@urbandispatch
Safe streets & Transit. People need somewhere to sleep and the sidewalk isn’t it. Believer that better more livable cities are possible. Let's stop letting perfection get in the way of progress. Anon here but happy to chat/meet up IRL Hartford, CT
It is with great excitement to announce that the below map is outdated and Connecticut has a Plug In solar proposal this year!!!!
Section 5 of Bill 5340 - Overwhelming support for this bill and concept in the public hearing that was held yesterday❤️☀️🔌
$87,000 per car parking space. 💸💸💸💸💸💸💸💸💸💸💸
A great piece of advice for any elected official or municipal department head: people will complain. Don’t cave to that small, unrepresentative sample!!
There are so many people who want a safe, walkable world. Make the arguments for it. Defend your decisions!
This project is fabulous, rarely do you see a project understand the magic that is a main street and a town willing to let them lean into it
It is with great excitement to announce that the below map is outdated and Connecticut has a Plug In solar proposal this year!!!!
Section 5 of Bill 5340 - Overwhelming support for this bill and concept in the public hearing that was held yesterday❤️☀️🔌
This fossil fuel company is drilling for something new: Carbon-free heat four miles beneath the Earth that could power a geothermal plant.
From @cprnews.bsky.social:
Congrats to Rep. @katiejonesmpls.bsky.social and family, who biked to the hospital last week and came back with baby Hans. Here's what she told me about the ride:
*Effects on natural gas which impact power prices, oil and gasoline effects are distinctly interlinked and will be felt very quickly. Swapping unpredictable fuel costs for highly predictable amortized capital costs for energy is such a no brainer
Super excited for the latest exogenous to the global fossil fuel market to run its course. Effects haven't reached US markets yet (which are a bit insulated due to export capacity constraints)
#NaturalGasNed remains a master strategist
I won't pretend to know the exact dynamics here, two thoughts:
1. Classic attempt to take millions of dollars away from Hartford
2. This is at its heart a zoning fight, there is a fight over which private operator gets the existing transfer station because zoning prevents new ones. That is fixable
This is exactly what Eversource and UI spent millions of dollars on a harassment campaign for
I wonder if AG Tong will accept that Chair Gillet is gone and reconsider his opposition to the Aquarion deal. The only "good" utility is the one in public hands
It is... Extremely disappointing to see Connecticut left off the map
Wait, I should have confirmed location first, this isn't in Warehouse point, it is out further east. Still great to see! Development at this scale like this saves the forest and farms from sprawl. Great stuff
Major props to East Windsor for being consistently good on housing recently with a vision to develop a new walkable town center near the river and Windsor Locks
www.ctinsider.com/journalinqui...
In sad news, the Henry Grabar talk has been postponed due to the snow
Image of Garrett Eucalitto testifying on the bill to increase funding on the SLE
The DOT commissioner pointed out that the Waterbury line has 134 trains/week and Shoreline East 132. Despite the pearl clutching about how underfunded SLE is, this really puts in context the parity and how bleak things were on the Waterbury branch
WBL has 33% higher ridership and grew 28% last year
So long and good riddance Prospect Medical 👋👋👋
hartfordbusiness.com/article/its-...
Author Talk: Henry Grabar and Paved Paradise in West Hartford at the Noah Webster Library at 6 pm Tuesday March 3
Jeff Speck hosted at Downtown Cabaret in Bridgeport on Thursday March 12
Two awesome events in Connecticut the next weeks:
@henrygrabar.bsky.social comes to West Hartford hosted by @bikewesthartford.bsky.social!
And then @jeffspeck.bsky.social comes to Bridgeport next week!
“The bill proposed is, without a doubt, a drastic change to the current state,” Chris D’Antonio, vice chair of Enfield’s planning and zoning commission, testified.
Yes, that's the idea
www.courant.com/2026/02/28/r...
TIL!!
Graphic from NDT system showing the demand response expense per passenger trip in 2024 was over 3 times higher than fixed route bus service in the SEAT district
Mayor of New London now testifying, program about to expire 30 June. I'm sorry, the fixed route service in SEAT is pretty bad, all dollars to improve them would be a great investment. It is quite amazing as many people ride SEAT as do given how weak it is. Fixed route service is the way to go there
Let me emphasize, the current service levels in River Valley are pretty bad. Route design is based on having one trip per hour or two so you then need to make sure you stop at every front door. A lot left to be desired on fixed route efficiency here as well
It is a low service transit area to start but really goes to show how inefficient having a public uber service can be. Really (like really really) need to make sure we don't let this cannibalize dollars for fixed route service
Joe Comerford Executive Director of the River Valley Transit System testifying
An interesting tid-bit from the Director of River Valley Transit that has three different "Microtransit" pilot programs on cost per service:
$30 per trip in East Hampton
"In the 20s" in the more suburban locations
And in Middletown they average 9 trips per hour at under $7 per trip
Submitted testimony in support of SB 339, CTs Golden Girls” bill. It would let people to rent out spare bedrooms.
Great way to help seniors age-in-place w/a little income while also combating loneliness.
(Insane that we have to legislate something so common-sense)
docs.google.com/document/d/1...
After Hartford cops killed two men needing mental health help on two occasions within nine days, I am having all sorts of conversations with people about beanbags and tasers and riot shields and training. And maybe that's all good and proper. But the simpler answer is "no guns."
Hartford line station station walkshed totaling 146k
Danbury Branch walkshed totaling 71k
Here are the Hartford and Danbury
Hartford Line is best of any branch line, Danbury is pretty bleak as it is NYC focused so South Norwalk really shouldn't factor much unfortunately + the time penalty is quite insane
List of 9 possible location with walksheds ranging from 1,600 to 12,000
Yes and its not like there are better intermediate stops + There is essentially zero local transit service on the shoreline so you can't magnify the area. Here is the SLE "possible location" review
Waterbury Line 1 Mile Radius walkable population totaling 97k
Shore Line east 1 Mile Radius walkable population totaling 79k
Without a doubt. An the built environment of the WBL is far far better. You actually have intermediate destinations rather than just park and rides. Walkshed population is 21% higher before factoring 61% of the SLE walkshed is in New Haven alone
The WBL was decrepit and is going to keep soaring
