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Next month the American Automobile Association of Southern New England will expand it’s Driver’s Improvement Program classes to teach the basics of defensive driving to experienced drivers over the age of 60.

The class is free for AAA members, and $20 for others.

The class, which is offered in an eight hour session split over two nights, is part of the AAA’s Driver Improvement Program, which qualifies drivers over 60 for a discount of up to 5 percent on their auto insurance premiums under state law.

In Stamford the class will be offered from  6 p.m.  to 10 p.m., May 17 and May 19 at the AAA Stamford Office, 623 Newfield Ave, Stamford.

In Greenwich the class will be taught from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Monday May 24, and Wednesday May 26, at Greenwich Town Hall, 101 Field Point Road, Greenwich.

AAA Southern New England has b een offering driver improvement classes in its North Haven facility for many years, but with expanded staff they will now offer the class in Fairfield County, according to spokeswoman Fran Mayko.

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U.S. Sen. Christopher Dodd-D Connecticut and Governor M. Jodi Rell and state Congressional delegation members met with U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood this morning to push the proposed $880 million project for speedier trains between New Haven and Springfield, Mass.

In January, the state received $40 million in federal transit funding towards starting work on the 62-mile expansion project. The money came from an $8 billion pool of funds in the federal economic rescue package for high speed rail projects.

The award was part of a joint application amongst New England states who are seeking money to help double rail ridership by expanding higher speed rail links.

Expanded capacity on the single track line is expected to reduce scheduling conflicts and delays due to balancing freight and passenger rail  and allow trains to travel at speeds upwards of 110 miles per hour.

High speed rail typically refers to lines that run in excess of 150 miles per hour, but most of the $8 billion is going towards projects that increase the speed of trains on existing lines.

After the train ride LaHood, Dodd, Rell, and others will have a closed door meeting with state legislative leaders, and held a half hour press conference outside Gov. Rell’s office between 10:45 a.m. and 11:15 a.m about higher speed rail.

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Commuter Age is worried about venturing into a  Gawkeresque interzone of meta-journalism, but should I look the other way when a quirky contretemps like this speeds past?

Connecticut Rail Commuter Council Chairman Jim Cameron has sent an e-mail alert to Connecticut commuters about his intention to seek a correction of New York Times’ reporter Michael R. Grynbaum’s  Monday April 20th article about the potential demise of Metro-North’s bar cars.

Yesterday Cameron and other rail council members said Grynbaum had stirred considerable and not purely necessary distress for commuters by implying the likelihood existing M-2 model bar cars will disappear next year when the state’s new M-8 rail cars arrive.

The currently in service M-2 bar cars are expected to remain in service as part of an older contingent of M-2 cars that will continue to run even as the state’s new M-8 rail cars go into service.

On Wednesday night, Connecticut Department of Transportation Public Transportation Chief Jim Redeker did say that the DOT is in talks with Kawasaki Rail Car Co. trying to get an estimate to design and build an M-8 bar car as part of the state’s new train fleet.

Oh well, enough pixels for now.  Here is Jim Cameron’s e-mail alert:

Fellow commuters…

“Never let the facts get in the way of a good story”.

This old newsroom mantra apparently was the rule when the NY Times yesterday ignored the facts and presented the headline…  “One for the Road? Bar Cars May Face a Last Call” <http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/21/nyregion/21barcar.html?scp=1&amp;sq=Bar%20cars&amp;st=cse>

Though three members of the CT Rail Commuter Council worked with reporter Michael Grynbaum to get the story right, he ignored the facts in favor of a sexier story.

The reporter implied that when the new M8 cars arrive, the 8 existing bar cars would be replaced. Not so!  The 8 bar cars we have all have undergone recent rehab’s and can run for 10 – 15 more years.

He also implied that “the recession” might force a rethinking of plans to order new bar cars.

The Commuter Council, meeting last night, was reassured by both Metro-North and CT DOT that there are no plans to eliminate bar cars on Connecticut trains.  CDOT also told the Council they would share design concepts with us for new M8 bar cars, currently under bid from Kawasaki.

The issue of continued if not improved bar car service has been a priority of the Commuter Council for the 25 years of its existence.  We will continue that advocacy… and seek a correction from the NY Times for its sloppy reporting.

“Cheers”!

Jim Cameron,  Chairman
CT  Metro-North  Rail Commuter Council
“Advocates for better rail services in CT”
Web:              www.trainweb.org/ct <http://www.trainweb.org/ct>

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Metro-North will waive its bike permit restrictions Sunday May 2 on the New Haven, Harlem, and Hudson lines to give bicyclists a lift to the TD Bank Five Boro Bike Tour, a 42-mile bike tour of the five boroughs of New York City.

To see the TD Bank Five Boro Bike Tour schedule visit here.

More than 30,000 cyclists participate in the event, and last year Metro-North carried 862 bicycles in 2009, and 950 the year before.

The race begins in Battery Park at 8 a.m. Though regular entry slots for the tour are sold out, riders can still join the race as part of a charity group.

Metro-North Railroad is currently studying the design of bike racks for likely installation aboard the state’s new fleet of 300 M-8 railcars.

Metro-North currently restricts bicycle access to trains, prohibiting access on Manhattan-bound trains before 10 a.m., and outbound trains during the evening rush hour of 4 to 8 p.m.

Earlier this year, Metro-North authorized bicycles aboard 35 of 49 “reverse peak” trains—those travelling north from Grand Central Terminal before 10 a.m., and towards Grand Central Terminal between 4 and 8 p.m.

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Next week’s agenda for the Transportation Strategy Board at the Connecticut DOT’s headquarters makes reference to an impact statement about Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide relocating from White Plains,N.Y. to  Stamford’s Harbor Point development.

The meeting will be at 10 a.m., Wednesday at the Connecticut Department of Transportation, at 2800 Newington Turnpike, Newington.

The legislature’s Finance Committee recently approved a $90 million incentive package touted by Gov. M. Jodi Rell and the Department of Economic and Community Development to bring Starwood to Stamford.

The deal includes $75 million in Urban and Industrial Site Reinvestment Tax Credits and a $9.5 million loan from the state’s Department of Economic and Community Development, a $5 million tax exemption on building materials.

Also on the schedule (seen below) is a presentation from the agency about traffic congestion, as well as other presentations from the Bureau of Highways and Aviation and Ports.

The Transportation Strategy Board, appointed by the legislature and the governor, is a 16-member body created in 2001 to study ways to reduce traffic congestion and modernize transit systems in the state.

Presentation: Congestion (ConnDOT)

Presentation: Bureau of Highways-ConnDOT

Presentation: Bureau of Aviation and Ports-ConnDOT

Other Business

·      Impact Statement: Stamford – Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide, Inc.

TIA & Public Comments

Adjournment

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Starting Saturday, motorists will have an additional travel lane between southbound Interstate 91 and southbound Interstate 95–a project meant to help ease congestion on one of the busiest highway intersections in Connecticut.
The project is nearly a month and a half ahead of schedule, according to Gov. M. Jodi Rell’s office.

The work is part of the larger I-95 New Haven Harbor Crossing Corridor Improvement Program which includes reconstruction of the Pearl Harbor Memorial Bridge, safety improvements on I-95 to reduce accidents, and capacity improvements to the roadway.
“The opening of the new, two-lane connection is a major milestone, adding much-needed capacity for drivers to exit from I-91 to I-95 toward New York City,” Governor Rell said. “Interstate 95 is the major north-south artery through New England and Interstate 91 runs north and south through the center of Connecticut. Getting this work done early benefits tens of thousands of daily commuters.

“I want to commend all involved for getting the work done early and on-budget,” the Governor said. “Especially in these difficult economic times, the state has an absolute responsibility to make sure every taxpayer dollar is handled with maximum care. These are exactly the results we want to be achieving.”

Over the weekend crews will continue to add and relocate signage to the existing supports. By Monday, the travel lanes will have pavement markings and signage in place for a new and improved commute.

The $92 million contract which includes the lane work was awarded to The Walsh Construction Co. in Sept. 2008. The contract also includes refurbishing Rte. 34 “Flyover” bridge, which will link I-95 North to Rte. 34.
Roadwork to improve traffic flow on the “Flyover” bridge and the I-91/I-95 interchange is continuing.