RIDESHARING SERVICES
Publicly subsidized ridesharing services are provided by Metropool, Inc. for a service area combining southwestern Connecticut (including the Housatonic Valley Planning Region) and nearby counties in New York State. This organization offers employers a wealth of information and services which helps their employees find the best and most economical way to work.

Metropool services include car, van and shuttle formation, ride matching services, on site technical assistance, guaranteed ride home programs, how-to guides and other related aids. Metropool, Inc. can be contacted at One Landmark Square, Stamford, CT, 06901, at 1-800-FIND RIDE, and via the web link above.

COMMUTER PARKING LOTS
For those area residents seeking to reduce the expense of daily commuting, the alternative of carpooling from a commuter lot is attractive. These lots also serve as pick-up points for commuter van and bus services, many organized by Metropool.

Since 1973 the Connecticut DOT has been establishing state maintained parking lots adjacent to the more important roadways throughout the State. Currently nine of Connecticut's commuter parking facilities are located in two of the communities of the Housatonic Valley Region as follows:

1. DANBURY: 160 SPACES ON RT 6 NEAR I-84 EXIT 1
2. DANBURY: 112 SPACES ON RT 6 NEAR I-84 EXIT 2
3. DANBURY: 50 SPACES ON SEGAR ST. NEAR I-84 EXIT 7
4. DANBURY: 171 SPACES ON MIRY BROOK RD. AT RT 7
5. DANBURY: 115 SPACES ON RT 805-FEDERAL ROAD
6. DANBURY: 75 SPACES ON RT 840-WHITE TURKEY ROAD
7. NEW MILFORD: 87 SPACES ON PICKETT DISTRICT ROAD
7. NEWTOWN: 53 SPACES ON RT 25 NEAR I-84 EXIT 9
8. NEWTOWN: 78 SPACES ON MILE HILL RD. AT I-84 EXIT 11

In 2000 the Housatonic Area Regional Transit District completed a detailed assessment of conditions and needs at each commuter parking lot. This report is available at HVCEO.

Conn DOT's commuter carpool lot development program in the Housatonic Valley Region has been a success. Adding additional spaces to the regional inventory is now the goal. There are clear constraints to further progress, however, as lot development is tied to the presence of state owned land in suitable locations. Further suitable state properties appear to be limited.

Conn DOT leasing of properties could then become the primary method by which the amount of commuter parking spaces is further expanded. This process will be more costly per space developed than for those developed on state properties to date. But the commuter lot development process at Conn DOT is now largely inactive.

INTELLIGENT TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS (ITS)
During the last decade much has been done to promote the efficiency of transportation systems through modern electronic tools. This area of technological innovation is known as Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS).

Traffic accident surveillance systems, live traffic cams for public and management use, highway advisory radio, clearinghouses for traveler information, and signal system interconnections are all major strategies to wring more capacity out of existing facilities.

To enhance the public's ability to read and use intelligent transportation systems, all federally funded initiatives must conform to the National ITS Architecture Consistency Policy for transit projects. Conformance with the National ITS Architecture is interpreted to mean the use of the National ITS Architecture to develop a regional ITS architecture, and the subsequent adherence of all ITS projects to that regional ITS architecture.

Also, a region is defined as the geographical area that identifies the boundaries of the regional ITS architecture and is defined by and based on the needs of the participating agencies and other stakeholders. It is also a requirement that any ITS project funded, in whole or in part with highway trust funds must conform to the established regional ITS architecture.

Since any ITS project proposed for the Housatonic Valley Region would likely be undertaken on State facilities, (Interstate 84, Metro-North Rail Stations, State Roads), HVCEO and the Conn DOT will be broadly defining the “region” as the State of Connecticut's borders. Therefore, the Statewide ITS Architecture would encompass the stakeholders and participating agencies necessary to fulfill this requirement. HVCEO is committed to assisting the Connecticut Department of Transportation in the appropriate development of this statewide ITS architecture.

In Connecticut, ITS strategies for the largest urban areas and for the Interstate 95 and Interstate 91 corridors have been priorities. Initiation by Conn DOT of activities for the I-84 corridor and mid-sized regions such as the Housatonic Valley should follow.

Concerning state ITS activities in this planning region, Conn DOT proposed in 1999 that the portion of I-84 in Danbury receive an ITS planning process to formulate electronic signs for emergency traffic diversion, etc. HVCEO will participate in I-84 incident management planning when Conn DOT wishes to initiate such a planning process for the I-84 corridor. The preliminary project number is 0034-H044; “The design and construction of an incident management system on I-84 in the Danbury Area."

The project will include a fiber optic communication system, video surveillance, traffic flow monitors, and links to the Conn DOT Highway Operations Center in Newington. This project is needed to provide an effective means of reducing congestion due to accidents and other incidents.

The leading intelligent transportation system is the region is that maintained by the City of Danbury. Live traffic can be monitored on its citywide video cam system.

As for HVCEO initiated activities, improved signal coordination throughout the Region has been pursued via a regional signal system coordination study.

For future ITS, one possibility of electronic information signs at the Downtown Danbury HART Pulse Point, if city sign regulations can be met. Also, bus signal preemption in certain corridors may be a regional strategy.

The draft Danbury Transportation Plan of 12/2004 offers the following perspective on ITS: “The main focus of intelligent transportation systems (ITS) is to optimize the current transportation system through the use of advanced technologies and new institutional arrangements.”

GOODS MOVEMENT BY TRUCK AND RAIL
It is generally known that the freight transportation industry in the United States has undergone dramatic changes in the last twenty years. Developments in “containerization”, shifts in the manufacturing industry to “just-in-time” delivery; the deregulation of rail, trucking and aviation industries, and the development of new trading patterns in a global economy have led to consolidation and restructuring of freight transportation modes.

The development of expressways such as I-84 and I-95, the trend toward larger and heavier trucks, more time-sensitive shipping requirements, increasing competition, and railroad branch line reductions have contributed to the trucking industry attracting a large market share of goods movements. But, while the number of truck trips is increasing, the average length of such trips is decreasing.

On the national scene many shippers are using more cost-effective rail, air or water transport for the long-haul portion of freight delivery, with trucking firms supplying the pick up and delivery portion of trips rather than supplying end-to-end service. Thus truck/intermodal traffic has increased dramatically in recent years and should continue to increase.

But according to Conn DOT, in Connecticut, because of its small geographic area and its close proximity to some of the nation’s largest ports, intermodal rail facilities and airports, can expect to continue to see primarily the truck portions of intermodal freight trips.

According to Conn DOT, most rail shipments entering Connecticut fall within a limited range of bulk commodities such as crushed stone, lumber, rolled paper, steel, chemicals, and waste products. The manufacturing and distribution companies who currently receive these goods by rail accept significantly longer shipment times than would be required for truck shipment of their low-value, non-time-sensitive raw materials and products. Shipments from the west are generally routed via Selkirk, NY, then pass through either Conrail’s Oak Point Yard in New York City, or its West Springfield, Massachusetts Yard, before reaching much of the state’s rail network.

In recent years, annual rail shipments originating or terminating within the state have amounted to 50,000 carloads carrying about three to four million tons.

TRAVEL BY BICYCLE
A detailed report on bicycle planning criteria and recommendations was adopted by HVCEO in October of 1996. This has been used successfully to insure sufficient shoulder width for bicycles in a roadway widening project and as an input to municipal plan of conservation and development updates. Copies of this report are available to the public by contacting HVCEO.

The Connecticut DOT published a 2002 statewide bike route map. The excerpts for our area will be of interest. In addition the Connecticut DOT web site maintains a pedestrian and bicycle page.

AIR SERVICE
Danbury Municipal Airport
Danbury Airport has no regular public air passenger service, except to Cape Cod and related tourist destinations in the summer.

The following text is taken from the 2002 Danbury Plan of Conservation and Development, which notes that “Danbury Municipal Airport is the base for corporate air fleets, a flight school, and a number of aviation services, and consists of two intersecting runways and the control tower.

The airport is used exclusively for private flights and is protected from land use intrusions by the Airport Protection Zone in the Zoning Regulations. This zone is intended to reduce hazards in the approach and transition zones by controlling building area and height.”

Danbury, CT Airport

Continuing, “The 1995 Danbury Airport Master Plan offers three land use and zoning recommendations to further the protective envelope: (1) the City should acquire land or casements along the residentially zoned portion of Miry Brook Road to control the height of vegetation; (2) permitted land uses around the airport should be restricted to avoid new land use conflicts; and, (3) the Airport Protection Zone regulations should be updated to conform to current airspace standards. The airport has no plans to expand its current boundaries.

The airport's greatest negative impact on the community is the noise associated primarily with the flight school. This is especially severe during summer weekends and has its greatest impact on the Wooster Heights neighborhood. To minimize this negative impact, many airports around the region institute noise abatement policies that impose curfews during those hours when noise is most likely to disturb residential neighborhoods, policies that could be considered by the Airport Authority.”

Candlelight Farms Airport
As for the small Candlelight Farms Airport in western New Milford, it has two turf runways and no control tower. The largest runway is 2,00 feet, aircraft parking is via tiedowns, and there are about 33 aircraft based at this field.

Stewart International Airport
The international airport options for Greater Danbury can be viewed by size. Kennedy Airport has 42 million passengers annually, La Guardia 23 million, Bradley 6.7 million and Stewart 300,000. Early in 2007 the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which owns Kennedy and La Guardia, purchased Stewart Airport. The Port Authority's goal is to shift some air traffic north. As Stewart in Newburgh, NY is about 40 miles west of Danbury, this strategy serves our interests. A direct exit to Stewart Airport from I-84 is also planned.

CT Airport Systems Plan
The Connecticut Statewide Airport System Plan has been updated by Conn DOT to 2006. It is an additional source of information on this subject.

Transportation Plan Sections 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6- 7- 8