Transit
Connecticut Department of
Transportation including rail alerts, bicycle maps,
traffic cams, etc. Note
for traffic cams: ConnDOT is directly
supplying the camera images for I-84, RT-2 and I-91. WTNH News Channel 8 with a
partnership with ConnDOT is supplying the images for I-95.
Rideworks has good access to
traffic cams and links to
real time traffic incidents.
I95 New Haven Project Construction
hotline 1-866-277-9595
Fuel Economy Guide for automobiles:
model year 2008. Check
this site
for the real costs of driving an automobile.
Bus
Bus schedule Southeastern Area Transit (SEAT) county-wide bus service: 860-886-2631
New London local
transit
CTtransit (Bus Schedule.)
Megabus.com
Rail
Shore Line East (with Amtrak
schedule.) Service
every day betweeen New London and New Haven
AMTRAK (Train stations nearby at Westerly, RI, Mystic, CT and New London, CT):
1-800-872-7245
Metro North
Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority
(MBTA)
Mystic Valley Railway Society
Bike
Ct Bicycle/Pedestrian Plan
Rails to Trails
Bike Route
http://www.kurumi.com/roads/ct/i95.html
Ferry
Long Island Ferry
is a shortcut between New London and Orient Point.
Fisher's Island Ferry
Block Island Ferry
operates between New London and Block Island.
Chester to Hadlyme Ferry .
between East Haddam and Gillette Castle.
Martha's Vineyard Fast Ferry
Nantucket and Marthas Vineyard
Boating
Connecticut River Expeditions,
RiverQuest
Mystic Whaler Cruises
Deep Sea Fishing (Mijoy)
Connecticut Coastal Kayaking
Captain John's Sport Fishing
Yacht Charter
Air
Yapta track the ticket price for your
flight.
Richard Stallman on airline
security.
Are you on the 'no fly list'
?
Fear of Restrooms
Groton-New London Airport
Eastern Ct Balloon Services
Travel
Kayak.com search engine for travel sites to
give you the widest possible choice of flights and prices
LowestFare.com
Yahoo Farechase
Tolls should be on the Ballot
Governor O'Neil deserved a lot of credit when, after some
horrific accidents at toll booths, he removed tolls from Connecticut highways.
But times change, we now have a Republican Governor and the
Transportation Strategy Board (TSB) has vacancies. Chairman of the TSB has a
company which specializes in outsourcing. Southeast Connecticut did not have
any representation on the TSB when ,in its wisdom, it recommended that the
solution for funding Connecticut highways is, guess what, highway tolls.
Never mind that we are fighting a war for oil and that our
military in other parts of the world acts as a security force for the oil
companies, never mind experts that tell us we are now at or near peak oil
production, never mind that burning oil is a major contributor to
environmental damage and global warming. The TSB recommendation is an enabler
of higher volume highways, increased gasoline usage, more pollution, more wait
time at toll booths, and technology notwithstanding, more unsafe highways.
They have a way with language though: (From the Day) 'Floyd
Lapp, executive director of the South Western Regional Planning Agency,
suggested that for political reasons the board avoid using the word “tolls” at
all, sticking instead to “congestion pricing.” ' Anyone who has taken a long
drive will not be fooled. There will be lines at toll booths and there will be
those jumping lanes to try to get to the correct lane for their payment type,
and there will be mishaps at toll booths. Express lanes are of dubious value.
If autos and trucks could be loaded onto the train, maybe
traffic could be reduced, a long-term I95 expansion forgone, and the system
made more efficient. The auto train is very popular between Virginia and
Florida, why not expand it to include the Northeast corridor.
It appears that by recommending tolls, that consideration
of alternative highway funding methods will be ruled out. Casual observation
suggests that since gasoline prices have increased, I95 has not had gridlock.
Increased gasoline prices tend to reduce highway usage, decrease fuel
consumption, lessen pollutants, encourage more efficient vehicles, and lessen
dependence on foreign oil...all worthy goals. Increased gasoline taxes could
be a better highway funding approach.
On the other hand, restoring highway tolls in Connecticut
could enable what other Republican states have done. That is, privatize them
and sell them for a huge one-time windfall.
As a minimum, detailed analysis should be made public, and choices should
be on the ballot. Links
Transportation Research Board
Modern Transit Society |