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February 27, 2013
The Honorable Andrew Maynard The Honorable Antonio Guerrera Co-Chairpersons, Transportation Committee Legislative Office Building Hartford, CT 06106-1591 Re: SUPPORT for Distracted Driving Enforcement Bills HB 5248, HB 5545, HB 5550 and SB 637 Dear Chairmen Maynard and Guerrera: Bike Walk Connecticut writes to SUPPORT distracted driving enforcement bills HB 5248, HB 5545, HB 5550 and SB 637. Distracted drivers threaten the safety and property of everyone who ventures onto the roadways, but none more so than travelers who are not surrounded by two tons of steel. As the statewide advocate for the rights of bicyclists and pedestrians, Bike Walk Connecticut is keenly aware of the dangers posed by drivers who take their attention off the road—especially to illegally operate a cell phone. Every month, if not every week, news accounts report the death or serious injury of yet another pedestrian or cyclist who was struck by a motor vehicle, many of which incidents are attributable to distracted driving. We believe these bills will give police officers the means to enforce laws intended to prevent distracted driving, which are currently flouted to an astonishing degree—quite likely because there are no clear and certain penalties for doing so. We urge you to vote in favor enforcing distracted driving laws and bills HB 5248, HB 5545, HB 5550 and SB 637. Thank you for considering our views. Sincerely, Kelly Kennedy, Executive Director Bike Walk Connecticut February 27, 2013
The Honorable Andrew Maynard The Honorable Antonio Guerrera Co-Chairpersons, Transportation Committee Legislative Office Building Hartford, CT 06106-1591 Re: SUPPORT for Distracted Driving Enforcement Bills HB 5248, HB 5545, HB 5550 and SB 637 Dear Chairmen Maynard and Guerrera: Bike Walk Connecticut writes to SUPPORT distracted driving enforcement bills HB 5248, HB 5545, HB 5550 and SB 637. Distracted drivers threaten the safety and property of everyone who ventures onto the roadways, but none more so than travelers who are not surrounded by two tons of steel. As the statewide advocate for the rights of bicyclists and pedestrians, Bike Walk Connecticut is keenly aware of the dangers posed by drivers who take their attention off the road—especially to illegally operate a cell phone. Every month, if not every week, news accounts report the death or serious injury of yet another pedestrian or cyclist who was struck by a motor vehicle, many of which incidents are attributable to distracted driving. We believe these bills will give police officers the means to enforce laws intended to prevent distracted driving, which are currently flouted to an astonishing degree—quite likely because there are no clear and certain penalties for doing so. We urge you to vote in favor enforcing distracted driving laws and bills HB 5248, HB 5545, HB 5550 and SB 637. Thank you for considering our views. Sincerely, Kelly Kennedy, Executive Director Bike Walk Connecticut If you are interested in following the legislative process for important bike/ped bills, here's some info that explains how the comittee process works.
Bill Drafts and Hearings Each committee considers the proposed bills referred to it and orders full drafts in formal statutory language of those it decides merit further consideration. Committees can also decide to hold “subject matter hearings” on proposed bills without having them fully drafted. A committee may also "raise" bills on subjects within its jurisdiction for public hearing. Committee bills (fully drafted bills based on proposed bills) and raised bills (fully drafted bills introduced by a committee that are not based on a proposed bill) are drafted by attorneys in the Legislative Commissioners' Office (LCO) and returned to the committee for consideration. The committee holds hearings to give the public an opportunity to express views on bills. Legislators, state agency officials and municipal chief elected officials are allowed to testify during the first hour of a public hearing. Members who get signatures from a specified number of House or Senate members can petition a committee to draft a proposed bill and schedule it for a public hearing in cases where a committee has chosen not to do so. Committee Reports After the committee has considered a bill, it may (1) issue no report, in which case the bill fails; (2) issue an unfavorable report; or (3) issue a joint favorable (JF) report. When a committee votes to report a bill or resolution favorably, it is submitted to LCO, which has 10 days to check it for constitutionality, general accuracy, and consistency with existing statutes and to correct references and phraseology. LCO then refers the bill to the offices of Legislative Research and Fiscal Analysis, which have five days to prepare, respectively, a plain-language explanation of its legal effect (“bill analysis”) and a statement of its fiscal impact (“fiscal note”). LCO must transmit the bill, bill analysis, and fiscal note (together called a “file”) to the house of origin within 15 calendar days after first receiving it, unless the speaker and the president pro tempore grant an extension. Read more at This is Your General Assembly 2013 Legislative Session -- Committee Deadlines Be sure to save April 27 for the 2013 Connecticut Bike Walk Summit, which will take place at Yale University in New Haven.  The 2013 Bike Walk Summit brings together people from all over Connecticut to talk about how to improve bicycling and walking in our state.
Join Bike Walk Connecticut at this year’s summit and help make cycling and walking safe and attractive for a healthier, cleaner Connecticut. Registration opens March 1. Advance registration is required; we regret that walk-ins cannot be accomodated. Get ready to secure your seat and save money by registering early.  Read the full story by Steven Higashide at Tri-State's Blog
Connecticut’s 2009 complete streets law requires that transportation projects receiving state funds consider all users of the road, and is considered one of the strongest laws of its type in the country. But when engineers and designers in the state sit down to begin designing a road project, they’re guided by the Connecticut Highway Design Manual (HDM), which contains outdated and ill-advised guidance that is incongruent with the state’s Complete Streets efforts. The HDM is the standard road design reference book the state makes available to planners and engineers. It was written in 2003, and although revisions to the manual have been made as recently as last year, it does not reflect the complete streets law (in fact, it does not even include the term “complete street”). In its most recent annual report, the Connecticut’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Board (CBPAB) writes that “a comprehensive rewrite of the Connecticut Highway Design Manual is the single most significant improvement that can be made that would result in real and permanent changes to the mobility of the people of the State.” Indeed, in many ways HDM remains rooted in car-oriented traffic engineering practices that fail to acknowledge the role of transportation in building safe, vibrant communities. In a telling passage, it describes traffic calming techniques as “typically limited to municipal streets”, though the state’s Complete Streets legislation includes state roads, and suggests that local governments that have developed their own traffic calming standards can use them “on a project-by-project basis.” The HDM does not even include designs for bike lanes. Instead, it directs readers to use a separate guide published by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) or reference an appendix to the state’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Transportation Plan. The only part of the HDM that references bike lane design is a series of quick-reference tables that describe five feet wide bike lanes as sufficient on multi-lane streets designed for cars going as fast as 45 mph (in a town center) or 50 mph (in suburban areas). Without a more robust bike lane section, Connecticut will be left behind as other parts of the country are increasingly using buffered or protected bike lanes that have more separation between cars and bikes. ..... >>> Read the full story by Steven Higashide at Tri-State's Blog  The Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals (APBP) is hosting a series of four webinars that covers all aspects of bicycle parking. The series begins with an overview and discussion of basic principles, followed by three focused discussions on applications and techniques used by different entities with an interest in accommodating bicycle parking demand. Using videos, schematics from actual projects and case studies, this series examines the role bicycle parking can play in creating healthy, sustainable communities.
Topics in the series include:
For fees and registration info, visit http://www.apbp.org/event/bpseries_webinar. CT DEEP Celebrates “Bicycle Friendly Business” Award from The League of American Bicyclists2/23/2013
“DEEP’s leadership and staff deserve high praise for pursuing and achieving the League of American Bicyclists Bicycle Friendly Business accreditation. DEEP is just the third bicycle-friendly business in Connecticut, following REI West Hartford and Whitcraft LLC, Eastford,” said Kelly Kennedy, Executive Director of the statewide advocacy group Bike Walk Connecticut. “Bike Walk Connecticut is eager to help more state agencies and private businesses follow suit, so we can really put Connecticut on the map as a bike-friendly state.” The Connecticut Department of Transportation will hold a series of public meetings to hear your ideas to help refine the CTfastrak service plan.
DOT will also provide an overview of the CTfastrak project and its construction status. The draft service plan is available here. CTfastrak Service Planning Open House Schedule Please join DOT at any of these locations and share your ideas! Newington: Mon, March 4, 2013, 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. Newington Town Hall, 131 Cedar Street, Newington, CT MAP West Hartford: Thurs, March 7, 2013, 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. Elmwood Community Center, 1106 New Britain Avenue, West Hartford, CT MAP Bristol: Mon, March 11, 2013, 3:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. Bristol Public Library, 5 High Street, Bristol, CT MAP CCSU: Tues, March 12, 2013, 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. CCSU Student Center, Alumni Hall, 1615 Stanley Street, New Britain, CT MAP New Britain: Wed, March 13, 2013, 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. CCSU Institute of Technology & Business Development, 185 Main Street, New Britain, CT MAP Hartford: Tues, March 19, 2013, 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. Hartford Public Library, 500 Main Street, Hartford, CT MAP Hartford: Tues, March 19, 2013, 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. Hartford Public Library, 500 Main Street, Hartford, CT MAP Or, comment by email: Your comments on the service plan are also welcome by email at serviceplan@ctfastrak.com. Please send general questions and comments to info@ctfastrak.com. If you submit comments, please email a copy to us at bikewalkct@bikewalkct.org. Thanks! ________________________________________ The Connecticut Department of Transportation is working to inform local residents of current and upcoming activities through announcements such as this, as well as the CTfastrak Web site. For more information, visit: www.CTfastrak.com If you have any questions related to construction, please send an e-mail to Construction@CTfastrak.com To register for free electronic notifications of highway & rail incidents from CTDOT statewide e-alert system, visit www.ct.gov/dot and click on “Sign Up for E-Traffic Alerts”. Connecticut’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) and the Connecticut Greenways Council are accepting nominations for official state greenway designations through May 1, 2013. An official designation by the Greenways Council recognizes a greenway as an open space that meets the definition of a greenway and enhances the community and is supported by local government initiatives. Designated greenways, both for recreation and resource protection, will be listed in a subsequent revision of the State Plan of Conservation and Development and may receive increased consideration for a variety of grants. There are currently 68 designated greenways in Connecticut. The Greenways Council will evaluate all nominated greenways for consistency with designation criteria. Those selected for designation will be announced by the Greenways Council in conjunction with their National Trails Day event in June. The nomination form is available as a word document or a PDF. The preferred method for submission of completed nomination forms is by e-mail to Tenia.Seay@ct.gov, and digital photos and maps are preferred (digital photos of hard copy maps are acceptable). Nominations may also be submitted on CD or other electronic storage device and can be mailed to Tenia Seay, CT DEEP, 79 Elm Street, Hartford, CT 06106-5127. The deadline for submission of nominations is May 1. For more information please visit www.ct.gov/deep/greenways Do you walk, run or bike in the vicinity of the Putnam Bridge? If you do and you know the area, please join DOT and design/construction consultants from CHA for the Feb. 27 web meeting about the multi-use trail connections for the Putnam Bridge in Wethersfield and Glastonbury Connecticut. This web meeting will provide an overview of the work done to date and provide a forum to solicit comments from interested parties. Web Meeting for Putnam Bridge Trail Connections Wednesday, February 27, 2013 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM EST
Details on the Putnam Bridge project are available here, or click on the links below:
Documents: Scope of Work Overview Preliminary Planning and Design Goals Shared Use Path Design Standards Study Schedule Meetings: Advisory Committee Meeting #1 (January 31, 2013) Agenda Presentation Exhibits |
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