"In a democracy, everybody gets the government they deserve."

Elections matter.  On November 4, you can have an impact on Connecticut's quality of life.  Your vote counts. Pledge to Register and VOTE! Then spread the word.  #BikeWalkVoteCT

Bike Walk CT attended the gubernatorial candidates' forum on transportation today in North Haven.  As CT News Junkie's Christine Stuart aptly noted, "Walking and biking were two forms of transportation not raised at the forum Monday."  If we want Connecticut to be a better place to bike and walk, it's time to make walking and biking part of the mainstream transportation conversation. 

Read the CT News Junkie article:
Foley, Malloy Challenge Each Other Separately On Transportation
Democratic Gov. Dannel P. Malloy said he’s spending more on transportation than previous administrations, while Republican challenger Tom Foley said traffic congestion in Connecticut has gotten worse over the past few years.

Malloy and Foley spoke separately Monday at a forum sponsored by a broad-based group of state and regional transportation organizations. Foley addressed the group first and was followed by Malloy.

The two spoke separately about the balance between highways and public transit. Malloy wants to increase investment in both areas, but Foley would be focused mostly on highway expansion.

“Any purposeful strategy to push people out of their cars and onto mass transit, I really don’t think is going to work,” Foley told the group at the Best Western in North Haven. Read the full story here.

Other news coverage:
Malloy, Foley Face Off On Transportation Today | FOX CT
Foley: Traffic 'shameful'; Malloy claims progress
Malloy, Foley Address Transportation Issues at Forum
The Day - Malloy and Foley Address Transportation ...
Foley, Malloy Vow to Spend More on Transit But No Plan to ...

The election of Toni Harp as Mayor of New Haven means that city's residents get another bite at the apple to elect a state senator who's deeply committed to making Connecticut a better place to bike and walk.  

The special election to fill a vacancy in the State Senate representing the 10th Senatorial District, which covers portions of New Haven and West Haven, will be held on Tuesday, February 25, 2014.

Bike Walk Connecticut urges residents of Senate District 10 to press candidates on how they will make Connecticut and New Haven more bike and pedestrian friendly.

Update:  According to the New Haven Independent, three candidates so far have declared their candidacies: state Reps. Gary Holder-Winfield and Juan Candelaria and former West Rock Alderman Darnell Goldson.  

The musical chairs could continue. If a State Rep is elected to the senate seat, that means a state rep seat would then  open up as well.  

It's Election Day, and that means today is your chance to elect the best champions for biking and walking in your town.

Elections will take place in all but four of Connecticut's 169 cities and towns, with the post of chief elected official at stake in 126 communities.  That's a lot of potential for positive change.  

The offices that are up for grabs today are the very ones that will -- or won't -- make your town a safer, better place to bike and walk. 

Don't think your vote won't make a difference!  Connecticut's local elections are routinely won by miniscule margins.  Some municipal races have been won by fewer than five votes.  

Even if you're not registered to vote yet, you can take care of that today at your town hall.  Go vote.  It matters!

Read more about today's elections at It's not just about New Haven, Stamford, by Mark Pazniokas for the CT Mirror and at In Local Elections, Your Vote Has Power, Julie Lewin's Op-Ed for the Courant.

Election season is upon us.  Elections for a variety of muncipal offices across Connecticut will take place on Tuesday, November 5.  While the big money and media attention that go along with presidential, congressional, and gubernatorial elections is not at play this year, the offices that are up for grabs are the very ones that will--or won't--make your town safer, better place to bike and walk. 

This is the perfect time for grassroots activists like you to get involved ask important questions of the candidates and make sure that making a bikeable, walkable community is a real priority for whomever you vote for. 
 
Step 1:  Find out who's on the ballot, and for which office at the Secretary of the State website.

Step 2:  Find out what the candidates have been saying about their positions on different topics and aspirations. Check your local newspaper. Check your local online news outlets, like Patch. 

Step 3:  Get engaged.  Pick and choose as you like, but do something!

• Contact the candidates yourself to ask where they stand on making your town a more bikeable and walkable.  You can usually find an email address or phone number for most of them. What do they think about your town's pace for complete streets implementation? What about Safe Routes to Schools? How could your town's walk score be better?
• Attend a debate or candidates forum and ask about biking and walking issues if the format permits.  Or, talk to organizers to get it on the agenda ahead of time. The League of Women Voters lists debates and forums on their website. Check there to get started. 
• Write a letter to the editor or OpEd.
• Get your friends to write a letter to the editor.
• Then VOTE! It's your democracy.  Make your voice heard!

New Haven mayoral candidates Senator Toni Harp and Alderman Justin Elicker faced off in their final debate of the election season on October 22.

The debate covered a wide variety of topics, but both Harp and Elicker did touch on street safety in the city.

Elicker mentioned he wanted to change many of the city's one-way streets and make them two-way, which is currently under study in the city. He said the one-way streets are in favor of vehicles and make the streets more dangerous. 

Harp on the other hand said she wants to look into why there are one-way streets in New Haven. He mentioned that an issue with prostitution was solved on her street by converting it from a two-way to a one-way. She added that she wants to see more roundabouts in the city to help slow traffic down. 

Read a full recap of the debate in the New Haven Register, here. 

A public debate will take place tonight (October 22) at Gateway Community College at 7:30 p.m. between New Haven mayoral candidates Sen. Toni Harp and Alderman Justin Elicker, D-10. 

If you live in New Haven and want to know what each candidate stands for in regards to making the city bikeable and walkable, attend the debate in person, or it will be taped and rebroadcasted by the local government channel CT-N TV. 

Our friends at the Tri-State Transportation Campaign put together this good story on the air time Stamford's mayoral candidates gave to walking and biking issues in that city.

"Walking and biking received substantial floor time at the first debate between the candidates vying to become mayor of Stamford, Connecticut. The debate, held on October 10 at UConn Stamford’s Gen Re Auditorium, was sponsored by AARP Connecticut and included Republican Michael Fedele, Democrat David Martin, and unaffiliated candidates Kathleen Murphy and John Zito."  Read the full post by Steven Higashide.

If you live in Middletown and have questions for the candidates running for elected positions on November 5, you will have your chance to ask them on Monday, October 21. 

The Westfield Residents Association will hold a Meet the Candidates event at the Third Congregational Church Fellowship Hall, 94 Miner Street at 7:30 p.m.

If you want to find out which candidates have plans to make Middletown more bikeable and walkable, ask during this public event. 

Visit the Westfield Residents Association web site here to see the candidates that have confirmed for the event. 

Stamford's four mayoral candidates answered questions during a forum at the University of Connecticut's downtown Stamford Campus on October 9. 

According to an article in the Stamford Advocate, Republican candidate Michael Fedele said he pledged to improve transportation infrastructure in the city for commuters and residents. 

The candidates also discussed how they would make the city friendlier for bicyclists and pedestrians. John Zito, an unaffiliated petitioning candidate, said he would increase the manpower in the city's highways department. He mentioned there are a lot of potholes on streets and sidewalks that need to be done. He would propose the hiring of someone to be in charge of potholes and sidewalks. 

Democratic candidate David Martin she the city needs to address the timing of traffic lights. 

On the other hand, Independent Kathleen Murphy said she wouldn't focus her attention to bike lanes until she finished working on the city's budget as mayor. In the Stamford Advocate article she is quoted saying, "I think the city quite frankly is broke and what we need to do is get our financial house in order and really prioritize how we spend our money. Bike lanes probably aren't high up on my list."