Other than the military personnel who are armed to the teeth with coffee and junkfood from Dunkin Donuts, I rarely see significant foot traffic near the Legislative Office Building. Mostly, people drive to the parking garage and enter the building through the pedestrian entrance, never needing to come into contact with sunlight. Yet, there are large, well-marked warnings painted on the driveway, warning motorists to slow down. There are stop signs posted in places that make them more noticeable. There are even neon yellow signs telling motorists to stop for pedestrians — the signs are posted right in the crosswalks. I do appreciate this, as I use the area as a safer passage to downtown, given that the alternative of continuing along Capitol Avenue means having to cross the I-84 on/off ramp. Even with the stoplights all working and with the pedestrian walk signal on, the cars do not stop. Last week I saw a noticeably pregnant woman pushing a stroller across and the cars were not even obeying the law for her. It seems strange that few such safety features exist along a major street, but within a parking lot, traffic is managed quite well.
Sunday morning, when I read about the volunteer crossing guard who was threatened with arrest for keeping children safe, my heart sank. I read the article a few more times, trying to find a hidden clue that would make this story make sense. In a nutshell, a grandfather, who happens to be a disabled Vietnam Vet, decided to contribute to society by helping children safely get across the street to the Achievement First Academy in the Blue Hills neighborhood. He began this back in September. He had been honored by the school in the school newsletter and by being given a vest and stop sign. That sounds like his actions had been more than merely approved of by those he was interacting with directly.
Why threaten a man with arrest for helping society? Continue reading 'Whose Interests Are We Guarding?'»
Blue Hills, Crime & Justice, Education, Hartford, commentary, gutless officials, hpd, political b.s., quality of life, system, tax money in action, transportation
The final community listening session for the Planning & Zoning Commission will be Tuesday evening at Rawson School. So far, there have been sessions at the Pope Park Rec Center, United Methodist Church, and Metzner Rec Center. Each session has focused on proposed land use for nearby neighborhoods.
Continue reading 'Proposed Land Use for Hartford’s Neighborhoods'»
Asylum Hill, Barry Square, Behind the Rocks, Blue Hills, Clay Arsenal, Economics, Environment, Frog Hollow, Hartford, POCD, Parkville, South End, Urban Renewal, West End, architecture/design, blight, class, commentary, community, downtown, housing, library, neighborhoods, north end, parks, photos, quality of life, south green, tax money in action, transportation
Yesterday, WNPR featured a show on “urban biking.” If you missed it, follow the link for the podcast. It featured some folks from the Beat Bike Blog, as well as a bike messenger and bike shop owners.
Continue reading 'Thoughts on Urban Biking'»
Chris has written about Tuesday evening’s bicycle symposium. Go see the posting on the Beat Bike Blog. All of my photos came out blurry and bad, but his didn’t, so check them out too.
I had been warned that the Bushnell Theatre lacks bicycle parking. I rode over anyway. It was a bicycle symposium. Was I going to drive to that? I approached the building from a side street, thinking that maybe a rack was located on the side where most patrons would not enter. When I came to the Capitol Avenue entrance, I shrugged my shoulders and accepted that I would have to be the jerk who locks her bicycle to an ornate fence. Just then, an older Bushnell employee opened the door and called out “Excuse me!” I took a deep breath, expecting to get hollered at about destroying property. Instead, what I got was a jolly invitation to wheel my bicycle right into the lobby, where it would be among other bikes, as well as under his watchful eye. His words: “I don’t see why not!” I don’t know if this is how the Bushnell typically deals with bicycles on their property, but I like the approach and wish more businesses and venues were that accommodating.
The symposium was sponsored by the Bushnell Theatre, Central Connecticut Bicycle Alliance, and the Capitol Region Council of Governments. Tom Maziarz of CRCOG and Anne I. Hayes of Central CT Bicycle Alliance gave a little background on their respective organizations, but the spotlight quickly went to Andy Clarke. The President of the League of American Bicyclists delivered a talk, “Bicycle Friendly Communities: The Benefits and a Road Map for Success.” Continue reading 'Bicycle Friendly Community Symposium'»
Two individuals were arrested yesterday in Barry Square and South End for “BICYCLE LIGHTS,REFLECTORS,BRAKES,WH.” It’s safe to assume that means the cyclists lacked these accessories, had insufficient ones, or were doing it wrong. In both cases, the arrested men had other charges tacked on later, like possession and sale of narcotics, and violation probation. Since the average cyclist in Hartford does not use lights on his bike, I think it’s safe to assume that unless one is looking sketchy for one reason or another, he probably is not going to get arrested simply for lacking appropriate safety gear. On the other hand, the bond was listed as $150, so it’s cheaper to just get the lights, whistles, sirens, etc., and skip the tour of Jennings Road.
Tonight’s transportation update meeting was geared for transportation insiders, or at least for those who have been closely following these issues for the last thirty years. Councilor Cotto and Councilor Ritter both pointed out that there should be more outreach to the community, particularly those who may be affected by the proximity of the proposed busway to their properties. Initially, one of the speakers dismissed this sentiment, saying that the New Britain-to-Hartford Busway, has been in the works for years. It has been a slow project, but expecting that all residents are up to speed with the project shows a lack of understanding about the high mobility of the Hartford community. The population is so transient that patrons are forced to renew our library cards every single year! That should indicate how unlikely it is that the average resident knows about what began years back. If you are not employed with a transportation agency or sitting on one of the transportation organizations, not a local politician, not affiliated with an NRZ, and not a nerd who spends hours sitting in meetings about electrified rail, do you really know what is going on?
Lyle Wray of the Capitol Region Council of Governments (CRCOG) gave voice to an earth-shaking concept that few grasp, judging from the back-and-forth editorials that have appeared in recent years: the busway/freight train issue is “not either/or. It’s both/and.” He explained that “busways are not a thing of the past” and that they are the “preferred technology” for “medium-density cities.”
State Rep. David McCluskey spoke to the need for cross town buses. I personally understand this need. If I want to go from Parkville/West End to the University of Hartford, I have to take a bus downtown and then catch another one up Albany to Bloomfield Avenue. This doubles the distance that I should be traveling from Point A to Point B. The circulating bus downtown, Star Shuttle, covers such a small distance that an able-bodied person would have trouble justifying even using it unless it’s below zero or above 90 degrees. McCluskey also talked about how what exists now for riders waiting downtown is shameful. The bus shelters along Main Street are open, and in some cases, missing windows. Creating another “Isle of Safety” or using Union Station as the local bus hub were a few options he named.
Bob Painter, speaking on behalf of the Hub of Hartford, recapped some of the discussions happening about the Aetna Viaduct. The viaduct plan will be presented to the DOT sometime in the Spring. While some may feel that racing through the city via the highway is as natural as breathing, Painter said that the highway “hinders economic development.” Continue reading 'Updates on Hartford Transportation Initiatives at City Council’s Planning and Economic Development Committee: Whizzing Through the City at 110 MPH'»
It’s way easier to delegate than to take on every last responsibility, so rather than work on gaining muscle mass or weaning myself off chocolate, I’m creating a list of things I would like to see Hartford work on in the upcoming year. Here they are, in no particular order:
- Make the Riverfront Accessible
After having my heart set on a lovely afternoon bicycle ride along the Connecticut River, my plans were thwarted. Continue reading 'Hartford 2010: Resolutions for the New Year'»
Crime & Justice, Economics, POCD, Race & Ethnicity, access, architecture/design, charter revision, health care, photos, quality of life, self-indulgence, shopping, transportation
During my late afternoon adventures on Sunday, I noticed that sections of sidewalk were not cleared. The Department of Public Works has posted:
It is the responsibility of the property owner to remove snow within 2 hours after it has fallen, or within 3 hours after sunrise if the snow fell in the night. It is illegal to put the snow into the street.
In the case of an ICE storm, the sidewalk must be sanded within 1 hour.
Residential buildings and homes seemed to do a decent job of clearing snow from sidewalks in a reasonable period of time; I can not say the same for many of the snow removal job in front of numerous businesses. Along one section of Trumbull Street, I found only one crosswalk that had been cleared, and upon reaching the other side, saw that nobody bother clearing a path from the street onto the sidewalk. Continue reading 'Snow Rules Reminder'»
I have consistently heard that people need cars in Hartford. The lack of grocery stores in downtown is one reason cited for this claim. The lack of public transportation is also evidenced. Recently, in discussions about the Plan of Conservation and Development, this car “need” as been brought up as reason for why young urban professionals are hesitant to move downtown or come into the city for entertainment.
I live in one of Hartford’s neighborhoods. By someone’s definition, I am a young professional, though I despise that term. I do not have children. I am able-bodied, though have never been the type of person to “exercise.”
Since early October, I have been without a car. I have not starved to death, nor have I taken to wandering the streets naked (you’re welcome!).
Here is an explanation for how I have been able to meet my various needs and wants while living in Hartford without a car. Continue reading 'Car-Free in Hartford'»
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