Lil’ Angels

You don’t officially live in Stamford unless everyone you know sent you this news story today.

What's in a "Transitway"

Old man McCain tried to make a play at Stamford’s Urban Transitway funding, seeking cuts here and a number of Northeast transportation centric projects. In any case, it didn’t work and we can all take solace in the fact his state will dry up and blow away one day.

The Urban Transitway is one of those projects tough to love for a lot of people. You hear it attacked from all angles. There is the crowd that typically disapproves of any public investment. Another perspective views the project as a highway ripping through city neighborhoods, creating a decidedly pedestrian unfriendly environment. With the first stretch is now open and work continuing east – some of the detractors should take a trip down. In meantime, I think these the issues that riles up the bad blood.

#1. The benefits of the projects by its boosters are slightly overstated. The UTW will not be a silver bullet for any city traffic, new roads rarely are. Additional capacity in the long run doesn’t help traffic – less cars on the road is usually the only equation that adds up to traffic reduction. (The UTW actually addresses that reality by opening improved opportunities for walkers, cyclists, and buses as I’ll mention later). The UTW doesn’t even add much capacity so much as it improves flow. I also find it hard to believe the UTW will have much impact diverting downtown traffic south of the tracks. It will however be effective in improving flow to and from the station and several neighborhoods (South End, Cove, Shippan, & the East Side)

#2. Location. Billed as some as the “road to nowhere”, the attack has some sticking power since that side of the tracks is literally the road less traveled for many residents. If the government expenditure directly effects me - essential. Ex: a garbage man walking into my backyard to pick up trash for collection. Goddamn American right protected in the constitution. Expenditure doesn’t directly affect me - vile example of graft and government waste. If one was to pick a list of important locations in town to improve access, it’s hard to find one better than the train station. Still, not everyone is a commuter, not everyone has cause to shuttle between the South End, the East Side, and everywhere in between.

#3. The cost. Multi-millions doesn’t makes sense for people who don’t see this as more than a road pave. In reality – it involves everything from sewer, lighting, signaling, power cable, & bridge work – in addition to land acquisition and all the usual stuff like paving associated with road work.

#4. The name. “Transitway” - a slightly misleading name when measured against the reality of the project that has riled an opposition that accuse the plan of cutting a high speed highway through a neighborhood.

Let’s break that apart. Neighborhood – implies to many residential, children skipping off to school, and all that good stuff. The UTW runs essentially parallel to the train tracks. If there was an ideal place, even for the type of road the UTW is accused for being – this is it. It abuts a highway, train yard, a working water channel, and runs primarily through an industrial zone. While all that is true - the UTW is also rather transportation and pedestrian friendly and Stamford’s best if not only example of a “complete street”. While far from a model of perfection in this sense, it incorporates many best practices only talked about elsewhere in the city. Wide sidewalks & marked bike lanes running the entire length of the road. Lanes that are neither excessively wide of straight to discourage speeding. Landscaped medians and shoulders that have been pointed to as visual cues effective for traffic calming. Colored & textured crosswalks to define pedestrian space. Medians for crossings. Curb bump outs in dedicated HOV lanes so busses do have to pull over in order to make stops. There are few roads in Stamford that can claim any of those features – let alone that many in tandem. It’s the only stretch of road in town I’ve felt at ease on my bike.

In short, any number of downtown or corridor roads in Stamford could benefit from similar treatment – next time with some Trolley space to boot.

Meadowlands Rail

With the opening of the new Meadowland train stop – Stamford is now officially a two hour train ride from the game.

Figuring out the eight page brochure explaining the service is hurting my head – but I’m sure it makes more sense once you do it a few times.