SWRPA (South West Regional Planning Agency) sponsored a panel on the topic of congestion pricing for our parking lot I-95. From the Advocate:

Congestion pricing is different from tolls because it doesn’t charge a flat fare to motorists regardless of the time, DeCorla-Souza said.

With advances in technology, cash lanes are not needed with congestion pricing, he said. Tolls can be collected at high speeds using transponder tags such as EZ-Pass, or by taking photos of license plates.

The Federal Highway Administration would not support a method to reduce traffic if it led to toll plazas that slow cars down, DeCorla-Souza said.

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The racism charge that hangs over the Norwalk fire department has certainly caused some long lasting friction. Last night, according to the Hour, a hearing was held by an investigatory panel to look into the incident involving a video tape that only the Hour has seen.

The panel had hoped to shed some light on a racist videotape made public last November. The tape, which was released exclusively to The Hour by former firefighter Scot Wilson, showed firefighters at the Broad River Station using racial slurs. The panel included Common Council members Michael Coffey, Carvin Hilliard, Richard McQuaid, Joanne Romano and Herbert Grant as well as the Rev. Phyllis Bolden, chairwoman of the panel.

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