RETHINK BEACH ACCESS

Look, we all know that certain towns that think too highly of themselves jack up parking lot fees at beaches, but fixating on this issue feels like something one does when they (a) have the finances to own a vehicle, (b) have the ability to drive, and/or (c) do not think much about the environmental implications of private transportation.

You know what’s hot? Figuring out how to expand access to blue and green spaces for residents regardless of their age, ability, income level, or access to a private vehicle.

There’s already some connection to natural spaces via public transit, though there’s a lot of room for improvement. Start here for some ideas about where you can go by bus or train in Connecticut. Opt out of those parking fees by taking trains and buses. Then, ask everyone who has the potential to affect change to make it easier (or possible at all, in some cases) to reach at least 50% of state parks and 100% of state beaches via bus or train.

RETHINK ROAD DIETS

Diets are problematic. They tend to offer false hope, maybe showing a quick and minor — and temporary — improvement. On their own, if not outright unhealthy, they don’t achieve much.

It’s time we admitted the same about the so-called “road diets” that follow the design norm of removing one lane so that instead of a four-lane road, there is one travel lane in each direction with a center, two-way left turn lane. Unless engineers move the curb or add barrier-protected bike lanes, or insert structures like large flower pots, drivers are still looking at the same surface area of asphalt.

It’s like when people put those red noses and antlers on their cars: you can’t fool me, I know it’s still a car. If you don’t change the curb, you can’t fool me, it’s still a too-wide road.

These aren’t road diets — they’re crash diets. They promise a lot but deliver little, especially when you look at how the road is used during off-peak hours, when that expanse of asphalt more easily enables people to travel at reckless speeds.

Surrounding towns can learn from where Hartford has gone wrong with this. One example: Franklin Avenue. A two-vehicle, head-on crash here at 2 AM on December 30, 2023 sent five people to the hospital in critical condition. This happened on the block of Franklin Avenue between Pawtucket and Shultas.

While news sources listed this as happening at 107 Franklin Avenue, the presence of debris and sand at the intersection with Shultas and at other locations on that block show the crash impact spread for more than one precise location. At 107 Franklin Avenue, the road fits that “road diet” configuration: two travel lanes, one shared left turn lane, street parking on both sides. At the intersection, vehicles still have a road that’s five lanes wide. It’s straight, it’s wide, and it’s no mystery what caused the crash, even if officials have to wait before saying that speed was involved.

Minutes after I took these photos, at the end of Franklin Avenue where it merges with Maple Avenue, I watched while two drivers raced down the road, late on a Sunday morning, less than 36 hours after the recent serious collision. They did this where there are paint-only bike lanes, with nothing to even scratch their paint if they drifted into the bike lane.

This would be totally demoralizing if it were the only thing that Hartford has done in the name of street safety.

I bring that up because next door, West Hartford just got handed a pile of poo wrapped in a pretty bow. The draft of their Vision Zero “action” plan [air quotes, mine] includes running a distracted driving awareness campaign with bumper stickers. I’m embarrassed for them. I’m also not surprised, since there are those who feel that any money should be spent on awareness campaigns that ask for individuals to change their behavior, even though archives show that these kinds of antics have been in place for quite awhile, but without hard evidence that they, in fact, increase safety.

Instead of empty promises, let’s move toward requiring our government take multiple approaches to street safety, but only spending time and money on those that honestly do anything.

While the “road diet” design is a dud as is, Hartford should be applauded for one thing: not sitting around in endless meetings, twiddling thumbs, trying to decide on a way forward that’ll still keep electeds popular.

On Wethersfield Avenue, which runs parallel to Franklin Avenue, safety dramatically improved with the installation of giant planters and many flex posts next to the bike lanes. Unfortunately, it took the distribution of a gruesome video showing a cyclist getting killed there to light the fire under someone’s ass, but the progress there is undeniable. It’s not a mere feeling. This is reflected in the data.

In the last year we’ve seen the addition of a contra-flow bike lane on Affleck Street along with other traffic calming features there, the transition from temporary to permanent diverters on Russ Street, bike lanes on Main Street, bike lanes galore, flex posts on Main Street, and more.

Let’s hope this pragmatic spirit continues with the new mayoral administration.

(But also, what would it take to put in a sidewalks on the cemetery side of Affleck Street? Even a narrow single-file path would be an improvement.)

RETHINK PUBLIC ART

Here’s a secret: I get a lot of private emails and messages from people who are tired of the surge in murals. Some of them are grumpy about everything, and they know who they are, but I can’t say they don’t have a point.

What began as a neat way to spruce up shabby or dull walls and buildings has become something that leaves a bad taste. There’s a local contest where people vote on living local “heroes” to be painted — something that I’ve really questioned in an age when at least some of us have learned that we have to stop putting folks up on pedestals — or in this case, on the sides of buildings. Seeing a local politician — one who is still serving — repeatedly have her name in the mix as a contestant is like a dozen red flags. Even if this individual was excellent at her job and totally beloved, there’s something gross about creating what would essentially be a year-round political ad, an endorsement. There are ways to honor those who are living and do good work: award ceremonies, profile pieces, employment with a living wage. Context for this kind of thing matters, and we ought to be more thoughtful about when someone’s face painted on a wall makes sense and when it’s a bit much.

Then, there’s this other sour piece of the murals, in which some believe that every time a person snaps a pic of the city skyline, they deserve to get credit because their paint appears in it somewhere. Total colonizer vibes. I wrote a whole piece about this because I was tired of it, tired of artists demanding credit for slapping paint on a building when they themselves don’t shout out the building architect, those who manufactured the bricks, those who risked their lives manually building what would become their canvas. Even if they can’t name all the names, they could give credit for who made a surface for their work even possible.

Some of the critical emails and messages I’ve received have questioned the artistic skill or statements; I’m less interested in that discussion.

The Muralists can chat amongst themselves, but in 2024 I resolve to elevate more street art, especially those that go unsigned because the artist neither wants nor needs the attention. I posted about a few of my favorites from 2023; expect more.

Here’s a piece of unsigned art that I recently saw while out and about in Hartford:

RETHINK FIREWORKS

Because of the poor air quality we had last spring and summer, I downloaded the EPA’s AirNow app — mostly to decide if I should wear a mask or take the bus on certain days. If you recall, we were in a urine-colored haze and moods were just as impacted as if we had back-to-back rainy days. We were beginning to get some reprieve in early July, but then people who don’t understand air pollution lit off a fuck ton of explosives, and I watched the air quality for Hartford shoot from “meh” to “get inside, close your windows, and run a filter if you’ve got one” within hours.

Besides aggravating neighbors’ ability to breathe right, the noise presents health risks of its own.  It’s bad for animals. It’s a fire risk.

While it may be more challenging to curtail the numerous illegal firework displays in the neighborhoods, we could begin by stop hosting the legal ones. After all, what’s even the point if we’ve been subjected to the noise and litter of these light shows already? As I write this, I’ve been hearing neighborhood fireworks sporadically over the last couple weeks. Before Independence Day, the illegal displays begin months in advance and last for a solid month after.

The sanctioned displays, besides offering the same risks as the illegal ones, are an unnecessary inconvenience. The part of Bushnell Park that allows safer access between Downtown and Frog Hollow for pedestrians — there’s a path that does not requires us to walk/bike across highway ramps — is closed for the occasions, hours in advance. This is an issue for those trying to reach Union Station while on a schedule.

Walking by Bushnell Park, at least six hours before the early First Night fireworks show, I saw a fire truck blocking most of the sidewalk that was technically still open to pedestrians. They had a fire hose unrolled and ready for use. Is this how we want our resources used? Would it be better to keep this truck available for managing fires that didn’t start because we were voluntarily blowing up shit in the middle of Bushnell Park?

Times have changed. We need to change with them. There are better ways to celebrate holidays. We can do community-wide tree planting. We can move away from gunpowder and toward tools that help nurture us. Have a large scale cooking or baking event. Do marathon comedy shows in which the audience gets to participate. Hold community conversations about how we resolve to be, as a city of neighbors, in the next year.

Hell, even the people who still think more murals are a good idea could design something together — there’s still space on Constitution Plaza and Bushnell Plaza. Paint fumes don’t carry as far as fireworks, at least.

Consider the power of quieter reflection in an environment where noisy displays are the norm, not the exception.

RETHINK FINE DINING

We seriously have a lot of of good and varied options in Hartford, and that includes vegan and vegetarian restaurants. That’s not to say Hartford’s suburbs have nothing to offer, but that we should think about how certain areas are given perhaps too much credit for what’s there.

Climate Possibilities is a series about climate mitigation, along with resilience, resistance, and restoration. It’s about human habitat preservation. It’s about loving nature and planet Earth, and demanding the kind of change that gives future generations the opportunity for vibrant lives. Doomers will be eaten alive, figuratively. All photographs are taken in Hartford, Connecticut unless stated otherwise.