Last week, our transportation system experienced an existential shock. A gasoline tanker crashed on I-95, bursting into flames and setting off a chain reaction. The massive fire burnt the Fairfield Ave bridge to a crisp, closing the freeway and backing up traffic in both directions for miles. This drove traffic from I-95 – the main artery of the Eastern Seaboard – onto local Norwalk streets, bringing local traffic to a standstill in the urban core of Norwalk. This gridlock upended plans for many Norwalkers – schools were canceled, community events were postponed, and those who were able were asked to work from home. Those who weren’t able to change their plans ended up stuck in traffic. In sum: one wrong move by a driver brought our entire local transportation system to a grinding halt – a sad but stark lesson in how fragile that system really is.
There was, however, a silver lining. People who could get around on foot, on a bike, or on the train were virtually unaffected. I ventured out on my bike Thursday morning and saw the gridlock firsthand. Several people saw me and remarked that a bicycle was the best possible thing to have that day – and it was true! Because I’m comfortable riding in the street, I was able to get around faster than anyone else – even faster than the police or fire departments. But the reality was – and is – that our city’s streets are not designed for most Norwalkers to get around on a bike or on foot safely and comfortably. As a result, during the gridlock, most of us chose to either sit in traffic or sit at home.
This fragility of our system brings to mind another term that has been thrown around a lot recently: resilience. Last year, the city created an ad-hoc Sustainability and Resilience committee, and just two months ago, the Mayor released a draft of the City’s first Sustainability and Resilience Plan. Most of the conversation around resilience has centered on flood resilience. But have we reckoned with the fragility of our transportation system in the wake of a major flood? When Hurricane Sandy hit, around 250,000 cars were destroyed by seawater, leaving hundreds of thousands of people without their main form of transportation. How will we respond when the next Hurricane Sandy hits and all the cars in the low-lying parts of Norwalk are flooded out? Our transportation system needs to be more resilient if we want to be prepared for future crises – and that resilience can only come by diversifying the transportation options around us.
To be serious about resilience, we need to consider other types of crises. This week showed how hard it is for our driving-first transportation system to recover from a single crash. Even with heroic efforts by first responders and state & federal resources, it took three days to reclaim our local streets from freeway traffic. Full recovery – a new bridge – will take a year and $20 million. Other crises may be financial: just a couple years ago we saw the economic impact of gas prices increasing by $1-2/gallon. How well will our driving-first system serve us – especially the poorest among us – if gas doubles or triples in price?
Fortunately, there’s a better path forward: a diverse transportation system developed through system-wide investments in walking, bicycling, and public transit infrastructure. I’m not proposing a world in which no one drives – driving is a critical transportation mode that brings lots of value to our society. I’m proposing a world in which getting across town without a car is just as easy as driving across town. In such a world, crises that cause traffic nightmares are a much smaller deal – people who would otherwise drive can easily switch to walking, biking, taking the train, or hopping on a bus. And even on a normal day, this world would be better for those both inside and outside a car – every person who chooses to walk, bike, or take the bus is one less car gumming up the road that you’re on.
It may feel like an unattainable dream—after all, virtually everyone in Norwalk has grown up in an era where driving is the norm, and alternative transportation is seldom considered. However, the tide is turning, and we’re seeing inspiring examples in cities across America. Take Hoboken, NJ, for instance: with bold leadership from their Mayor and proactive measures by their Transportation department, Hoboken has rapidly reimagined their walking & biking infrastructure – and as a result, has seen zero traffic fatalities in seven years. Norwalk transportation advocates recently visited Hoboken and learned a ton about how they accomplished this.
I believe such a future exists for Norwalk. However, it will take more than lip service and token investments from our elected leaders. For example, it will require building more than eight miles of sidewalk per year. It will require initiatives like Complete Streets to be adopted, well-funded and thoughtfully implemented. Our city officials must either learn from forward-thinking cities like Hoboken—where proven best practices in urban planning have led to remarkable achievements in resilience, sustainability, and livability—or make way for those who will. We need leaders with the courage to prioritize these changes and drive Norwalk forward. The benefits will be profound, enhancing our community’s quality of life in countless ways. Don’t wait for change to happen—be part of it!
If you’re interested in getting involved with the City, the Norwalk Bike/Walk Commission needs you! Join our next meeting on Monday, June 3 at 6pm on Zoom. We have a couple vacancies, so we’re on the lookout for engaged Norwalkers who want to contribute. If you’re interested in the grassroots side, you can get involved with Sustainable Streets Norwalk, an independent group that advocates for walking, bicycling, public transit, housing, and urban greenspace.
Tanner Thompson is the Chair of the Norwalk Bike/Walk Commission and an organizer of Sustainable Streets Norwalk.
Leave a Reply
You must Register or Login to post a comment.