Transport Policies to Enhance CT Communities
In
March, the Tri-State Transportation Campaign and CT Fund for the Environment
released "Transportation Choices
for Connecticut," a paper contributing to the debate over state
transportation policy reform.
In addition to its highway and mass transit recommendations, the paper
points out that many potential "payoffs" of transportation change are travel
choices, policies and infrastructure that work better for Connecticut
communities. A variety of its recommendations call for new, locally-focused
programs and planning that would help bring transportation policy into
line with heightened interest in smart growth and more functional towns
and cities. These recommendations are:
-
Significantly increase state aid to towns for road repair, which
has been held at relatively static levels for over 30 years, to the immense
detriment of aging local streets and bridges.
-
Develop capacity and planning procedures for joint ConnDOT-municipal
work on land use and transportation in congested corridors. Relatedly,
empower Conn-DOT to enter into road "capacity preservation plans" with
municipalities.
-
Develop a new local aid program, over and above Town Aid for Roads, that
provides grants to cities and towns specifically for bicycle and pedestrian
safety projects.
-
Develop a similar program to encourage municipal planning promoting transit-oriented
development.
-
Update state planning and design guidelines to encourage local implementation
of bike-friendly and traffic calming street designs.
-
Establish a funding program for New Haven Line towns and cities to begin
local
transit jitneys connecting neighborhoods and train stations.
These steps would begin a series of small changes that will add up over
time to a more flexible, accommodating transportation system and streetscape,
without making a big dent in ConnDOT's core programs.
