Morning Weather Report: Very, Very Cold
Today
Sunny and cold, with a high near 19. Wind chill values between zero and 10. Northwest wind 8 to 13 mph.
Tonight
Mostly clear, with a low around 12. Wind chill values between 5 and 10. Northwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
Tomorrow
Sunny, with a high near 37. Wind chill values between 10 and 20. Southwest wind 6 to 13 mph.
Tomorrow Night
Partly cloudy, with a low around 26. Southwest wind 5 to 7 mph becoming calm after midnight.
Fire Chief Promotes Fire Safety after Deadly Philadelphia and New York City Fires
From Westport Fire Chief Michael Kronick:This past week, New York City and Philadelphia suffered two deadly fires that have claimed the lives of 31 people. Our hearts go out to the victims and to our brothers and sisters at the FDNY and the Philadelphia Fire Department who struggled so valiantly to save them.
Westport Fire Chief Michael Kronick said, “Whenever you hear a fire alarm sound, head to the nearest exit and leave the building. If you see fire or smell smoke, call 911 immediately. When you escape a fire, close the door behind you. Every closed door slows the spread of the smoke and fire. This buys you more time to escape and protects others as well.”
A Philadelphia Fire Department official said that at least four smoke detectors in the rowhouse did not go off during the fire. “If you do have a smoke alarm with removable batteries, make sure you replace those batteries every six months. It's best to do it when you change your clocks twice a year.”
A FDNY Fire Marshal reported that the Bronx fire was likely caused by a space heater that had been running non-stop for several days. Space heaters are not intended to be a 24/7 heating source. They can overheat, overload electrical circuits, and ignite flammable material, like furniture cushions, if the heater is too close. “Whenever you use a portable heater, set it up a safe distance from anything that can burn, never use an extension cord, and check the heater to make sure it’s operating correctly.”
Many of the victims died from smoke inhalation while trying to escape, in corridors and stairways. In a high-rise building, toxic smoke can move faster than you can. So, in a high-rise fire, never enter a space that is smokier than the one you’re in. If the corridor is full of smoke, do not enter it. Stay where you are, close the door and seal it off with towels or blankets. If you’re heading down the stairs and conditions get worse, leave the stairs and shelter on another floor. “Most importantly, have an escape plan and practice that escape plan before you need it.”
The fires are terrible tragedies, for the victims, their families, and the first responders. Our heartfelt sympathies to the families and friends of those who lost their lives or were injured. We are reminded of the devastating impact of fire and the need to do more to prevent them in the future. As we mourn the loss of these lives today, we must use these tragedies to continue efforts to ensure the public and communities prioritize fire safety - in particular the use of smoke alarms, escape planning, and educating our most vulnerable.
Talking Transportation: The Price of Free Parking
Free Parking Isn’t Really Free
Our love affair with the automobile depends on one thing: free parking. After driving on our “free” highways, we have to park someplace, and we all hate to pay for what’s really a privilege. It’s as if there’s some constitutional right to free parking.
But free parking is actually expensive and paid for in more than just dollars.
The industry standards setting group known as the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) has defined 266 different types of businesses and has determined the amount of nearby parking they require. So when your local Planning & Zoning Commission is looking at proposals for, say, a new restaurant, they consult the ITE manuals on what parking would be needed.
Mind you, a fast food joint like a McDonalds will require less parking than, say, a fancy steakhouse, given the number of patrons and how long they stay there dining. But when it comes to the rules of parking, we’re talking about more than restaurants.
Consider convents. For whatever reason the ITE’s “bible” says religious convents must have one parking space for every ten nuns or monks in residence. Hello? They’re in a religious retreat! They’re not going anywhere! Wouldn’t it be smarter for the convent to be able to use its land for better purposes than an empty parking lot, like growing its own food?
Or how about hotels? Their parking regulations are based on the assumption that they are sold out, something that certainly doesn’t happen very much. Wouldn’t it be easier for the hotel to make special arrangements on those sold-out nights than have acres of asphalt baking in the sun most of the year?
Drive up the Boston Post Rd and see the bitter fruits of this short-sighted planning. Thanks to zoning regulations a lot of big-box stores devote 60% of their land to parking and 40% to the stores themselves. Just think of what that means to how they price things. Isn’t it any wonder that Amazon can compete on price?
Awhile back I drove through New Britain where I once lived. I hardly recognized the downtown with its empty stores and sidewalks next to a ten storey parking structure. They “built it” (the parking), but nobody came. The downtown looks empty.
If you look at the communities with the liveliest downtowns you’ll see people, not cars. People attract people as they go into shops, walk along and window-shop. It’s pedestrians we want, not parking lots.
UCLA’s Donald Stroup wrote a great book, “The High Cost of Free Parking”, and made his point with a tale of two cities:
Decades ago both San Francisco and Los Angeles opened new downtown concert halls. LA’s included a $10 million, six storey parking structure for 2100 cars. But in San Francisco, they built no additional parking, saving developers millions.
In LA after a concert the music-lovers scurry to their steel cocoons and drive away. But after a show in San Francisco, (at least pre-COVID) patrons would leave the concert and stroll the streets, spending tens of thousands of dollars in nearby bars, restaurants and stores. Guess which city’s economy has benefited most from its investment in the arts.
The buzzword these days in development circles is TOD, Transit Oriented Development. By putting stores, mixed use office buildings, housing and amenities near train and bus stops, people will use mass transit to get there instead of their cars. That doesn’t mean we don’t need parking at train stations. But even a parking structure can have stores at street level and maybe affordable housing too.
City planners need to remember that human beings come with two legs, not just four tires.
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