Connecticut Postings

On Monday, I’ll be riding my bicycle to work as part of our “Get There” project for the Connecticut Post. The concept is simple: Get to work without a car. A few of us Post reporters will be doing just that next week. They’ll be taking buses and Metro North. I’ll be the only one using human-powered transit.

To commute by bike, you’ll need a couple things besides a bike –– a serviceable floor pump and a pretty good lock. Let’s talk about the lock.

If you want to keep your bike, you’re going to have to learn a thing or two about bike locks.

When you buy a bike, it’s a good idea to have at least $40 to $130 left over for a good lock. I’m always amazed at all of the cheap, almost useless bike locks that I see at railroad stations.

Cable locks like this one can be defeated in less than 10 seconds with a hacksaw.

One particularly ineffective lock type is the cable lock, even the thick ones. These can be defeated with a hacksaw or even a pair of wire snippers in about 6 seconds. I know because I’ve done it. And cheap chain locks can be cut without much trouble, too. Remember, you’re buying time. Most bike thieves will pass up a lock that they figure will take more than 10 minutes to defeat.

If I can make a blanket statement, you can’t by a good bike lock for less than $35. Even on-line.

So, if you want your bike to be waiting for you at the end of the workday, get yourself a nice, hardened steel, flat key U-lock, or a heavy-duty hardened chain lock. The type of lock you get depends on where you plan to lock up your machine. U-locks are great for bike racks, but are useless if you have to lock your bike to a light pole. So scout out parking spots for your bike and figure out how you’re going to secure it. If you can get away with a “mini” U-bolt, like the Kryptonite New York Fahgettaboutit Mini, so much the better. Mini U-locks can’t be defeated by so-called “leverage attacks” (i.e. car jacks) because there’s no room for a sufficiently powerful jack.

As for chain locks, my favorites are the Abus Steel-O-Chain 880 (good), the Kryptonite New York Fahgettaboutit 1415 (better) or the Abus Granit City 1060 (even better, but hefty).

Also, make sure you’re locking up the frame to the rack, not just one the wheels. You don’t want to return to find your front wheel, minus the rest of the bike.

You can use a “looped cable” in conjunction with your main lock to secure your front wheel and seat. Or, a separate armored cable with a built-in lock. Using an armored cable lock, like the Abus Milleninioflex 896, along with your U-lock, will make your bike very difficult to nick because different tools are needed to defeat these two different locks.

Though a long way off, completion of the Moses Wheeler Bridge replacement project is projected to come 14 months ahead of schedule.

“By contract there was a reduction in the schedule from Oct. 31 of 2017 … to Aug. 31 of 2016,” said James Pelletier, the project engineer.

The new bridge is projected to cost about $45 million less that the initial estimate of $430 million.

Questions arose about the project when a crane being used for the bridge reconstruction project fell in the parking lot next to Bossanova restaurant on Ferry Boulevard. About five gallons of fuel leaked out.

Crews were dismantling the crane when it toppled over Wednesday night, Pelletier said. The incident did not slow down progress, he added.

“We’re on track,” Pelletier said.

He added, “This is a big undertaking.”

Track the Moses Wheeler Bridge reconstruction project’s progress here.

Stratford’s Traffic Authority will have to decide whether to allow golf carts on the town’s roads, freshman town councilman Craig Budnick said in a phone interview Wednesday.

At a public hearing before the Town Council early this month, about a half dozen residents — most from of the Lordship section of town –requested an ordinance allowing residents to drive golf carts on town roads marked with a 25 mph speed limit or lower.

Residents who spoke at the hearing said golf carts are a convenient mode of travel for short trips to the beach and around the neighborhood. Driving a golf cart is better for the environment than driving a car, one resident pointed out.

“The Town Council as a body does not have the right to regulate golf carts,” Budnick said. “The residents who may be concerned or want to have golf carts allowed in the Lordship section of town can submit a Traffic Authority request online on the town website.”

Budnick, a republican representing the seventh district, said residents who would like the town to draw up a golf cart ordinance can request that the Traffic Authority take up the issue by filling out this online request form. Residents may also contact the Traffic Authority via fax (203-381-1234) or email (mdunbar@townofstratford.com).

“At the end of the day, it’s really up to the citizens concerned about the golf cart issue to contact the town’s Traffic Authority,” he said.

A Bridgeport resident was struck by a vehicle about 5:15 p.m. Wednesday while attempting to cross Post Road East on foot near Bulkley Avenue in Westport.

When police arrived on scene they found Aja Barksdale, 19, lying in the street, according to police.

Barksdale was transported to Norwalk Hospital with serious, but non-life threatening, injuries, police said.

Police said their preliminary investigation shows an 18-year-old Westport resident struck Barksdale as she attempted to cross the street.

Speeding does not appear to be a factor in the crash, police said. It was dark and raining at the time of the crash.

The incident is under investigation by the Westport Police Department.

A state trooper is being treated at a local hospital after his cruiser was hit by another vehicle on Interstate 95 near Exit 27A in Bridgeport, police said.

The cruiser was towed back to the state police barracks in Bridgeport.

It’s unknown whether the trooper is seriously injured, police said.

New York — Hours before the unprecedented shutdown of New York subways, buses and commuter-rail lines, the city that never sleeps was eerily quiet.

A Starbucks was vacant at Astor Place (sign in window said ‘Blame mother nature’), the Bowery Whole Foods was closing at 10 a.m. (though open early for business, which appeared little known) and — most conspicuously — no crush of commuters was jockeying for train position at Grand Central Terminal.

Indeed, the 8:07 a.m. New Haven express pulled out of the big city with people hogging whole rows to themselves (myself included).

That came as a surprise to this reporter, who woke up in a slight stress, turned on the morning news and panicked as an MTA official proclaimed: “Do not wait for noon! We may not be able to accommodate you!”

All it took was a rush outside to cool the nerves.

The Spring Street subway station (6 train) was mostly empty, save for the attendant behind the window.

“We have to stay here till noon, when the trains stop,” the worker complained. “But who’s going to bring us home?”

I asked where he lived.

“Connecticut,” he said.

Luckily, his mother lives in New York and he could walk or cab it to her place when the public transit stopped.

With time to spare, I made the 20 minute walk to Union Square, making the unsettling observation that the streets were mostly empty, the tragic observation that the Starbucks at Astor Place closed.

But the coffee shops at Grand Central were open for business, so I made a purchase, picked up a newspaper and settled in for an unexpectedly comfortable ride back to Bridgeport — with ample time left to prepare for tonight.

Press release:

With Hurricane Irene forecasted to heavily impact the area this coming weekend, the Town of Stratford is prepared to implement its emergency operations plan.

Mayor John A. Harkins has been meeting with all pertinent personnel in preparations for the storm, and he has signed a declaration of emergency in order to allow town government to have maximum flexibility to protect its citizenry.

“This storm is not to be taken lightly. Forecasters are united in their belief that Hurricane Irene presents a significant risk of potentially severe flooding and wind damage in Stratford. I am urging all residents to take every conceivable precaution and to use common sense in determining the best actions to protect their families and property,” said Mayor Harkins.

In addition to declaring the state of emergency, the following actions have been taken to respond to the forecasted hurricane conditions:

1)      Effective immediately, residents along the immediate shoreline and in low-lying areas that have a tendency to flood are requested to evacuate and seek higher ground. At this point, evacuations are voluntary.

2)      A town-operated shelter will be opened at Bunnell High School at 5 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 27. Stratford residents without a place to go for refuge may go to Bunnell to ride out the storm. Residents with medical needs are encouraged to seek help at area hospitals.     

3)      A town-wide parking ban will go into effect at 5 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 27. Residents are asked to move their vehicles off the road to allow emergency personnel to respond as quickly as possible where necessary throughout town. School parking lots (other than Bunnell High School) are available to residents who do not have driveways, etc.

4)      The town’s Emergency Operation Center will be fully opened and operational at Noon on Saturday, Aug. 27.

5)      Residents are asked to monitor the Town website, print and electronic local media outlets, local radio stations, and to pay attention to any Reverse 911 calls that may be placed to households with further instructions and information.

Mayor Harkins is also asking residents to be mindful of their pets and neighbors while preparing for the storm. Those who are in the area of catch basins can assist Public Works by keeping them clear of debris in advance of the storm.

“Our town government is prepared to help out during and after the hurricane in every way it can be,” Harkins added. “We are asking all residents to do their part as we ride this storm out together.”

Contributed by WTNH

Matthew Miranda shut down MetroNorth for a half hour while he hid after stealing a car in Southport, WTNH reports.