I don’t say this lightly as 90% of my travels around Stamford and Connecticut are done by walking, bus or train.
I can be anywhere in Stamford by walking and using the bus in thirty to fifty minutes from my house which is located close to the AITE School off High Ridge Road
I often go to Westport, CT. Using the walking, bus, train combination it will take me one hour to get to the Westport train station. Then I have the walking time to get to my destination. The journey to Westport and back will usually take three to four hours.
I have the time to walk and take mass transit. How many people in Connecticut have that much time to use mass transit?
The other issue is that the majority of towns in Connecticut are not served by train services.
If I want to go to Moosup, CT the only way is to drive. I have been to Moosup and it is located in the eastern part of Connecticut almost in Rhode Island truly the middle of nowhere.
I have a friend in Bedford Hills, NY. I could take the bus downtown, take the White Plains bus to the White Plains Train Station and then take the train to Bedford Hills. Or I can drive and be there in less than 30 minutes.
The reality is that you need a car to travel around Connecticut. We are lucky that a significant part of our workforce can take mass transit. Not everyone is able to take the train.
We certainly need to improve mass transit. We also need to improve the road system. I would like to see the state expand the Danbury Train line and speed it up. At this point it takes over an hour to go from Danbury to Stamford on a direct train. I would rather see money go to that line than spend it on a high-speed train to Boston. I would also like to fix the two on-ramps that force you to stop at the Long Ridge Entrance to the Merritt Parkway. With the amount of traffic, it is dangerous for car drivers to have to stop.
One last thought. I had to take a person to JFK airport on a Friday afternoon. I told them I would go by train as I didn’t want to spend four hours in traffic. I had to drive, that was a day of heavy rain and Metro North was flooded out the only option was driving.
We still need cars.
Stamford By Foot 