower and just grind up the leaves on your lawn, providing much-needed nutrients to your soil. Or try composting them on your own property.

In most towns leaves must be bagged and left curbside for pick-up. In other towns, like Stamford, Middletown and Farmington, you can just rake the leaves into a pile at the curb, loose, and the town will vacuum them up… eventually.

Often however, the piles of leaves left curbside get rained on, creating a giant soggy mess, blocking parking and leading to slippery roads. At speeds of 40–45 mph, it can take up to three times longer to stop on wet leaves compared to dry pavement, with stopping distance increasing from about 80 feet to over 200–250 feet.

But the slippery, almost winter-like driving conditions caused by wet leaves also affect our trains. Their wheels also slip on wet leaves and the trains’ “brains” sense it and go into emergency braking. You’ll know this is happening when the trains suddenly “dump their air”, and brake quickly.

Usually it’s just a minute or so to reset the computer and you carry on. But as in a real emergency, braking and stopping distance are quickly diminished. Which is why railroads take a number of defensive steps to literally clear the tracks.

So bad was the leaf slime problem in years past that Metro-North would have 25% of its fleet out of service as the trains’ brakes locked the wheels to a stop, grinding flat spots on the wheels, requiring repairs.

This is especially a problem on the Danbury branch, a 397-foot uphill climb from Norwalk to “The Hat City”. Often, locomotive-pulled trains couldn’t get enough traction so that they had to skip stations like Cannondale just to keep momentum to climb uphill.

You see, on a diesel locomotive there are only eight traction wheels making contact with the rails. But on the electric M8 cars, every car is a locomotive, so contact with the wheels is spread across the entire train, increasing traction… another good reason to re-electrify the Danbury branch.

In years past the railroad used high-pressure water jets to blast the slippery leaf pectin from the rails. But now they have resorted to lasers.

Laser Train photo by Emily Moser

Metro-North’s Laser Train uses high-intensity lasers to remove this contaminated layer in a single pass at speeds up to 60 mph, allowing Metro-North to clean the entire network at least once a day. The train is a rare sight, usually operating overnight to clear the tracks in time for the morning rush hour.

Last year the Laser Train saw a 40% reduction in leaf-related “slip slide” events, leading to the lowest wheel-regrinding costs on record.

So enjoy the fall and the beauty of the foliage. But beware the dangers, whether driving or training, of “slip sliding away”.

TAKING YOUR BIKE ON THE TRAIN

2025-10-17T12:34:00.001-04:00

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” is 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.

Metro-North Bike Racks

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 its 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.

THE FOLLY OF A BRIDGE TO NY

2025-10-10T12:39:00.006-04:00

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.”

Shapiro on WFSB 10-5-25

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 fourteen 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 fifteen 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.

Shapiro's AI vision of a bridge to NY

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

IS GOVERNOR LAMONT LEADING BY EXAMPLE?

2025-10-06T16:29:00.000-04:00

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 $3500 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 2300 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, $7423 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 3300+ 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.