Changes may be ahead for transit districts

WESTPORT — Transportation within Westport could change due to its population if the town doesn’t combine with other municipalities following state legislation passed in May.

The possible change was among several coming down the road discussed at a recent Representative Town Meeting transit committee that included officials, various transportation districts and departments. The meeting covered legislation involving transportation changes to structure and funding of transit districts within Connecticut.

“It seems that something is going to have to change, so we should try to shape that change to our best advantage,” said Kristin Schneeman, chair of the committee.

Public Law 22-40 passed in May, which involves various changes to transit within the state, including public transportation and consolidating transit districts, said Lisa Rovers, the state Department of Transportation’s transit manager.

If a transit district’s population is under 100,000, it will start losing money by the start of 2025. If it is over 100,000, there is an opportunity to receive additional funding. The districts can be moved around to include other municipalities, she said.

Rivers said Westport will lose funding if it keeps its current transit district, as the population is not high enough.

Claudia Shaum, a RTM District 5 member, said she doesn’t understand what the possible benefits for partnering with other towns.

“Our priority ought to be transportation within our town, first, and then second, transportation for Westporters to and from and our neighboring townspeople to and from us,” Shaum said.

Doug Holcomb agreed with Shaum, saying the law is fundamentally flawed and not based in data.

Rivers said transportation has already been consolidated in other parts of the state, one reason being to prevent smaller districts from going out of business and people losing jobs.

Westport Transit Director Peter Gold, who is also a District 5 RTM member, said the legislation does not fit Westport’s model, as he does not have a salary as a transit director.

RTM District 9 member Sal Liccione said he frequents businesses in the downtown area. He said many of the employees come from surrounding towns like Bridgeport, Fairfield, Stamford and Greenwich, and they often say to him that they are “tired of taking Uber” and that they want public transit.

“Yes, holistically, we are here for the town,” Liccione said, “but we’re also here for our constituents that travel into town.”

Norwalk Transit District CEO Kim Morton said Norwalk hopes to continue a long-lasting relationship with Westport, as it has partnered with the town for many years. She said other towns have already reached out to partner for the grant.

She said Norwalk currently sits at about 90,000 residents.

Multiple attendees recommended sending out a survey to see what the community wants in terms of transportation and governance.

“We need to get out there,” Morton said. “We need to see what the community wants.”

Schneeman said there are different approaches in other towns that they can look to use in Westport, or the current services might stay. She said transportation services for senior citizens and those with disabilities within the town would continue, though.

Liz Milwe, a RTM District 1 member, mentioned the possibility of a trolley service in Westport, specifically Saugatuck, or a boat taxi service along the river.

Holcomb said there used to be a trolley in Fairfield, and people liked it, but it was not used. He also said it does not carry many passengers.

Town Operations Director Thomas Kiely and Liccione discussed hosting a meeting within the coming months with town and state officials about how the town can work with the state to receive transportation funding.

The new legislation also has a requirement for a microtransit program, Rivers said, which prioritizes areas that do not have existing transportation services.

Changes also include creating an app that provides consistent, real-time information across all transit providers in the state. Currently, there are multiple apps required for different means of transportation, but this would consolidate the apps and let people pay through the app, Rivers said.