StreetLife #37 / August 2009
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Dear friend,
We need your support to be able to keep publishing this newsletter and continue our StreetTalks, events and advocacy
for creating more livable spaces in your neighborhood. If you
aren't yet a member of LivableStreets Alliance, please click here to become a member today.
Another way to support LivableStreets Alliance, and this newsletter, is to make your Amazon purchases via our website. Just start your shopping exploration on our homepage by clicking on the Amazon icon. Recommended book of the month is Pedaling Revolution: How Cyclists are Changing American Cities by Jeff Mapes.
Thank you! |
In this issue
StreetTalk
ˇ StreetTalk: 'Taken for a Ride' movie screening, Wed, Aug 26, 7-9 pm >>>
ˇ Mass. Legislature: funding problem for MBTA still unsolved
Announcements
ˇ Boston Metro Region could Get Large-Scale Bike Sharing Program
ˇ Boston passes stronger ban on parking in bike lanes
ˇ Boston installs first on-street bike parking
ˇ Join LivableStreets Alliance team at Hub On Wheels, Sun, Sept 27 >>>
ˇ Rail-Volution conference is coming to Boston ˇ Calendar -- Click here to view full calendar
Recent Activity
ˇ Better bike and ped access to reconstructed Charles River Bridges
ˇ Redesign of Route 99 in Boston/Everett needs improvements
ˇ Rutherford Ave/Sullivan Sq in Charlestown to be upgraded
ˇ Progress on Boston's North Harvard St in Allston-Brighton |
StreetTalk
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StreetTalk Wed, August 26, 7-9 pm
'Taken for a Ride' Film Screening
The
story of how the automobile industry hastened a shift from public
transportation to private cars through tactics ranging from cultural
propaganda to ripping up tracks.
@ LivableStreets office, 100 Sidney St, Cambridge [ map...]
Why
doesn't our country have a better rail system? Why are we so
dependent on private cars? It didn't just happen -- it was
deliberately done. And this award-winning documentary by Jim Klein
gives a deeply engaging perspective on the process, using archieval
material, interviews, and lots of great photography. Definitely
worth seeing in this period where our own state seems unable to find
the funds to pay for its own public transportation needs.
StreetTalks
are free and open to the public, donation suggested, beer/sodas
provided compliments of Harpoon Brewery and delivered thanks to Metro
Pedal Power!
Sponsored by LivableStreets Alliance. For more information, click here.
Do you find yourself looking forward to the next StreetTalk? Support this event series today!
> Other movies related to the same theme that you might enjoy:
Who Killed The Electric Car, documentary directed by Chris Paine
Trolleys: The Cars That Built Our Cities, documentary
> LivableStreets is advocating
for city and state agencies to use the disruption that will be caused
by the rebuilding of the Charles River bridges to encourage people to
shift to public transportation or bicycling. Read more about our
ideas and efforts here >>>
July StreetTalk on "Mode Shift" Packs the House!
On
July 22 seventy people packed into the LivableStreets Alliance office
to hear Jason Schrieber, from Nelson/Nygaard Consulting Associates,
talk about "Mode shift: moving from driving to biking, transit and
walking." He described the need to create both "supply" and
"demand" pressures for changing behavior and the
huge cost of "free parking" -- which can cost up to $20,000 per space
to create and raises both housing costs and urban congestion. Click here to access a copy of Jason's slide show on our website. |
Action e-lert
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Mass. Legislature: funding problem for MBTA still unsolved
Even with a portion of new sales tax revenue going to the T, there
is still not enough to cover current operating costs, with the rising
cost of payments needed on debt imposed on the T from the Big
Dig. Brushing off the problem now only makes the inevitable
future crisis worse. 
Over
74% of the Massachusetts population, in 105 cities and town, live in
the MBTA catchment area. Regional Transportation Authorities
(RTA) serve most of the rest of the state. About 1.3 million trips
are made on T buses and trains every day. LivableStreets has been
working with other advocacy groups to push the state Legislature and
Patrick Administration to confront transit financing. Despite the
sales tax increase, T operations will still operate with a deficit this
year. The biggest burden is payments on the $8.6 million debt
which is a third of the annual budget -- a higher percentage than in
any other major city transportation authority. However, funds are
not only needed to get the MBTA's finances back on track, but also to
make regional RTA services more available around the rest of the
state.
In a letter submitted to the Boston Globe,
LivableStreets wrote: "... even if every possible management
reform was implemented at the MBTA, the resulting savings would
not close the budget gap. The money that the T is forced to use
for debt payments would be better spent improving service to
attract more riders and expanding service to new communities. A
growing T would get more single-occupancy cars off the road,
increase smart growth opportunities, and generate new local and state
tax revenues."
The current "war" over MBTA leadership might make for juicy headlines, but diverts attention away from the real problems. LivableStreets
Alliance urges you to contact your elected officials and push for a
comprehensive solution to the transportation funding crisis. In its current condition, the question isn't whether MBTA fares hikes
or service cuts are needed, but whether they happen this year or next.
Former House Speaker Thomas Finneran was quoted by the State House News
Service as saying, "You could have Jesus of Nazareth running the MBTA.
It ain't gonna work." Click here to find out who your elected officials are and how to contact them. |
Announcements
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Boston Metro Region Could Get Large-Scale Bike Sharing Program
Boston
and surrounding communities will soon have the opportunity to
participate in the first major bike sharing program in the United
States. Public Bike System Company of Montreal (PBSC) was chosen as the
preferred vendor by the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC), our
regional planning agency. Each city can use the MAPC master
contract as the starting point for negotiating details of its own
contract.
 The
system would offer cyclists short-term rentals to and from hundreds of
locations around the Boston area. Bikes would be adjustable for
different heights and would be returnable to any location operated by
the PBSC. The goal is to allow riders to pick up in one location and
drop off in another with the swipe of a credit card. The Public
Bike System Company operates a successful bike-sharing program, called
Bixi, in Montreal.
Boston officials are taking the lead,
hoping to sign a contract by early fall to include a network of 2,500
bikes and 290 stations across the city of Boston by next summer.
Participation by neighboring communities, under consideration by
Brookline, Cambridge and Somerville, would open the possibility of
expanding to a 5,000-bike system.
"This will make it easier for
people to use bikes to do errands, to attend meetings during work
hours, and to visit friends," Marc Draisen, Executive Director of MAPC,
said in a statement. "It will take cars off the road and improve our
air quality."
Boston bicycle advocates hope that the high
profile project and potential surge in on-road cyclists will
convince the city's Traffic and Public Works Departments to quickly
expand bicycle infrastructure, such as regular on-street bike lanes,
protected "cycle track" bike lanes, and off-road paths - as well as
bike parking facilities and intersection improvements in all parts of
the city. |
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Boston Passes Stronger Ban On Parking in Bike Lanes
 Technically,
existing regulations have always made it illegal to park in a
designated bike lane. But to make it more explicit Boston recently
passed an ordinance that "no driver shall stand or park any motor
vehicle in a marked bike or shared bike lane" and raising the fine to
$100. LivableStreets Alliance drafted a letter and organized a
coalition of support by the cities various adocacy and neighborhood
groups. |
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Boston Installs First On-Street Bike Parking
Removing car parking spot increases capacity and customer turnover at Other Side Cafe on Newbury Street. 
The
City of Boston just installed the first on-street bike parking in the
city! Located in front of the Other Side Cafe on Newbury Street, one
metered parking space was eliminated and an on-street bike rack was
installed capable of holding up to 12 bicycles. This rack protects the
bikes parked to it from cars in adjacent parking spaces as well as cars
driving by, and frees up space on the sidewalks for pedestrians. Other
Side Café owner Henry Patterson approached LivableStreets Alliance in
2008 to help solve their "parking problem" (bike parking, that is). We
are very pleased that the City has followed through on our suggestions,
and we hope to see more of these installations in the
future. |
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Join the LivableStreets Team at Hub on Wheels
Hub
On Wheels, Boston Mayor Menino's annual Bike Ride & Festival, has
played a critical role in raising public awareness for the Boston Bikes
program. LivableStreets Alliance has been involved in Hub On Wheels
since its inception. This year, you can both join the city-wide ride
and support LivableStreets (at no extra cost). When registering, just
indicate that you are a member of the LivableStreets Alliance team when prompted for a team affiliation.
Ride 10, 30 or 50 miles on September 27, 2009.
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Rail-Volution Conference is coming to Boston
RailVolution
brings together advocates, policy-makers, technical experts, and others
interested in making transit and land-use work together for the
betterment of our communities and country. From Oct. 29 through
Nov. 1 this huge event will be in Boston. LivableStreets Alliance
will be attending, and participating in the "Advocates Reception"
on the opening night. See Rail-Volution Registration and Scholarship Information for more information. |
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Better bike and ped access to reconstructed Charles River Bridges
 The
much improved designs created by DCR for the Museum of Science and
Boston University Bridges should be kept under new Mass Dept. of
Transportation reorganization.
The Charles River
bridges projects continue, as the BU Bridge and Museum of Science
(Craigie) bridges are at 100% design and have both begun construction.
LivableStreets Alliance has been the leader in building a coalition
pushing the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) to ensure
that the reconstructed bridges work better for bicyclists and
pedestrians. Our successful advocacy campaign resulted in the DCR
launching a comprehensive program to study and propose improvements to
all of the bridges and paths in the Charles River Basin area. As these
bridges are transferred to the new MassDOT under the terms of the
state's new transportation reform act, we urge this new department to
maintain the commitment to bridge designs that truly balance the
mobility needs of all modes of transportation.
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Pushing for Better Redesign of Route 99
 LivableStreets
Alliance and a coalition of advocates, including WalkBoston, MassBike,
Institute for Human Centered Design and Bike to the Sea submitted
comments stating that the 25% design proposal for Route 99 between
Boston and Everett contained substandard facilities for pedestrians and
bicyclists. This route provides critical connections for truck and
car drivers, cyclists and walkers going to Everett, Chelsea, East
Boston and the north shore, and also serves as a temporary on-road
route for the Northern Strand Trail. The comments, submitted on
July 23 to Environment & Energy Secretary Bowles, the Mass Highway
Department, City of Boston and MBTA, urge that the project becomes a
showcase for good multi-modal design using the new 2007 MassHighway
Design Guidelines. The Mass Highway Department Project Manager
agreed to respond to the three alternatives proposed by the advocates
at a public meeting in early September.
Read our comment letter we sent on behalf of a coalition of organizations here >>> |
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Supporting the Community During Upgrading of Rutherford Ave/Sullivan Square in Charlestown
 Community
members and advocacy groups, including LivableStreets Alliance, pushed
together at public meetings in July for a Sullivan Square plan that
will best serve the surrounding communities and create a corridor that
will create better pedestrian, bicycle and transit connections between
the surrounding neighborhoods. The key demand is to separate Main
Street and Maffa Way, creating two smaller scaled streets that
distribute traffic through multiple intersections. The other option, a
combined Main Street and Maffa Way, would have created a very large
intersection that would bottleneck traffic and be very challenging for pedestrians
and bicyclists to navigate. Still under discussion is whether or
not the underpass underneath the current rotary will be retained in the
long term.
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Progress on Boston's North Harvard St. in Allston-Brighton
 Resurfacing
and new bike lanes are almost complete on North Harvard
Street. New "no parking" signage has gone up, but the bike lanes
are not complete and don't yet have bicycle stencils. Once
finished, North Harvard St will be a more livable street.
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_____________________________________________________________________
Sincerely,
Jacqueline Douglas
Transportation Advocate
LivableStreets Alliance
E: jackie@livablestreets.info
P: 617.621.1746
W: www.livablestreets.info
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