LWVCT TRANSPORTATION PRIORITIES 2012 01/19/2012
Members of the League of Women Voters of Connecticut re-adopted transportation as one of the legislative priorities for the 2011 and 2012 legislative sessions. On behalf of the nearly 2,000 state-wide members of the League, we are pleased to submit our transportation and transportation-funding priorities for the upcoming session. Transportation is critical to keeping our economy viable, our workers working and making Connecticut competitive and modern. The League continues to believe that the principal goal of any transportation policy must be the reduction of all vehicular traffic on Connecticut’s roads. The League will advocate for the following measures:
Members of the League of Women Voters of Connecticut recognized the critical importance of transportation for Connecticut by designating transportation as a legislative priority. The League has supported the proposed Busway since the early planning for the following reasons:
We urge continued investment in the existing bus transit to allow the local bus systems serving the areas of Hartford, New Haven, Stamford, Waterbury, New Britain, Meriden, Bristol and Wallingford to hold the line on fares We also urge the continuation of the ADA paratransit services for these same areas. Combined, these bus systems serve over 29 million passengers per year. Transportation is critical to keeping our economy viable, our workers working and making Connecticut competitive and modern. Improved transit is critical to the long-term health of the state. Public transportation gets people to work and school, reduces air pollution and eases highway gridlock. Thank you for this opportunity to provide input. Sincerely, Jara N. Burnett Transportation Specialist League of Women Voters of Connecticut September 5, 2011 Commissioner Daniel C. Esty Department of Energy and Environmental Protection 79 Elm Street Hartford, CT 06106 Dear Commissioner Esty, We are writing in support of the proposed New Britain-Hartford Busway and specifically in regard to the inland wetland permit submitted to the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection by the Department of Transportation. Based on a review of the materials included in DOT's inland wetland permit application, it appears that the project strikes the appropriate balance between protecting the wetlands and allowing construction of the New Britain-Hartford Busway. Moreover, with the completion of the Busway, much of the 2 acres of impacted wetlands will be replaced by an extensive mitigation plan that will create a contiguous 8.8-acre system of new or enhanced wetlands. Furthermore, this Bus Rapid Transit system will result in other significant environmental benefits for our state. The New Britain-Hartford Busway will:
Sincerely, Lori Brown, Executive Director, Connecticut League of Conservation Voters Don Strait, Executive Director, Connecticut Fund for the Environment Karen Burnaska, Coordinator, Transit for Connecticut Tom Colligan, Interim Executive Director, Connecticut Coalition for Environmental Justice Cheryl Dunson, President, League of Women Voters of Connecticut David Kooris, Vice President, Regional Plan Association Ryan Lynch, Connecticut Coordinator, Tri-State Transportation Campaign Senator Steve Cassano, 4th District Senator Terry Gerratana, 6th District Senator Ed Meyer, 12th District Representative Tim O'Brien, 24th District Representative Robert Sanchez, 25th District Pedro E. Segarra. Mayor, City of Hartford Timothy T. Stewart, Mayor, City of New Britain Mary Glassman, First Selectman, Town of Simsbury and Chair, Capitol Region Council of Governments Gerry Amodio, Executive Director, New Britain Downtown District Carolle Andrews, Chief Administrative Officer, University of Connecticut Health Center Oz Griebel, President, MetroHartford Alliance Avner Krohn, President, Jasko Development Jack Miller, Presiden, Central Connecticut State University William Millerick, President, New Britain Chamber of Commerce Mary Tomolonius, Executive Director, Connecticut Association for Community Transportation Via Email Members of the League of Women Voters of Connecticut recognized the critical importance of transportation for Connecticut by designating transportation as a legislative priority. Transportation is critical to keeping our economy viable, our workers working and making Connecticut competitive and modern. Improved transit is critical to the long-term health of the state. Public transportation gets people to work and school, reduces air pollution and eases highway gridlock. In these difficult economic times, transit is needed more than ever. Bus transit is the backbone of public transit in Connecticut. Commuter bus service continues to impact most immediately the congestion on our highways and provide mobility for our most-economically challenged citizens. While we understand the financial limitations and the difficulties in crafting budgets, investment in transit generates short and long-term jobs needed to get our state's economy started again The proposed new bus fares will affect local bus systems serving the areas of Hartford, New Haven, Stamford, Waterbury, New Britain, Meriden, Bristol and Wallingford. ADA paratransit fares for these same areas would also be increased by approximately 10 percent, as would fares on express commuter bus services to the Hartford area and for the I-BUS Stamford to White Plains express. Combined, these bus systems serve over 29 million passengers per year. The proposed bus and rail fares and proposed service reductions are simply too deep and will adversely affect a segment of the state’s population that is already feeling the economic pinch most acutely. We urge you to rescind or minimize these rate increases and service reductions. Thank you for this opportunity to provide input. Sincerely, Jara N. Burnett Transportation Specialist, LWVCT 203 288-7996 LWVCT Opposition to HB 6200 AA Concerning the Establishment of Tolls for the Extension of Route 11 06/07/2011
Members of the League of Women Voters of Connecticut believe that the main priorities of the transportation policy should be to increase dedicated funding sources for mass transit, highway congestion relief and highway and bridge maintenance. We support congestion pricing/electronic tolling to not only provide revenue but to implement the goal of reducing congestion on our roads and to help decrease pollutants in our air. The League has also long supported a Fix-It-First policy over new construction and we continue to believe that we cannot build our way out of congestion. We oppose HB 6200 for the following reasons:
Because of these financial, environmental and policy concerns, we urge you to oppose HB 6200 should it come up for a vote. Thank you for this opportunity to provide input. Sincerely, Jara N. Burnett Transportation specialist LWVCT joined with a broad coalition of 27 signatories from entities representing everything from CCSU to developers, chambers of commerce, the League of Women Voters, labor and environmental groups, who took note of the Bond Commission’s recent decision to release funding to get the Hartford-New Britain bus rapid transit project. The coalition’s thank you letter to Governor Malloy appears below. ---------- May 2, 2011 The Honorable Dannel P. Malloy Governor, State of Connecticut State Capitol Hartford, CT 06106 Dear Governor Malloy, Please accept our thanks and appreciation for your steadfast support and leadership of the New Britain/Hartford Busway project. We believe that the New Britain/Hartford Busway project represents the future for both Connecticut’s economy and transportation infrastructure. The benefits of investing in the Busway are multifold for the state. The construction of the Busway will generate thousands of construction and associated jobs; millions of dollars to be invested in transit-oriented development projects surrounding the Busway will create new jobs and business opportunities; the Busway will offer congestion-free travel to transit riders and help decrease traffic on the most congested part of I-84; and harmful carbon emissions will be decreased. We commend you for your leadership and support and thank the Bond Commission for releasing the funds needed for the Busway to proceed. If you have any questions please contact Karen Burnaska, Transit for Connecticut or Lyle Wray, Capitol Region Council of Governments. We look forward to working with you as the Busway becomes a reality. Sincerely, Tim O’Brien, State Representative, New Britain and Newington Pedro E. Segarra, Mayor, City of Hartford Timothy T. Stewart, Mayor, City of New Britain Scott McBride, Deputy Mayor, Town of Newington Lyle Wray, Executive Director, Capitol Region Council of Governments Gerry Amodio, Executive Director, New Britain Downtown District Lori Brown, Executive Director, CT League of Conservation Voters Karen Burnaska, Coordinator, Transit for Connecticut Tom Colligan, Interim Executive Director, CT Coalition for Environmental Justice Cheryl Dunson, President, League of Women Voters of CT Oz Griebel, President, MetroHartford Alliance David Kooris, Vice President, Regional Plan Association Avner Krohn, President, Jasko Development Charles LeChonce, Business Manager, CT Laborers District Council Ryan Lynch, Connecticut Coordinator, Tri-State Transportation Campaign Jeffrey Merrow, Business Manager, Laborers Local 611 Jack Miller, President, Central Connecticut State University William F. Millerick, President, New Britain Chamber of Commerce Don Strait, Executive Director, CT Fund for the Environment Mary Tomolonius, Executive Director, CT Assoc for Community Transportation City of Hartford Neighborhood Revitalization Zones: Bernadine Silvers and Jackie McKinney, Co-Chairs, Board of Directors, Hartford 2000, Inc. David Corrigan, Chair, Frog Hollow NRZ Donna Thompson Daniels, President, Blue Hills NRZ Lynn Ferrari, President, Hartford’s CSS/CON NRZ Brandon McGee, Vice President, Northeast NRZ David Morin, Secretary, Parkville Revitalization Association Tomas Nenortas, Chair, South Downtown NRZ The League of Women Voters of Connecticut believes that funds raised for transportation by tolls or other revenues must be used for these initiatives and not be diverted to the General or other funds. Thus, the League strongly supports SB 699 AA Concerning the Use of Funds from the Special Transportation Fund. We believe this bill is critical. The practice of raiding special funds in order to use the revenues to close the budget gap or other needs is not a good practice. The League also strongly supports RB 5940 AA Requiring the Creation of Strategic Plans for Passenger and Freight Rail Service. We note the proliferation of bills, many of them subject to this public hearing, requesting planning and funding for various rail and bus roads across the state. We believe that an integrated, and comprehensive approach to transit improvements must include coordination among all facets of transportation: highway, rail, air and marine modes of travel. A piecemeal approach will inevitably result in waste of already limited resource. Thus, coordinated planning is critical to move the state forward. Respectfully submitted, Jara Burnett Transportation Specialist LWVCT LWVCT Offers Limited Support for Tolls 03/22/2011
Transportation 11 Transportation committee SB31, HB5849,6136,6200 on tolling Members of the League of Women Voters of Connecticut recognized the critical importance of Transportation for Connecticut by designating transportation as a legislative priority. Transportation is critical to keeping our economy viable, our workers working and making Connecticut competitive and modern. The League continues to believe that the principal goal of any transportation policy must be the reduction of all vehicular traffic on Connecticuts roads. The return of tolling to Connecticut is inevitable. With diminished revenues from traditional transportation funding sources like the gas tax, electronic tolling is the wave of the future in transportation financing. The League strongly supports the usage of tolls as a congestion reduction measure and revenue generator for the State Transportation Fund. While we strongly support the usage of tolls as a congestion reduction measure and revenue generator for the State Transportation Fund, we oppose the placement of tolls at or near Connecticuts borders for the following reasons: 1. Locating tolls near Connecticuts borders is vulnerable to legal challenges. 2. The effort will do nothing to address Connecticuts congestion problems that cost the state upwards of $500 million a year in economic activity, continue to pollute the States environment. 3. Locating tolls at the borders would hinder regional economic growth. Thus, the League can offer only limited support for proposed bills SB 31, HB 5949 and HB 6136 as they focus primarily on establishing tolls at the States borders. We also believe that HB 6200 is not addressing the fundamental problem of highway congestion and infrastructure funding. Instead, we urge the Transportation Committee to support tolling options that will offer more benefit for Connecticut residents: congestion pricing. We suggest that this program would be most effective in Southwestern Connecticut, the hotspot for the States highway congestion. Congestion pricing in this area will allow the State to more efficiently use limited roadway space and more effectively distribute vehicle trips to less congested times of day. This is feasible because a large portion of peak hour trips are discretionary.Congestion pricing would encourage those optional trips to be shifted to less congested times of day. Based on this experience, the program could be expanded to other impacted areas. Respectfully submitted, Jara Burnett Transportation Specialist, LWVCT Transportation 11 Transportation committee RB 5940 FINAL The League strongly supports the concept of overall future planning in RB 5940 AA Requiring the Creation of Strategic Plans for Passenger and Freight Rail Service. We note the proliferation of bills, many of them subject to this public hearing, requesting planning and funding for various rail and bus roads across the state. We believe that an integrated, and comprehensive approach to transit improvements must include coordination among all facets of transportation: highway, rail, air and marine modes of travel. A piecemeal approach will inevitably result in waste of already limited resources. If the state is going to be successful in achieving reforms, we need to understand the needed steps, costs paybacks and relative merits of various proposals. Input from various constituencies will be needed to achieve a comprehensive plan. Thus, coordinated planning is critical to move the state forward. Thank you, Jara Burnett LWVCT Transportation Specialist Statement of the League of Women Voters of Connecticut to the Appropriations Committee Public Hearing, February 25, 2011 Support for the budget for the Department of Transportation in the Governors proposed budget, HB 6380 AAC the Budget for the Biennium Ending June 30, 2013 Members of the League of Women Voters of Connecticut recognized the critical importance of Transportation for Connecticut by designating transportation as a legislative priority. Transportation is critical to keeping our economy viable, our workers working and making Connecticut competitive and modern. During these difficult economic times, transit is needed more than ever. Availability of affordable transit is of critical importance to the states economy and environment and to the quality of life for all residents. We support the Governors proposed budget funding for transit operations. It is responsive to the needs for fiscal restraint and yet it maintains sufficient funding for the critical bus transit operations. We thank the Governor for recognizing this need and recommending no fare increase. An investment in transit projects generates short and long-term jobs needed to get our state's economy started again. We urge your consideration to funding the following transit needs: Sincerely, Jara N. Burnett Transportation Specialist | Advocacy:
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