Just 1% Please

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Interested in making a formal comment to Planning & Zoning Commission? Email Lynda Crepo at CRESL001@hartford.gov and voice your support for a bike parking requirement 1%, 2% whatever you like. Make sure to include your full name and your address.
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Want to bike from home or work to the new baseball stadium being built just north of Downtown Hartford?  Sorry.  There won't be adequate bike parking.  You can find a light post or some railing.  There was much debate at the Planning and Zoning Commission over requiring a measly 1% of the stadium parking to be bicycle parking, and it looks like they are going to make even that "optional" for the developer. You know what optional means, right?

Unless they hear from Hartford residents that bike parking is key to this development and the future of Hartford, don't expect convenient bike parking at the stadium.  Leaving out bike parking at a fair weather outdoor event venue would be the height of stupidity. Bike and pedestrian improvements were a cornerstone of the Downtown North plan and are important for a city that is trying to double its number of downtown residents. With all the UCONN Hartford campus students coming downtown, they'll be wondering where all the bike parking is.

Important meeting tomorrow night:

• What: Hartford's Planning and Zoning Commission
• When: Tuesday, December 9th @ 5:00 p.m.
• Where: 260 Constitution Plaza, Plaza Level Conference Room

Bike and pedestrian infrastructure brings economic benefit and it is more sustainable and healthy for our residents.  Bike commuters shop and dine locally.  Downtown Hartford is doubling its apartment and condo units in the next couple of years.  We want those units to fill up and demand to be strong for more downtown residents that are excited about biking and walking to nearby urban cultural and sporting events.

Don't forget the social and economic justice issues of designing only for car travel.  This stadium is built for the community, but only if you're ready to pony up for the cost of parking on top of the ticket price.  That could put a family ball game outing beyond the reach for someone living paycheck to paycheck.  And how about the minimum wage earning part time employees at the ball park working the games and the concession stands?  You don't expect them to make enough to own and maintain a personal car on that income.

You can fit a lot of bikes into the footprint of two car parking spots

REMINDER - Don't forget about IceBike to Work on Thursday, December 18th in East Hartford.

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It is Time to get Organized

*** Meet at 6pm on Monday, April 7th at Fire and Spice.  Hartford specific bike, walk, bus advocacy group is forming.  ***

What is with all the surface parking lots?  Why are there very few neighborhood to neighborhood bus route connections?  How come bus route frequency falls off a cliff after 6PM?  What can we do about it?

"Hartford Has It!"  Hartford has a lot of bus transit, walking, and cycling for transportation.  A significant portion of the mode share is not single occupancy motor vehicles, particularly for those living downtown and in the surrounding neighborhoods.  The question is, "Why isn't there more attention paid to and money spent on those options?"  Some might say that the issue is income, race, and class discrimination.  While I'm sure that is part of the problem, I'd say that another contributing factor is that there isn't an organized group of citizens and community leaders advocating for transportation alternatives.

A chicken or egg conundrum, it seems.

Well, rather than simply talk in circles and debate, Justin Eichenlaub has decided to organize some citizens in Hartford.  In ten years or so, we can look back on this and decide whether the organizing was useful.  I'm going to put my money on organized citizens, as talking in circles is so fucking tiresome.  The next informal meeting of this fledgling group of active transportation advocates is on Monday, April 7th or 14th at Fire and Spice, because people are hungry after work.  He's taking votes right now on which night works best for those interested.  To make things easy, I'll post the date of the actual meeting in the comments once it is announced.

Single occupancy vehicle travel.  Going the way of the dinosaur.

While we're talking about transit.  Ken and I visited New Britain this past weekend via the mostly paved CT Fastrak route.  Aside from Ken's two pinch flats en route (railroad rocks), it was a very rapid transit on bikes.  Unfortunately once the bus route opens the only sanctioned bike path will run from Newington Junction to New Britain.  In the meantime, I unofficially encourage you to check it out.  Fastrak commuters will get a solid dose of industrial back waters, dynamic graffiti walls, and natural areas - without having to ride their bicycle on train tracks.  Not much better if you ask me.

Beat Bike Bloggers sampling the future of Bus Rapid Transit

Check out these sexy stations.  There is a place to stand, sort of out of the elements.

And industrial wastelands.  My favorite thing.

Reminder.  Dinner and Bikes.  Saturday, June 7th.  Vegan food.  Bicycle movie shorts.  Bikenomics.  Get your tickets ahead of time and put it on your calendar now.

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