Every week I bump into
someone on the train or at a store who says… “Hey… You’re that train guy!” Who knew that this job would come with such
notoriety?
How did I come to this
“commuter advocacy” job? First, from a
passion for trains but more importantly from a belief that even one person can
provoke change. Your voice matters,
especially when you direct it to your State Rep and State Senators in an
election year.
Everybody’s affected by our
transportation problems and everybody has a question.
Here are a few of my
favorites, by category:
ON
OUR ROADS:
Why can’t they get disabled
cars and trucks off the road quicker, avoiding back-ups?
Why don’t the raise the
speed limit on the interstates to reflect the real speeds that people drive?
Why are the overhead lights
on our interstates and parkways always burned out instead of illuminating the
road for better nighttime safety?
Why can’t they keep truck
inspection / weigh stations open 24 x 7?
Why are gasoline prices on
the interstates’ service areas always higher than on local roads?
Why do we have “zone
pricing” for gasoline in Connecticut instead of letting competition determine
the lowest price?
IN
OUR SKIES:
Why are airlines allowed to
squeeze more people on planes, in tighter seats with no knee room? Is that really safe?
Why do the airlines always
lie to us about delays?
Why can’t families with
screaming kids be seated in their own section, away from me?
Why does the car service to
the airport cost more than my flight?
ON
METRO-NORTH:
Why can’t they collect all
the tickets on the trains?
Why do the train conductors
hide in their compartments?
Why doesn’t somebody enforce
the Quiet Car rules?
Why has CDOT waited so long
to bring back the bar cars?
Why do I have to stand all
the way to New York at rush hour because CDOT waited so long to order new cars,
meaning there aren’t enough seats?
Why don’t they have carts
selling coffee and donuts in the morning, run by Dunkin Donuts or Starbucks?
Why isn’t there a choice of
first or business class seating on Metro-North?
Why don’t we have Wi-Fi? Amtrak does!
Why can’t we get a rebate on
our ticket price when trains are late or service is cancelled?
Why are fares on Metro-North
the highest commuter rail fares in the US?
Why is there an eight year
waiting list for parking permits at my train station? Why don’t they just build more parking?
Why do they charge a fee to
get a refund on unused train tickets?
And why do tickets even expire?
Why isn’t there a map at
each station showing how to get to local businesses and landmarks without
taking a cab?
Why can’t lawmakers in
Hartford be required to commute on Metro-North at rush hour before they vote on
the CDOT budget or fare increases?
Why has CDOT taken more than
three years to negotiate a contract to rebuild the Stamford parking garage, let
alone start construction?
Why are station waiting
rooms kept locked on nights and weekends in the winter?
Over the years I’ve found
that even these simple questions all have complex answers. If the issues were so easily addressed,
they’d have been solved long ago.
But what are your pet
peeves? What are the questions that you
have about “getting there”? Send them
along and let’s see if we can’t help find the answers:
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