Smart Growth and Transportation
by Sen. Bob Duff
Aug. 4, 2006

A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of meeting with former Maryland Governor Parris Glendenning to talk about smart growth initiatives – those development patterns that are dominated by what some people call "sprawl" and that are no longer in the best interests of our cities, small towns and environment.

At the end of that same day, I attended a state Transportation Strategy Board (TSB) meeting in Norwalk, which, was packed with people from all over Fairfield County. That's a far cry from other TSB meetings that have been held around the state, where attendance and interest in transportation issues was slight.

But Fairfield County is different. We get it. From businesses to our daily commuters, we understand the absolutely vital role that a well-planned, well-maintained and multi-faceted transportation infrastructure plays in our daily lives. That ties in with smart growth, because a state's transportation network is like a system of veins and arteries providing the life blood to cities and towns. Clog an artery, or pump too much through a small vein, and the health of Connecticut's communities suffers.

My message to the state and the public at that TSB meeting was simple: let's build on our past accomplishments and keep moving forward and not politicize our priorities.

How do we do that?

First, our legislative Transportation Committee and legislators (like me) from traffic-challenged cities like Norwalk, Stamford and Greenwich need to clearly communicate our expectations to the state Department of Transportation. That includes the expectation that the DOT will display a "can-do" attitude as opposed to the foot-dragging and doubtful reception that some of our transportation initiatives have received.

As an example, a few months ago I had to resort to filing a Freedom of Information request in order to get an update on the status of the new rail cars that the DOT supposedly had on order. That kind of reluctance to release basic transportation information – especially that which involves the expenditure of state taxpayer dollars – was inexcusable.

Second, we also need to focus on "quality of life" transportation issues. Like when and where to erect highway sound barriers, the placement of highway entrance and exit ramps, enforcing truck safety and speed limit laws and hiring more police so they can respond to and clear highway accidents more quickly (nothing stops a daily commute or a shipment of business goods quite like a highway accident).

Finally, we need to build on our successes. Over the past two years, the governor and state legislature has made improving Connecticut's transportation system a top priority, investing billions of dollars in new rail, bus, freight, and port infrastructure. But we still need new train stations to serve and shelter those commuters who are taking advantage of our improving rail lines to save gas, get off the highways, and help the environment. We need more buses to move people from those rail stations to their businesses downtown or out in the suburbs. Light rail is on the horizon, too, as are new ferry services and barge feeder systems.

Connecticut has renewed its commitment over the last few years to improving our aging transportation infrastructure. But now is not the time to rest on our laurels. With renewed vigor from the DOT, a commitment to improving the quality of life for our commuters and business, and an eye on smart growth as we fix our highways and byways, Connecticut is poised to make giant leaps forward. Working together we can solve our transportation issues.

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