Westport Menorah Lighting at Compo Acres Begins Monday at 7:00 PM
The Schneerson Center of CT The Schneerson Center of CT will be hosting several local area Menorah lightings for the festival of Chanukah, which begins the evening November 28th and ends on December 6th. Chanukah, the festival of lights, celebrates the victory of the small Maccabees Jewish army over the Greek Syrian oppressors in the land of Israel and the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem with the lighting of the Menorah. Although they had only one day’s supply of olive oil it miraculously lasted eight full days until new oil was obtained. The Menorah is a symbol of hope and freedom. Chanukah is celebrated for eight consecutive days with the lighting of one candle the first night and increasing each night with an additional light until all eight are lit symbolizing that we are always looking to increase in light and goodness in the world around us.
Westport Community Menorah Lighting Celebration - Monday, November 29th at 7:00 PM
Light the original Westport Menorah at Compo Acres Shopping Center now in its 14th year! Join us by the Trader Joes/Wells Fargo parking lot- 400 Post Road East in Westport, CT 06880. Lighting will include live music and individually wrapped cookies, gelt, dreidels, and is perfect for the whole family. Led by Rabbi Levi Stone of the Schneerson Center for Jewish Life, CT. For more information call (203) 635-4118 or visit www.schneersoncenter.org. Free and open to all.
Morning Weather Report: Bitter Cold Today
Today
Sunny, with a high near 43. Wind chill values between 20 and 30. Northwest wind 7 to 15 mph.
Tonight
Clear, with a low around 24. Northwest wind 7 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 21 mph.
Tomorrow
Sunny, with a high near 46. Wind chill values between 15 and 25 early. Northwest wind 6 to 9 mph.
Tomorrow Night
Partly cloudy, with a low around 31. Light west wind.
Talking Transportation: How Things have Changed
Metamorphosis
Don’t look now, but we’re making history. The changing forces now at work in our society, including our transportation network, will have a profound effect on our lives for decades to come.
THE BIG QUIT: According to federal statistics, 4 million people quit their jobs in July of this year, with almost 11 million jobs nationwide now unfilled. As a result, our ports are jammed, the supply chain broken and holiday purchases seem in peril. Don’t expect any bargains for Christmas.
Why the huge turnover in jobs? I think a lot of it has been soul-searching amid the pandemic as people try to seek that illusory work-life balance. But it’s clearly a seller’s market for talent.
THE END OF COMMUTING ?: Transportation used to equal communications. Now you don’t need to go to work to do your job. As I predicted last December, I don’t think passenger levels on Metro-North will return to pre-COVID levels for many years. Some think it may take a decade. To date, Metro-North ridership is only back to about 50% and not increasing.
CROWDING & COMPLAINTS: Even at these reduced ridership levels, many trains are jammed, especially at rush hour. (So much for social distancing.) That’s because full service has not been restored and may not be until next year. Rush hour trains are not running express, lengthening commuting times and not attracting riders back to the rails. The once popular but seldom-enforced Quiet Cars are on hold. I doubt they’ll be coming back.
Many of those who are heading back to the office are driving instead of taking the train, exacerbating our traffic. When driving is faster and, in some cases, cheaper than taking the train, the perception of personal safety trumps slow traffic. (Mind you, I do think riding Metro-North is safe… as long as you remain fully masked.)
As Metro-North is slow to react to commuter demands for better service, savvy entrepreneurs are jumping in to offer commuting alternatives, skimming the creamy 1% off of the top of railroad’s ridership with a one-seat ride to Wall Street.
FARES: Off-peak fares remain in effect, all day, for now. But even pre-COVID with standing-room-only conditions, the railroad was still losing money. In 2019 mainline trains subsidized every ticket by $3. Branch line trains’ subsidies were much higher… $17 per ride on the Danbury branch, $49 per ride on Shore Line East.
With ridership now only at 50%, just double those subsidy numbers and you can see how much the railroad is losing. Who will make up the difference?
UNCLE SAM: Yes, the federal government has kept mass transit rolling, but unless ridership returns those subsidies cannot last forever. Metro-North’s parent. the MTA, has promised no service cuts, no layoffs and no fare increase… for now.
The historic federal infrastructure bill may pump more money into those subsidies. But that money was supposed to “build back better”, repairing and renewing. If your house has a leaky roof, you don’t take out a second mortgage to buy tarps and buckets when you should be repairing the roof.
THE BRAIN DRAIN: Before Connecticut DOT can start spending the billions of dollars coming our way in the infrastructure bill it has to deal with its own staffing problem. CDOT Commissioner Joe Guilietti says his agency has 1100 highly skilled, well-paying jobs to fill, many of them due to a long-anticipated 30 – 40% retirement rate of senior staffers cashing out for their fat state pensions.
So, this Thanksgiving we have much to be grateful for… but so much to still worry about.
About Jim Cameron:
Jim Cameron has been a commuter advocate for over 30 years, with a special focus on the Metro North railroad. He spent nearly two decades on the Connecticut Metro North Commuter Council, and most recently founded The Commuter Action Group. Jim Cameron’s Talking Transportation was a popular column on the former WestportNow.com prior to its cessation, and joins The Westport Local Press and several other online community organizations. A resident of Darien - he serves on its Representative Town Meeting and is Program Director of the town government TV station, DarienTV79. He can be reached at CommuterActionGroup@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter: @CTRailCommuters