Opinion
Jim Cameron Jim Cameron 8-2-16

With Worldwide Shortage of Pilots, Expect Cuts in Regular Flight Service: Cameron on Transportation

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International aviation is about to face a crisis: a shortage of pilots. Domestically, regional carriers, which represent 42 percent of all passengers, are already canceling flights and eliminating service to smaller cities. Qantas, the largest carrier in Australia, is pulling old 747s out of mothballs because it doesn’t have enough qualified pilots for its 737s, the most dominate — and much more fuel efficient — aircraft in its fleet. Europe’s biggest airline, Ryanair, canceled thousands of flights last November because of inadequate staffing. Japanese airlines are so desperate for pilots they are raising the mandatory retirement age to 67.

Darienites
Jim Cameron Jim Cameron 8-2-16

Jim Cameron Appointed to Merritt Parkway Conservancy Governing Board

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The Merritt Parkway Conservancy has named Jim Cameron of Darien as one of two new members of its governing board. The organization has also appointed a new executive director. Cameron, a Darien resident and longtime commuter advocate, authors a weekly column on transportation issues for Darienite and Hearst CT Media newspapers and websites. — an announcement from the Merritt Parkway Conservancy

“I’m grateful to First Selectman Jayme Stevenson for my nomination to the Merritt Parkway Conservancy’s Board,” Cameron said in an announcement on Saturday.  “Though my passion to date has been for rail commuters I’m anxious to contribute what I can to the MPC’s efforts to preserve this amazing parkway from encroaching development. “Connecticut was so prescient in this road’s design and we must do what we can to keep it as the beautiful roadway that it is,” he said.

Opinion
Jim Cameron Jim Cameron 8-2-16

10 Years After Panel’s Report on ConnDOT — Improvements, Missed Opportunities: Cameron on Transportation

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In the “land of steady habits,” we don’t fix problems — we study them, over and over again. It’s been 10 years since then-Gov. Jodi Rell’s “blue ribbon” Critelli Commission report studying the reform of the state Department of Transportation. You’ll remember that the study came after a construction scandal on I-84. And while much of the report addresses the dysfunction of ConnDOT, I was pleased that the Commission’s chairman, then-Pitney Bowes Chairman Michael Critelli, also picked up on some suggestions for improving rail service. Rail Service Recommendations
Among the key recommendations were:

—Expand parking at all rail stations, but leaving the towns to price and administer the issuance of permits.

News
Jim Cameron Jim Cameron 8-2-16

Jets With Faster, Longer Flights Seem the Way of the Future: Cameron on Transportation

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I hate to fly, but I have to, sometimes. Sure, I can tolerate a trans-con to California in business or first class. My wife and I once flew to Japan on a surprisingly tolerable 10-hour flight that just felt like a really long day. But now the big international carriers have newer jets capable of much longer distances non-stop, and the race is on for the bragging rights of “the world’s longest flight.”

In the early days of jet aircraft, an El Al 707 traveling 5,677 miles non-stop from JFK to Tel Aviv in nine and a half hours was quite a feat. But in the mid-1970s when Boeing introduced the 747-SP, a stubby version of the famous jumbo, Pan Am was making it all the way from JFK to Tokyo (6,772 miles) non-stop.

Opinion
Jim Cameron Jim Cameron 8-2-16

Instead of Working on the Transportation Mess, CT Politicians Demagogue About It: Cameron on Transportation

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I used to believe in Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy and politicians.  I actually thought the first two brought me gifts and the latter cared about me and my community.   Well, those days are gone. We are now neck-deep in the primary round of campaigning for our state’s top officials and I hope you’ve been paying attention.  The promises and the B.S. are piling up pretty fast, especially when it comes to the issue of transportation. A few candidates have been brave enough to endorse the idea of tolls while others just mouth vague platitudes like “we should have free-flowing traffic on I-95…”.   No explanations of how or who’d pay for it, just the pandering promises.  Why not a chicken in every pot, too? For the past few years I have had a standing offer to meet with anyone running for public office to talk about transportation.  Republican, Democrat, independent … I don’t care.  If you want to build an informed platform on this issue, I’ll give you the history and perspective and you take it from there. I’ll explain Metro-North’s complicated relationship with the Connecticut Department of Transportation.  I’ll give you the facts about the pilfering of money from the Special Transportation Fund by both Republicans and Democrats.  I know all this stuff, having immersed myself in it for over 20 years.  And I know there are no easy answers.

Opinion
Jim Cameron Jim Cameron 8-2-16

Helping Disabled Riders Navigate Public Transit: Cameron on Transportation

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Imagine being afraid to ride the bus, or being unable to read a timetable. Can you think of what your life would be like without access to a car or mass transit? There are hundreds of our neighbors who live in isolation because they are physically, emotionally or mentally unable to ride the bus or train. Some have physical handicaps while others are autistic or have learning disabilities. Shouldn’t they be able to travel like the rest of us?

Opinion
Jim Cameron Jim Cameron 8-2-16

Hot Weather Can Stifle Airplane Takeoffs: Cameron on Transportation

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Is it hot enough for ya? Even if you don’t believe it’s caused by humans, there is no doubt our planet is heating up. And as global warming increases, so will our travel problems.

Meteorologists agree that thunderstorms, tornados and hurricanes are all getting stronger and causing greater damage. Hardly a summer passes without extensive flight delays caused by storm-fronts, let alone hurricanes like Harvey and Maria. A stronger jet-stream also means slower going when flying west and bumpier flights at many altitudes.

Opinion
Jim Cameron Jim Cameron 8-2-16

‘Hello Everyone. My Name is Jim Cameron, and I Am a … Rail Fan.’ — Cameron on Transportation

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True confession (as if you didn’t know): I am a rail fan. But don’t call me a “foamer!” People who love trains come in all shapes and sizes, but “foamer” is a term they universally hate. “Foamers” is how railroad employees refer to rail fans because they think we “foam” at the mouth anytime we see a train. To them, railroading is just a job. To us, it’s a passion.

Opinion
Jim Cameron Jim Cameron 8-2-16

Air Marshal Service, Created to Prevent Trouble, Is Itself Troubled: Cameron on Transportation

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Do you feel safe when you fly? Forget about exploding jet engines, cracked aircraft windows and clear-air turbulence. What about terrorists? We haven’t seen a domestic case of terrorists attacking jetliners in years, thanks to increased scrutiny of passengers by the Transportation Security Administration. From the moment you book a flight, you are being screened.

Opinion
Jim Cameron Jim Cameron 8-2-16

Other Than DC-to-Boston, Long-Distance Train Travel’s Days Are Numbered: Cameron on Transportation

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We are all familiar with Amtrak’s local operations in the Northeast: The sleek Acela zooming along to Boston at up to 145 mph and the slower, traditional trains making local stops along the Connecticut coast. But Amtrak is a national railroad and some of its long-distance trains face delays of several hours — not minutes. The problem is Amtrak owns and operates the trains, but not the tracks. From Washington to Boston, the Northeast Corridor is owned, maintained, dispatched and operated by Amtrak. The one small exception is here in Connecticut, from Greenwich to New Haven, where the track is owned by the state, but run under contract by Metro-North.

Opinion
Jim Cameron Jim Cameron 8-2-16

Train Ticket Scofflaws Avoid Eye Contact With Conductors and Are Seldom Challenged: Cameron on Transportation

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In mass transit, there is no such thing as a free ride. But there are various ways of making sure everyone pays their fair share. For example, Connecticut’s innovative bus rapid-transit system CTfastrak, which runs between New Britain, Hartford and Storrs, requires passengers to pay before they board. Riders can purchase tickets — $1.75 for two hours of use — at the bus stations or online. This reduces the bus “dwell time” at each stop as passengers can board through any door.

Opinion
Pneumatic subway NYC https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Beach_Pneumatic_Transit_01.jpg

The Rise and Demise of New York City’s First Subway: Cameron on Transportation

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A secret project, defying the government, helped build America’s first subway. It only ran for three years but carried hundreds of thousands of passengers, even though it only spanned 312 feet. And it was powered by air. In the 1860s, New York City was in a transportation crisis. The streets were jammed with horse-pulled trolleys and wagons, as many as 1,000 an hour passing a single point on lower Broadway.

Darien Library
Jim Cameron Jim Cameron 8-2-16

Jim Cameron TONIGHT: Talks and Answers Questions on ‘Tolls, Taxes and Transportation’ at Library

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Longtime commuter advocate and news commentator Jim Cameron of Darien offers a lively presentation and Q&A on Connecticut’s transportation crisis on Wednesday night, May 2. He’ll be speaking and answering questions from  7 to 8 p.m. that Wednesday in the Community Room at Darien Library. Topics include:

Fare hikes on our trains and buses
Cuts in train service on the New Canaan, Danbury, Waterbury and Shore Line East lines
A freeze on $4.3 billion in transportation projects

“How did this happen? Who will be affected? What can be done to stop these draconian cuts?”