Darienite (https://darienite.com/category/opinion)
Connecticut’s Senate Democrats are gutless weasels. There, I said it. They have put a stake through the heart of Gov. Ned Lamont’s CT2030 transportation plan, not because they didn’t understand its reasoned approach and necessity, but because they cannot support its funding through tolls. They are more interested in their re-elections than their constituents’ future. (more…) Continue Reading →
Diana Jackson just walked 2,192 miles. The 23-year-old Darien resident is among 3,300 people each year who try to walk the entire length of the Appalachian Trail, from Georgia to Maine. But she’s one of the 25 percent of them who complete the task. (more…) Continue Reading →
As we review the details of Gov. Ned Lamont’s CT 2030 transportation plan, I have a strange sense of déjà vu. Haven’t we been through all this before? (more…) Continue Reading →
What do Ayn Rand, Hollywood and Adolph Hitler have in common? They all dreamed of building super-trains. Maybe it was because their visions for giant, high-speed trains came before the era of cheap flights moving large numbers of people over great distances, but each of them had a grandiose vision of fast, luxurious rail travel. (more…) Continue Reading →
You should never drink coffee or tea prepared on an airplane: You may get very sick. (more…) Continue Reading →
Just when I thought Gov. Ned Lamont was getting it together to launch a thoughtful, considered “take two” on his transportation vision, bam — along comes another nonsensical idea. (more…) Continue Reading →
I love reading timetables. Not the new ones on smartphone apps, but the old printed ones. Reading about a train or plane’s journey on paper is almost like taking the ride itself. (more…) Continue Reading →
Have you ever flown in a helicopter? They seem such a glamorous (if expensive) way to travel, bypassing the traffic en route to the airport or sightseeing over rugged terrain. (more…) Continue Reading →
I’m a big fan of high-speed trains, which means I often ride Amtrak’s Acela to Boston or Washington. It’s the best train in North America, though it pales in comparison to true HSR (high-speed rail) in Europe or Asia. (more…) Continue Reading →
It shouldn’t come as much surprise to learn that commuting, especially by car, is hazardous to your health. (more…) Continue Reading →
Imagine having an unlimited-rides pass on all public transit in Connecticut, including Metro-North. Then imagine this pass only costs $20 a year. Such is the reality of U-Pass, the transit pass given to almost 15,000 community college and state university students in Connecticut. Not only does U-Pass give them affordable access to mass transit, in some cases the pass is a life changer. (more…) Continue Reading →
How’s your commute going? Traffic getting worse? Trains still running late? As we all get back to work after the summer, commuters’ frustration level is rising as it seems nothing is being done to fix transportation. (more…) Continue Reading →
I’ll admit it. I hate to fly. It’s not just the airports, the TSA, the mobs of people and the delays. It’s the seats, the crowding and the feel of being on a cattle car. I’m not claustrophobic, just uncomfortable. Continue Reading →
How does this sound: Fly coast-to-coast in just 48 hours for only $5,200? That was the pitch for the first commercial, transcon air service in 1929 operated by TAT, Transcontinental Air Transport, much later to become TWA. (more…) Continue Reading →
It was the railroad trip from hell: the hottest day of the year, stuck for five hours on a sold-out Amtrak train where only half the cars had air conditioning. (more…) Continue Reading →