BY MAGGIE GORDON
Hearst Connecticut Media
The intersection near Stamford’s train station can pose problems for pedestrians searching for a safe way to leapfrog their way across four lanes. But the recent opening of a pedestrian bridge between the station and Building and Land Technology’s Gateway Garage is curbing that issue.
“It’s nice because all the people from Harbor Point can walk up and walk to this side of the street,” BLT Chief Operating Officer Ted Ferrarone said recently as he walked across the blue bridge, which crosses Washington Boulevard near the on-ramp to Interstate 95 south. The bridge was financed in a partnership between BLT and the Connecticut Department of Transportation.
“They don’t have to try to get across the street down there. It’s four lanes here ”¦ and at night there are cars everywhere. So this gets you up and off the street. It’s a better environment. It’s much safer,” he continued. “The access on this side of the tracks was never very good. Now, if you come down at night, you can see tons of people coming off the train and walking down from their apartments.”
While the bridge connects the station to BLT-owned Gateway Garage, which will hold 1,755 spots for cars when it fully opens in the coming months, Ferrarone said it’s not just about providing a convenience to the roughly 2,800 residents who call BLT’s Harbor Point home.
“If I lived at Harbor Point, honestly, I would never park here, because I would either walk or take the shuttle,” he said. Instead, the garage is intended to help alleviate parking concerns at the station’s main facility.
And the addition of Zipcars, which were introduced to the garage last week, is another way of reaching out to commuters of all types who might need cars on a temporary basis. The three Zipcars on the first level of the garage ”“ a Jeep Compass, a Mitsubishi Lancer and a Cadillac ATS ”“ are the first in Stamford, according to Ferrarone.
For a membership fee, Zipcar provides automobile reservations to its members billable by the hour or day.
If the program works out well, the fleet could be expanded. “It’s a perfect location, because you get off the train and they’re right here,” Ferrarone said.
Rates for the Zipcars start at $12 per hour or $109 per day with gas, insurance and 180 miles included.
“We’re trying to make this as convenient as possible for everyone,” Ferrarone said.
That’s the motivation behind yet another addition that opened last week in the garage: A Juice Bar charging station for electric vehicles, which allows up to four cars to charge simultaneously.
Hearst Connecticut Media includes four daily newspapers: Connecticut Post, Greenwich Time, The Advocate (Stamford) and The News Times (Danbury). See greenwichtime.com for more from this reporter.
