Congratulations to Jill Kelly and Carol Leighton, founding members and co-chairs of the Connecticut Citizens Transportation Lobby (CCTL), on Jill’s appointment to the state Transportation Strategy Board! The TSB is an advisory board which formulates Connecticut’s transportation priorities and guiding principles, and includes the commissioners of the Departments of Transportation, Environmental Protection, Economic and Community Development, and Public Safety, as well as representatives from the advocacy and business communities and the Office of Policy and Management.

This well-deserved appointment caps a very successful year for CCTL, which was formed in 2003 as a truck and highway safety advocacy group and soon broadened its focus to include mass transit.

In January, CCTL organized the “Stop Gridlock, Go Transit” rally and award ceremony to draw awareness to the need for increased transit funding in Connecticut and to acknowledge legislators, such as Connecticut Speaker of the House Jim Amman and Senate President Don Williams, that have worked to do so (see MTR # 548). Jill and Carol have also worked on site-specific projects, like advocating for speed cameras on Route 44 (MTR # 552).

Jill and Carol joined the Campaign in calling for the ConnDOT Reform Commission to recommend that ConnDOT incorporate smart growth into its mission (MTR # 566). With the ConnDOT Reform Commission due to submit its recommendations to Governor Rell by mid-December, we’re sure that Jill and Carol will join the Campaign in keeping the pressure on ConnDOT and Governor Rell to implement needed reforms.

Most recently, CCTL won a victory on its signature issue of truck safety, ensuring that the Connecticut bonding bill included a provision securing funding, reform and accountability for Connecticut’s weigh stations (MTR # 567).

Not surprisingly, Jill and Carol have not let their string of successes dampen their zeal for transportation reform. CCTL’s new priorities for the 2008 legislative session include advocating for congestion pricing along certain federal and state roadways, seeking increased funding for bus transit, lobbying for a “fix-it first” mentality at ConnDOT, and continuing to monitor truck weigh stations throughout Connecticut. We hope their grandmotherly tendencies – which include picking up and dropping off Tri-State staffers at the Fairfield train station and serving excellent (sometimes even homemade) treats at their meetings – will also continue next year!