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THE WEEKLY "STREETS IN REVIEW" Jan 8 - 14
Submitted by Jeff Rosenblum on Wed, 01/17/2007 - 2:37am.
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THE WEEKLY "STREETS IN REVIEW" [ed] This is a weekly review of the previous week's news, activities, and thoughts regarding urban transportation issues in the Boston area assembled by Jeff Rosenblum at the LivableStreets Alliance. Please send any content suggestions to jeff@livablestreets.info. Subscribe here IS THE WEEKLY "STREETS IN REVIEW" USEFUL TO YOU? If your answer is yes, consider making a donation to support it. A contribution of 50 cents per issue is only $25 per year. Donate now... LivableStreets mentioned in the Globe twice this past week. Regarding the failed bike bill: "Once again it shows how the importance of bicycling is not yet taken seriously by the state of Massachusetts," said Jeff Rosenblum, the founder of the LivableStreets Alliance, a group that promotes public and alternative modes of transportation. Globe article... HIGHLIGHTS: In the News:
Ear to the Street:
Street Musings:
This coming week: IN THE NEWS... Harvard University releases sweeping Allston plan. Harvard will transform a 250-acre swath of Allston into an expanse of academic facilities, student housing and a new public square that officials said would be a twin to Cambridge's Harvard Square across the river, with a plaza, retail stores, theaters and a new art museum. Includes burying parts of Soldiers Field Road to create open space. Globe article... Group seeks debt relief for the T. A coalition of lawmakers and public interest groups filed legislation requiring the state to take over a portion of the MBTA's debt, allowing the transit agency to become less dependent on fare increases and to spend more on maintaining the rail and bus system and improving service. Globe article... Cohen to fast-track New Bedford-Fall River line. Gov. Deval Patrick’s top transportation official today reiterated a campaign promise of Patrick’s to have a construction schedule for a New Bedford-Fall River commuter rail line within the administration’s first 90 days. A former deputy managing director of the Massachusetts Bay Commuter Railroad Co. and director of Federal Transit Administration's Lower Manhattan Recovery Office, Cohen noted he’ll soon be getting briefed on a highly-anticipated report from the state Transportation Finance Commission, which was charged by the Legislature two years ago to come up with a way to finance a transportation system facing a potential $16 billion shortfall to meet its needs. “It’s drafted. I don’t know if it’s final,” Cohen said.more... Developer's Kenmore plan would add housing, 1200 vehicle parking near Pike. "Rosenthal's One Kenmore would add 668 housing units to the area and cover more than 500 feet of the open Turnpike corridor . It would create pedestrian access between Beacon Street and Fenway Park, and would improve access to the MBTA commuter rail's Yawkey Station. Rosenthal yesterday submitted the only bid to the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority to build on land, with air rights, known as Parcel 7, just west of Brookline Avenue. His plans include 20- and 17-floor towers, 57,000 square feet of restaurants and retail space, and, if fully built , five buildings that would include parking for more than 1,200 vehicles." (Globe) more... Two dead after commuter train hits track crew. An inbound commuter rail train crashed into a track maintenance crew Jan 9, killing two workers and seriously injuring two others, transportation officials said. Two other workers and about 10 passengers were treated for minor injuries. The train was headed from Lowell to Boston with 43 passengers about 2 p.m. when it struck a piece of track repair equipment head on near the Anderson station in Woburn. more... Company to offer Zipcar-like reservation of parking spaces. "A century after the automobile hit it big, finding an empty parking spot requires drivers to summon the skills cavemen once used to hunt: Scan the horizon for your quarry, then bag it before someone else zeroes in on your quarry...SpotScout Inc. hopes to create an online marketplace where drivers can not only reserve private spaces in garages and driveways, but also swap public parking spots in real time, with vacant spaces going to the highest bidder." (AP News) more... Tufts professor arrested for jaywalking in Atlanta. "I must say I didn’t get to experience the Southern hospitality I’d heard so much about," he said. AP news article... MBTA gets $15M in fed safety money. Federal homeland security officials announced yesterday that the MBTA will receive $15 million to bolster security on trains and buses — the largest singlesecurity grant the T has ever received — as part of an effort to beef up ‘‘highrisk and high-consequence areas’’ underground and underwater. Officials stressed, however, that the new ranking did not indicate any new threat. more... Menino launches self-praising newspaper. Boston Mayor Thomas Menino partnered with the Boston Redevelopment Authority to launch a publication on economic development, Menino’s office announced. The inaugural Boston City Communicator features articles on neighborhood projects like the Dorchester Avenue improvement plan, the city’s downtown Crossroads Initiative and efforts to revitalize Roxbury’s Dudley Square. The quarterly Communicator is published by the BRA and funded by the Eastern Bank Boston Savings. It is slated to be distributed throughout the Boston community by the Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Services, at various banks and as an insert in several weekly newspapers. The Herald notes: "The inaugural issue featured photos of Menino on 11 of its 20 full-color pages, with 'Menino' or the mayor mentioned roughly 70 times." more... D-line to be shut down for summer repairs. Eleven miles of the Green Line’s Fenway to Riverside line will be completely shut down for 10 weeks this summer as the MBTA works to replace cross ties on the D Line tracks. Starting after July 4, Grabauskas said, crews will work on the Green Line one mile a week and service should start up by Labor Day in September. The cross ties are exceeding their 25-year life expectancy, T officials said. The T will shuttle passengers between stops by bus. Work began last summer, but was halted after Newton residents complained of loud nighttime work. T officials met with community members and leaders for months to work out the latest plan, which will only take place during the day. more... EAR TO THE STREET... MAPC legislative priorities include transportation finance. "The Transportation Finance Commission is expected to release its recommendations after the election, and before the end of the year. The recommendations are expected to include various mechanisms to enhance funding for transportation programs. MAPC expects to endorse several of these recommendations, and may suggest additional ones. This work will be closely coordinated with the Massachusetts Smart Growth Alliance and other allies seeking more adequate funding for transportation infrastructure and maintenance. more... EOEA management team announced. Chief of Staff: Jane Corr, Undersecretary for Environment: Philip Griffiths; Assistant Secretary for Policy: David Cash; Assistant Secretary for Communications and Public Affairs: Robert Keough. “This management team represents a dynamic mix of agency experience and new perspectives,” said Secretary Bowles. more... Joe Casazza's last week marked the end of 39 years as service as Boston's Commissioner for Public Works. The Globe's Brian McGrory sings his praises. more... Forest Hills Station rehab to include Transit Oriented Development. Community meeting held Jan 10. "The planning is moving ahead as the MBTA gears up to sell off a series of tracts totaling more than 15 acres near the station. The Boston Redevelopment Authority is overseeing the community planning, with the first properties expected to hit the market later this year." (Herald) Herald article here... Legislative bills to address health impacts of living near high-traffic roadways. "A legislator concerned with the harm caused by pollution near high-traffic roadways plans to file two bills she hopes will reduce pollution-related pulmonary and cardiac diseases. Rep. Denise Provost (D-Somerville) said it’s time for the Legislature to address the health concerns of people who live near roadways and buildings sitting near high-traffic areas... 'People living within 100 meters of these areas have extraordinarily more pulmonary and cardiac disease,' Provost said during an event held to attract co-sponsors to bills that legislators plan to file for consideration during the 2007-2008 legislative session. (State House News). more... MassHort replies to Cogliano. "We disagree with your conclusion that MassHort has not made progress in developing these parcels as we have been working closely with the Authority and its staff for the last 18 months with the objective of creating significant horticultural gardens and programs on these three parcels. These horticultural gardens could be utilized by the public as early as the summer of 2007..." more... Adult population in MA declines. Despite its reputation as a higher education mecca, the young adult population in Massachusetts declined 20 percent between 1990 and 2004, nearly triple the national average, according to new data from the University of New Hampshire. Officials at the university’s Carsey Institute say the numbers show a “critical pool” of entry-level workers – those between 25 and 34 years old - for all types of businesses is shrinking. Younger workers “often bring fresh ideas, new skills and energy to the workplace,” the report says, and without enough young workers, the region will struggle with job growth. The report’s authors say that over time, the region is also more vulnerable to health and elder care costs not supported by a growing base of young workers. more... Mac Daniel on CharlieCard issues. more... JOB OPENING: ACE Environmental Justice Services Coordinator. more... Bill Wilkinson from National Center for Biking and Walking consulting on Mass. Statewide Bike Plan. He is working Jan 17 with prime contractor Planners Collaborative and EOT staff, including Kenneth Miller and Josh Lehman to "begin shaping the final focus on the Statewide Bicycle Plan Update." Enhancement Funds and Rail Trails. After several years of fits and starts the Massachusetts Division of the Federal Highway Administration has recognized that using the Federal Enhancements funding process to build a rail trail on corridors that were Federally railbanked is an allowable use of Federal monies. more... Ralph Dinisco to leave Boston Transportation Department after 10 years of service. This is the third staffer to leave BTD planning department in the past few years, leaving the director Vineet Gupta to manage the bulk of the group's work. LivableStreets Alliance wishes Ralph the best in wherever his career takes him next. Thoughts on density: Beacon Hill vs. West End. "Dense Beacon Hill is a good example of how scale can be broken up into smaller units but still achieve numbers. Compare the West End to Beacon Hill: The land area in the West End is about two-thirds of the land area of Beacon Hill. But despite the fact that Beacon Hill’s population is about three times that of the West End, Beacon Hill does not feel crowded. Its sidewalks are pleasantly full of people. It feels animated compared to the West End. And it is Beacon Hill that is the more desirable neighborhood to most observers." (Beacon Hill Times) more... Bicyclist Safety Bill Re-Filed Jan 10. Bikes Not Bombs starts project on island of Nevis, poorest in Caribbean. A shipment of donated bikes along with BNB staff member Matt Soycher will be sent to start youth Earn-A-Bike programs. The program, aimed specifically at communities of Jessup and Cotton Ground, is to aid Nevisian youth with the economical and sustainable transportation of bicycles. Currently, there are almost no after school programs to engage youth in positive activities or enable their empowerment. more... Boston-area Don Malloy, 65, killed by a drunk driver while volunteering for Katrina victims. Mira Brown says, "Committed to the principals of environmentalism in his life and his work, Don commuted [from Cambridge] everyday by bike to work at the Boston Building Materials Coop in Roxbury. He was a regular contributer and supporter of Bikes Not Bombs." STREET MUSINGS... On FHWA's (non) spending on Bike/Ped. Bill Wilkinson: "I have worked for (as a contractor) and with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) for close to 40 years. Recently, there have been a couple of examples of this ... disconnect, I'll call it, that I think everyone should be aware of and think about. We -- the public -- are NOT the primary focus and constituency of the FHWA. The State DOTs and the agency's own agenda are.Example #1: Of the $11.9 million for FY07, the total allocated for bicycle/pedestrian issues is $70,000 (0.6%), and for safety is $80,000 (0.7%)." Andy Clarke: "However, even between the two years of 2006 and 2007 there's a drop of $225,000 for FHWA research into nonmotorized transportation and the $178,000 for the Transportation Enhancements clearinghouse is gone altogether in 2007. That's a more than $400,000 cut in funding." Wilkinson: "But, it makes it hard to support or believe that the FHWA takes bicycling, walking, safety, and public health very seriously." Example #2: Wilkinson: "Periodically, the Congress will direct that the amount of funds authorized be reduced by some percentage. The FHWA allows each State DOT to decide on its own what programs to take the required dollars from to meet their required recision total. What this means is that if they so choose, a State DOT can take ALL of it from CMAQ or Transportation Enhancements or Safe Routes to School or whatever, and not touch other programs." more... The Traffic Justice movement. "We are a growing alliance of organizations and individuals seeking to end the acceptance of over 40,000 traffic deaths a year in the United States. We are outraged at the common belief that traffic crashes are unavoidable "accidents" and are combining our forces to stop these unacceptable and predictable crashes." more... 3D animated tour of the future Fulton Street Transit Center. The New York Times offers an online tour of the Fulton Street transit hub, which planners hope will straighten out the tangle of platforms and mezzanines below Lower Manhattan.click here for animation... Car ownership expensive, at $6200 per year. A household with two cars that swaps one vehicle for public transportation for daily commutes would save about $6,200 a year even after paying transit fares, according to a study released on Tuesday. Reuters article... Road Rage in San Francisco. Anger over parking difficulties in the city has spawned attacks between motorists and enforcement officers, and even led to the death of one resident. Jan 09 2007 -- The New York Times Active Living by Design launches new website. more community resources on how to increase bicycling and walking, and the new navigation structure makes those even easier to find. The new section on "Healthy Children" provides current information for community groups on physical activity and nutrition for children and young adults. more... Bike/Ped crash reports. "...Treated in Hospital Emergency Rooms; by Jane C. Stutts and William W. Hunter, University of North Carolina Highway Safety Research Center, Chapel Hill, NC more... Road and Trail Intersection Safety: An examination of present practice, recommendations for future actions. New York. presents design and policy recommendations for improving road and trail intersection safety, including additional public safety education for motorists, trail users, and law enforcement officials; changes or clarifications in crash reporting policies and Vehicle and Traffic Law as it applies to trails; and improvements in road and trail intersection design. more... Vermont completes Bike/Ped Plan. more... CT Companies Embrace Parking Reform.
Aetna , the large health insurance company, will begin charging its employees for parking in 2007 to encourage its employees to take transit to work. (Hartford Courant) more... Despite costs, light rail chosen for Atlanta's beltline. In response to public demand, The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid
Transit Authority has adopted a resolution designating light
rail as the transit of choice for the city's expansive Cities benefiting from decking highways with parks. U.S. cities are increasingly putting freeway segments underground and covering them with parkland. Whether called a lid, deck, bridge or tunnel, there are already some 20 highway parks in the country, several under construction — most notably, the Rose Kennedy Greenway park atop Boston’s Big Dig — and at least a dozen more in the planning pipeline. Jan 10 2007 -- Governing [?exernal:http://www.governing.com/articles/1parks.htm more...]. Auto emissions in Europe increasing along with sprawl. In Europe, vehicular emissions are increasing while emissions
from industry and the population growth rate decline. More
people throughout the world are driving, especially in those
countries where the "newly rich" enjoy their new mobility.
Jan 10 2007 -- The New York Times more... Will U.S. Support Widescale Congestion Pricing? Is congestion pricing at a tipping point in the US? Should we begin converting HOV lanes to toll lanes? Dr. Peter Gordon and Bumsoo Lee review recent research on the topic and offer their views. more... San Francisco has great bike parking and shower/locker requirements. more... Great document: London bike facility design standards. more... SUV's get better "crashworthiness"...what about from the perspective of the pedestrian or cyclist? more...
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