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By Kerri Provost, August 12, 2010 6:13 am

The Discover Hartford Bicycle and Walking Tour is less than one month away. High-intensity training is not needed, but if this is the first time you would be riding a bike in years, it might be to your advantage to take a few short rides before the big day. That suggestion comes from a place of experience. It’s not a race, but it’s embarrassing to get passed by people forty years older than you.

The early bird registration has come and gone. There is also still plenty of time to register at a regular rate, and Bike Walk Connecticut explains that city youth have some opportunities to receive deals: “While we don’t have a specific discount for Hartford residents, Bike Walk Connecticut and the City of Hartford are working together to register many young people in the city through existing organizations like the Boy’s and Girl’s Clubs, the PAL program, Hartford Youth Services, YMCA, etc., and the City of Hartford Recreation Division will assist with registration fees where they can.” My young reader(s) might want to request more information from those groups sooner than later. Participants under age 18 must have an adult chaperone participate in the tour.

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By Kerri Provost, August 6, 2010 7:48 am

Elaine Gan’s Considering Rice is described by Real Art Ways as an exploration of “the entanglements of storytelling and food economy through a dynamic map of one of the world’s most significant agricultural sites.” According to the USA Rice Federation, rice is the “primary staple for more than half the world’s population.” Oddly, there is a National Rice Month, which happens to be September, the only full month that Gan’s work will be on display in Hartford.

Gan’s blog About Manila serves as a preview of the show as it contains numerous photographs of rice terraces in Manila. This exhibit will be on display at Real Art Ways (56 Arbor Street) from August 19th through October 17, 2010.

This is not the only map art project in the area. Brian Cook, a local designer, has created the Hartford Metro Map. It’s futuristic! In his imagination, Hartford not only has a metro system, but one that connects Hartford to Boston, Albany, and Manchester Community College. Cook describes his project:

The Hartford Metro map elides several of my deepest interests: maps, travel, Hartford, urban planning and graphic design. I still stumble across old notebooks with sketches of imaginary maps, Utopian cities with concentric bands zoned commercial, residential, industrial, recreational, infrastructural, etc. The urban models usually feature perfect circles with wide boulevards radiating from vibrant city centers.

[...]

To me, the biggest existing problem with Hartford’s public transit is the disconnect between the downtown area and the West End. I-84 effectively cleaves the city in half, both a physical barrier and a symbol representing the dominance of the car as the preferred method of transportation here.

If you’d like a copy of the Hartford Metro Map poster, you can pledge $25 to help fund the project on Kickstarter. After the printing costs are covered, any additional funds raised will be donated to ConnectiKids.

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By Kerri Provost, August 3, 2010 6:34 am

There’s more than a one in four chance that if you are reading this blog, you have ridden a bike some time in the last year. If statistics hold true, then it’s also more likely that you’re riding for recreation than for commuting to work or school. More importantly, if you’ve made it here, then you are probably interested in riding your bicycle around Hartford, and if not, then walking will do just fine.

That’s great because September 11, 2010 is the Third Discover Hartford Bicycling and Walking Tour — an event designed to show off the city, get off the sofa, and have fun. Because Central Connecticut Bicycle Alliance changed its name to Bike Walk CT, more emphasis is being placed on the pedestrian aspect this time around. For those who do not ride or want another activity, there will be historical walking tours.

This year’s event is will feature four different 1.5 mile walking tours and several options for cyclists — 10, 25, or 40 mile loops. The 40 mile route includes an excursion to Hartford-owned Batterson Park in Farmington/New Britain. All routes begin and end in Bushnell Park, where one can partake in after-ride festivities.

The ride begins at 9:15. Check-in starts at 7:00. Based on past experience, I recommend going through the check-in process sooner than later, especially if you want to make sure you get a swag bag.

Discover Hartford Bicycling and Walking Tour is dubbed an “anti-sprawl, pro-fun, pro-sustainable city, anti-pollution, anti-couch potato, pro-bicycle pro-pedestrian event” and is not a race. Even though most photos show people decked out in racing gear, such things, except for the helmet, are not necessary. Typically, when I ride, I wear my regular clothes — skirt, trousers, jeans, what have you. Because it is most definitely not a race, there is no reason to feel intimidated by those who are dressed like they are going to one. If you’re still not certain, there are plenty of websites devoted to explaining how to ride in the rain, wear a suit while biking, ride in heels and a skirt, ride in higher heels, and even more on how to ride in a skirt. Step away from the Lance Armstrong and accept that regular people wearing regular outfits can get on a regular bike — even if all the magazines and websites you’ve been reading make it sound like you need to immediately invest in specialty gear and get yourself on some weird diet regiment. Continue reading 'Discover Hartford by Foot and by Bike'»

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By Kerri Provost, July 30, 2010 8:45 am

Thursday evening, Tom Maziarz and Mark Alexander of the CT Department of Transportation presented information and study updates pertaining to high speed and intercity rail. The meeting, held at Union Station, was standing room only. Among those in attendance: Mayor Segarra, Chief Operating Officer David Panagore, a representative for Senator Dodd, the Massachusetts DOT, State Representative David McCluskey (West Hartford) and State Representative Bob Godfrey (Danbury).

The meeting was basically divided into four parts: discussion of the New Haven-to-Springfield section of the project, discussion of the regional (CT, MA, VT) section of project, presentation of the environmental review, and time for public comment.

The New Haven-Hartford-Springfield proposal was announced by Governor Rell and would cost $480 million in total, with $220 million of the funding coming from federal sources. The catch here is that the federal money is going to support high-speed intercity passenger rail; this means that to ensure the funding, all of those criteria must be met in some way. During the public portion of the discussion, Toni Gold asked about how the high speed could possibly work with so many street crossings and stations. In such a congested area, it seems like the trains would either present a danger or never truly reach a “high-speed.” Responding to someone else’s question about what actual speeds the trains would travel at, Maziarz said that they would hit 110mph at some point, but more realistically travel at around 80 mph. As in a previous meeting, emphasis was put on the fact that trains would slow down when going through cities.

Another requirement of the federal grant is that the “states develop proposals that were part of comprehensive, integrated regional rail visions.” Work done to the regional part of this would include restoring “Montrealer Route,” dealing with the need for train storage and yard space in Springfield, creating”intermodal connections”, and restoring inland route and service capacity between New York City and Boston. Currently, there is only one round trip train per day on the Inland Route — by 2030 this would increase to six roundtrips per day. In 2010 there are six roundtrips from Hartford per day, which would increase to 15 in 2030. There will also be an improvement in the time that trips take. Currently, a trip from White River Junction to Penn Station takes seven hours and thirty-six minutes. They hope to reduce this to five hours and thirty-two minutes in 2030. The trip from Hartford to Penn Station would be improved by thirty-seven minutes. Continue reading 'High Speed & Intercity Rail Meeting at Union Station'»

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By Kerri Provost, July 28, 2010 12:13 am

WNPR’s Jeff Cohen reports that Mayor Segarra has already begun to cut unnecessary spending. One of the slashed items has been a driver for the Mayor. Segarra says:

“I already know that if i don’t have a driver, I’m going to be 10 minutes late to every single appointment. And that’s the consequence. But hopefully I’ll make it up at the end of the day, right?”

For more updates about Segarra’s first month as the mayor, read “Butt Ugly Building On Its Way. Could The Capitol West Building Be Next?” or listen online.

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By Kerri Provost, July 26, 2010 2:36 pm

There are many ways to look at economic disparities. Another way is to examine how Hartford compares to other areas of Connecticut. The following data is provided by OpenSecrets.org and is evaluated by zip code for 2008 and 2010:

06105: The West End and part of Asylum Hill has made the top political contributions (in terms of money) in the city. OpenSecrets.org ranks this area as giving six times what the average one does. Continue reading 'Who Gives Two Cents?'»

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By Kerri Provost, July 10, 2010 6:49 am

The demolition of the structure at 1161 Main Street will only be a success if what happens afterward is meaningful, expedient, and future-thinking. While the promised attempt for the City to acquire and destroy this property has many gleeful, the absence of a strong and specific plan for the vacant plot is, at the least, eyebrow-raising. Mayor Segarra, in a press release said:

This is a critically important project. This is an economic development priority for a number of reasons. This is prime real estate that connects our Downtown with our neighborhoods. It is important to beautify all aspects of our city, our visitors deserve to look out of a hotel window and have a wonderful view of our glorious city, our arts community— like the neighboring Hartford Stage which is in the process of a multi million dollar renovation— deserves a neighboring entity that will contribute to the quality of life of Hartford. The reasons to act now are plenty. I can’t think of a single reason to wait any longer.

The 1161 property has been considered an eyesore, which it surely is, but the blight extends beyond this building. This section of Main Street is an example of some of the worst design decisions of the 20th century, which a poorly conceived and maintained roadway. It’s the spot where motorists clog the streets to exit from or enter I-84. Pedestrians wishing to travel along this section of Main are forced to play Frogger with impatient drivers, as the crosswalks are seemingly nonexistent. Malfunctioning WALK signals are a common complaint. Continue reading '1161 Main: Only One Part of the Downtown Blight Problem'»

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By Kerri Provost, June 28, 2010 7:28 pm

With only Calixto Torres playing the Debbie Downer role, the “Ordinance repealing Chapter 31, Article I, Section 31-5 of Code de Skateboards” was approved. This means that skateboards are now allowed on sidewalks. They had actually been banned since the late 1970s. Continue reading 'Antiquated Code Repealed!'»

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By Kerri Provost, June 18, 2010 6:18 am

Tomorrow evening, a bicycle parade will be leaving from Real Art Ways at 7:30pm. Anyone with a bicycle can join in.

The route is not announced. Their website says it will be an hour-long parade around the Parkville neighborhood, but I have heard from some involved that this will swing by Billings Forge. At last night’s Creative Cocktail Party, an announcer said this parade would be ending in West Hartford Center. Totally confusing, since neither Billings Forge nor West Hartford Center are in Parkville, but okay, not surprising since the U.S. has a poor reputation when it comes to geography, and add to this the absolute reliance upon GPS for anyone to even leave their houses in the morning. What has been consistent is that it will be leaving from Real Art Ways, so if you want to watch or participate, get there on time.

A DJ will be pulled on a trailer behind a cargo bike. There was a little preview of this at Real Art Ways last evening.

Continue reading 'Real Ride Hartford'»

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By Kerri Provost, June 14, 2010 7:28 am

On June 10th I provided a guide to arriving and traveling Downtown via Space Age methods. Today, we’re going to look at old-fangled modes of transportation and where to park them.

Bicycles

I have locked my bicycle to all manner of things — sign posts, building utility meters, benches — but I prefer to use a designated rack.  Bike racks are usually sturdier than flimsy sign posts and other makeshift racks. Bike locks and pedals tend to scratch and chip paint. I know that my bike has removed bits of paint from a certain mural, and for this I feel guilty, but if there were a better place to lock my bike, I would use that option. Some people are fine with destroying property, but I don’t like to do this. It adds to an appearance of shabbiness.

Visible, accessible bicycle parking is something that especially needs to be addressed by the organizations and businesses that boast about their so-called green cred. Without naming names, there are a few establishments that want us to know how environmentally awesome they are, and while they are in fact involved in many worthy eco-ventures, it seems like few have done anything to counter one of the largest threats to the environment — car dependency. If bike racks are not outdoors or in a visible spot, like the lobby, then such organizations should at least mention where bicycle parking is on their grounds by posting information to their websites. Everyone provides directions and info about automobile parking lots. Why not do the same for those who would like to visit but can not, do not, or prefer not to drive?

While you can go ahead and park your bike anywhere, here is a list of places with actual bike racks.  If there are any I have omitted, let me know.

Locations of Honest-to-Goodness Bicycle Racks

• Hartford Public Library - sheltered in parking garage next to building. If this is full, you can use the one across the street at…
• City Hall — on side facing library
• Union Station — racks near entrances on either side of building Continue reading 'Parking Bikes and Butts'»