Transit plans about more than automobiles

The just-underway session of the Connecticut General Assembly is about ongoing crises and unfinished business. There’s the continuing pandemic and the economic devastation in its wake, with thousands of Connecticut businesses closing their doors in the past year. But there’s also much that was left up in the air when the Assembly abruptly ceased business as usual early in 2020 as COVID-19 started its spread.

Though special sessions tackled some major issues in the interim, there’s a backlog that can’t wait much longer, even in the midst of extraordinary circumstances. And while technology has made it possible for legislative committees to meet remotely, it will take some getting used to before the process is running smoothly.

An early subject, one of intense interest throughout Gov. Ned Lamont’s time in office, is transportation. It long predates the current governor for stakeholders to decry the status of Connecticut’s infrastructure, including highways, bridges and rails. But after a concerted effort to pay for all the upgrades failed early in Lamont’s term, the issue has continued to simmer.

Tolls are out, Lamont says, which makes sense, since lawmakers have gone to absurd lengths to avoid having to vote for them. That means, inevitably, the full cost of repairs and upgrades will fall to state residents, rather than some portion being paid by out-ofstaters who are only passing through on our highways in the form of tolls. It doesn’t make much sense in that context, but it’s the path our state has taken.

But transportation policy is about much more than cars and trucks. The focus of Wednesday’s remote legislative hearing was pedestrian safety and traffic enforcement, which attracted virtual testimony from about 70 people, mainly in the cities where the problem is most severe.

Provisions in the bill in question include additional speed enforcement cameras, allowing municipalities more freedom to set local speed limits, new punishments for harm caused to cyclists as well as penalties for distracted driving, among other elements. It’s a pressing issue, as New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker pointed to 11 residents who were killed by motorists over the past year while walking or riding bikes.

While the speed of drivers was a consistent theme, some participants, including the head of traffic enforcement in Stamford, said the design of roads was just as important. That’s certainly true, and needs to be a focus of reform efforts. But until roads can be redesigned on a large scale, people have to drive slower, and stepped-up punishment is one way to make that happen.

What’s most needed is an overall shift in how we view transportation. During the height of toll talk, the Lamont administration released a plan that included dozens of projects that would be in line for funding if the governor’s plan passed. Nearly all involved automobiles.

But that’s not the only way to get around, and a greater emphasis on every level is needed for modes of transit that don’t clog roadways, don’t contribute to global warming and don’t burn fossil fuels. Walking and cycling demand more attention, and that includes a greater focus on safety. Any transportation reform effort must keep that in mind.

Until roads can be redesigned on a large scale, people have to drive slower, and stepped-up punishment is one way to make that happen.