December 14, 2010
Highlights
- For bikers, walkers, a positive step (Boston Globe)
By Eric Moskowitz -- The state’s highway officials are considering a plan to narrow the Longfellow Bridge’s Cambridge-bound side from two car lanes to one to provide nearly twice as much space for walkers and bikers. The step would mark a significant achievement for the environmentalists and other advocates who see the Longfellow as a prominent test of whether officials are serious about reversing decades of public policy favoring cars over other forms of transportation.
Related: Latest Longfellow proposal good for everyone (Boston Globe) - City Discusses Use And Maintenance of Brick Paving (Somerville Patch, Ward 5 Online)
The issue remains in Committee for further discussion.
By Katie Lannigan -- The public works commissioner has been ordered to identify and repair all damaged bricks in Davis Square before the winter to avoid pedestrian accidents. The Board of Aldermen approved the order Thursday night. The Committee on Public Health and Public Safety also discussed the City's use and maintenance of brick pavers on city sidewalks and crosswalks this week. Meetings were held after residents expressed concerns about the possibility that the bricks posed a danger to the mobility impaired.
Related: Letter: Somerville should place moratorium on brick paving (Somerville Journal) - Bike Lanes Removed After Complaints from Neighborhood Council (Charlestown Patch, Boston Biker, Universal Hub, Boston Metro, WBZ)
The bike lanes that were installed on Main Street this fall were removed last week by city crews.
By Kristi Ceccarossi -- City crews were in Charlestown early last Friday, grinding down the bicycle lanes that were painted along the length of Main Street this fall. It seemed the lanes vanished just as quickly and mysteriously as they had arrived, but, in fact, their removal was a direct response to complaints from the Charlestown Neighborhood Council. - MBTA raises roof for bikes (Boston Herald, MassBike)
By Richard Weir -- The days of pedaling home on a soggy seat may come to an end for many commuters who cycle to the rails with 50 bike canopies being built at major MBTA train, bus and subway stations. The new bike ports — a handful are already under construction at rail stations from Worcester to Andover — will shelter 12 or more bicycles under a galvanized steel awning that will be located in well-traveled spots near platforms or entrances. - Expansion of Bike Lanes in City Brings Backlash (New York Times, Streetsblog)
By J. David Goodman -- Over the last four years, the streets of New York City have undergone a transformation: More than 250 miles of traffic lanes dedicated for bicycles have been created, and several laws intended to promote cycling have been passed. The efforts by the Bloomberg administration have placed the city at the forefront of a national trend to make bicycling viable and safe even in the most urban of settings. Yet over the last year, a backlash has taken hold. - Deficit Commission: Raise The Gas Tax. And Soon. (Transportation Nation)
By Todd Zwillich -- The president’s deficit commission is taking aim at the Highway Trust Fund in its quest to take a hatchet to federal spending and debt. The report from the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform–out just this morning on Capitol Hill–calls for $3.8 trillion in deficit reduction by 2020. It’s a downright austere prescription including tax increases, spending cuts and other reforms designed to, as one member put it “right the fiscal ship” of the nation. The politically-charged document has politicians running to their ideological corners in anticipation of a brutal fight over fiscal policy. - VIDEO: Reality vs. Myth: The "dangers" of Dutch cycle paths (A view from the cycle path)
By David Hembrow -- If cycling is to become "normalized" - i.e. something that the majority of the population sees as a part of their life, which parents encourage their children to do, and spouses encourage their partners to do, then it needs something different. All three types of safety become important. Dutch cyclists are the safest in the world due to infrastructure which keeps them apart from what is the greatest danger to any road user: motor vehicles. They also feel the safest due to street designs which emphasize both social and subjective safety, and this leads to a very high degree of participation.
"Streets"
- Brookline looking at two-year Beacon Street project slated for spring (Brookline TAB)
- Envisioning Harvard Square's future (Cambridge Chronicle)
- Man vs. T: Race through Hub (Boston Herald)
- Casey demolition meeting coming (Jamaica Plain Gazette)
- Group tackles plan to create a walkable and bikeable Dedham (Dedham Transcript)
- For bikers, walkers, a positive step (Boston Globe)
- Latest Longfellow proposal good for everyone (Boston Globe)
- New group aims to better Cambridge's Central Square (Cambridge Chronicle)
- A new look for South Boston (Boston Globe)
- Starts & Stops: Yet another hazard for drivers on the Jamaicaway?; Drivers question decision to make way for bikes on Rte. 135; Map company on board with T merchandise (Boston Globe)
- Phillipston Bridge Move: Success Story (MassDOT Blog)
- Charles Street Committee working to improve streetscape (Beacon Hill Times)
- Craigie Drawbridge inbound lanes reopen after a month of construction (Boston Globe, Somerville Journal, MassDOT Blog)
- Waiting list grows for city tree replacement (Boston Globe)
- Alderman Gewirtz: Ditch Somerville's College Avenue traffic light (Somerville Journal)
- Capuano Raises Concerns About Sullivan Square Project (Somerville Patch)
- Starts & Stops: Increase in staffing helps RMV customers' average wait times; Fewer no-show buses help T show riders some respect; Tax benefit for transit commuters set for reduction (Boston Globe)
- Charles Street Committee working to improve streetscape (Beacon Hill Times)
- Updated plans for JP center to be unveiled next week (Boston Globe)
- Crews Repaving Dean Road Bridge Today (Brookline Patch)
- BU Bridge southbound to close overnight beginning Dec. 12 (Cambridge Chronicle)
- Residents discuss redesigning Belmont Center (Boston Globe)
- Roundabout does the job... and then some (UMass Amherst)
- US shared space: Starting small [Cambridge, MA featured] (New Urban Network)
Walking
- Bay Circuit Trail Adds Connection (MassDOT Blog)
- 7 youths charged in defacing of Essex' new sidewalks (Gloucester Times)
- The Diary of a Wheelchair Experiment (Somerville Voices)
- Sidewalk repair falls through the cracks (Jamaica Plain Gazette)
- Busy intersection not pedestrian friendly (Boston Globe)
- Pedestrian Struck by Vehicle Under the Arborway (Jamaica Plain Patch)
- City Discusses Use And Maintenance of Brick Paving (Somerville Patch, Ward 5 Online)
- Letter: Somerville should place moratorium on brick paving (Somerville Journal)
- West Roxbury seniors look for clear sidewalks (West Roxbury Transcript)
- DCR to conduct traffic study, improve five crosswalks (Jamaica Plain Gazette)
Bicycling
- Bicycling in Boston --
- Bike Lane on Brighton's Lake Street (Brighton Centered)
- Museum Road Sharrows (Boston Biker)
- New Signs Encouraging People To Use Lights On South West Corridor (Boston Biker)
- Teen driver arraigned on charges she dragged, abandoned bicyclist on the Jamaicaway (Universal Hub, WCVB)
- Boston's first bike crash map (Boston Globe, Boston Biker, Boston Cyclists Union, Radio Boston)
- New "Ashmont Cycles" bike shop headed to Dorchester! (Boston Cyclists Union)
- Boston Conducting Bicycling Survey: Have Your Say (MassBike)
- Fresh A-B Bike Lanes down on Cambridge St, Washington St (Allston-Brighton bikes)
- Charlestown Bike Lane Removal --
- Local Leaders Question Bicycle Lanes (Charlestown Patch)
- Bike Lanes Removed After Complaints from Neighborhood Council (Charlestown Patch, Boston Biker, Universal Hub, Boston Metro, WBZ)
- No Love For Bicyclists In Charlestown (MassBike)
- City Of Boston Responds To Charlestown Bike Lane Removal (Boston Biker, Universal Hub)
- The real story on Charlestown's bike lane removal (Boston Cyclists Union, Universal Hub)
- Outcry Over Bike Lanes Continues (Charlestown Patch)
- One Less Car, Ten More Bikes (Northampton Media)
- MassBike Participates In T's New Bus Driver Training (MassBike)
- Roll It Forward by dropping off unused bicycles at Somerville's Ace Wheelworks (Somerville Journal)
- This group of nerds rides choppers (Boston Globe)
- On Biking: a chilly Thanksgiving Day challenge on Cape Cod (Boston Globe)
- Cambridge City Council aims to curb abuses by bicyclists (Cambridge Chronicle)
- Somerville Illuminations Bicycle Tour (Chic Cyclist)
- Bike Lanes: A One-Way Path To Controversy (WBUR)
Transit
- Green Line Extension --
- MAPC plans year-long study of proposed Route 16 station (STEP)
- Green Line extension planners meet with the public at Tufts (Tufts Daily)
- Residents Walk the Proposed Green Line Extension (Medford Patch, Somerville Patch)
- Transit Improvements Help Cyclists, Cut Traffic [pdf] (Belmont Citizens Forum)
- Yawkey Station Project Boosts Fenway Development (MassDOT Blog, WBUR, Boston Herald)
- T pins token awards on outstanding workers (Boston Herald)
- Sanctuary from Cell-Phone Babble Coming to Commuter Rail (Boston Herald)
- Winchester's MBTA project on track for late December (Winchester Star)
- Megabus plans a 9-hour route: Boston to D.C. (Boston Globe)
- VIDEO: TWIB: Mass. Transportation Secretary on Masspike tolls, high-speed rail (NECN)
- Airport bus service has a Silver Line-ing (Boston Herald)
- New Bedford Station Design Contest (MassDOT Blog)
- RIDOT announces start of MBTA Commuter Rail Service to Warwick's T.F. Green Station (RI.gov)
- T kicking off $11.6 million elevator project a Porter Square stop (Boston Globe)
- Next Stop: Ubiquity (Radio Boston)
- Best Buy stations gadget machines at T stops (Boston Herald)
- Putting the "T" in Thanksgiving (Blue Mass Group)
- MBTA raises roof for bikes (Boston Herald, MassBike)
- Rail bridge to be locked 'down;' won't affect service (Gloucester Times)
- MBTA Ridership Grows (MassDOT Blog, Boston Globe)
- MBTA considers 500 Arborway demolition (Jamaica Plain Gazette)
- Trolley effort rolls on (Jamaica Plain Gazette)
- A decade in, Acela gaining ground rapidly (Boston Globe)
- T rail lines to test 'quiet cars' as refuge from noisy world (Boston Globe, WBUR)
- MBTA general manager listens to complains at Alewife station (Cambridge Chronicle)
- MBTA given mixed grades on accessibility (Boston Globe)
- VIDEO: MBTA latest: Catch up with the GM (FOX 25)
- MBTA general manager takes fare evasion very seriously (Universal Hub, Boston Globe)
- Amid transition, Dot Art beautifies Ashmont Station (Boston Globe)
Cars/Parking
- Scooter rider killed in Boston hit-run (Boston Globe)
- The Case for Article 10 (Brookline Perspective)
- Young folks are driving less, Zipcar survey says (Boston Globe)
- Female-owned car sharing company sets up shop in Somerville (Somerville Journal)
- Arlington selectmen increase parking waivers from four to eight (Arlington Advocate)
- Parking garage intrigue (CommonWealth Magazine)
- Free parking in Boston on Friday and Saturday (Universal Hub)
- Pay as you drive car insurance? New study says a good idea (Boston Globe)
- E-ZPass Purple coming to Massachusetts Oct 1 2011 - bank ads coming down (TOLLROADSnews)
- FREE Parking for Weekend Shoppers (Arlington Patch)
- SJC finds fault in prosecution of parking activist (Cambridge Chronicle)
- Cars and Kids (Brookline Patch)
- Parking scofflaws toying with Hub (Boston Herald)
- Fuel Up Your Electric Car at Town Hall? (Brookline Patch)
Transportation financing/Government
- MassINC releases report on transportation (Boston Business Journal)
- Report: law hailed for $6.5 billion in long-term savings saves $130 million in first year (Dedham Transcript, MassDOT Blog)
- Accelerated Bridge Program: First AAA Credit Rating in State History (MassDOT Blog)
- Mass. environmental secretary to leave Patrick administration (Boston Globe, Boston Herald)
- Northampton planner Wayne Feiden honored by national trails group (Springfield Republican)
- Driving in the breakdown lane (CommonWealth Magazine)
- City Services Committee Works to Keep Beacon Hill Clean (Beacon Hill Patch)
Parks
- Brighton Street Path Construction Progresses [pdf] (Belmont Citizens Forum)
- Beacon Hill parents hatch $1.5m playground plan (Boston Globe, Beacon Hill Times)
- DCR nixes tire mulch (Jamaica Plain Gazette)
- The next sculpture to grace Greenway is work of local artist (Boston Globe)
- State project eyes consistency, safety for Emerald Necklace paths (Boston Globe)
- Somerville dog park opens at New Washington Street (Somerville Journal)
- Even in the fall, a sign of spring by the Charles River (Allston-Brighton TAB)
- Bike trail plan meant to bridge runs into divide (Boston Globe, Boston Biker)
- Neighbors turn out in force for meeting on Greenway extension (East Boston Time-Free Press)
- DCR removes tire mulch from local playgrounds (Jamaica Plain Gazette)
- VIDEO: Talking Freely About Parks Where Dogs Run (Somerville Patch)
- Federal Money Approved to Replace Dock in Watertown Square (Watertown Patch)
- Hub planners envision more vibrant City Hall (Boston Herald)
- Planning the plaza (Boston Herald)
- MBTA Advances Two Shared-Use Paths (MassDOT Blog)
- Hill Parents Raising Funds to Transform Myrtle St. Playground (Beacon Hill Patch)
- Dog Parks in Brookline --
- When freedom isn't free (Boston Globe, Brookline Patch)
- Editorial: Dogs: A bone of contention in Brookline (Boston Globe)
- Letter: Proposed off-leash fees 'mindless overreach' (Brookline TAB)
- Letter: Brookline needs a dedicated dog park (Brookline TAB)
Development projects
- Skanska closes on development rights for planned Cambridge lab (Cambridge Chronicle)
- BRA approves Walnut Ave. project (Jamaica Plain Gazette)
- Apartment boom reaches East Boston (Boston Globe)
- Assembly Square, Somerville --
- City eyes financing plan for Assembly Square development (Somerville Journal)
- Mayor Says: Assembly Square T-stop and Development in Jeopardy if Aldermen Do Not Act (Somerville Patch)
- Assembly Square developer pushes District Improvement Financing (Somerville Journal)
- Somerville sets stage for Assembly Row financing (Somerville Journal, Somerville Patch)
- State, Columbus Center developers in $5.5m accord (Boston Globe)
- Cambridge City Council aims to scale back Norris Street development (Cambridge Chronicle)
- Activists fear fast approval of housing project at Belmont Uplands (Arlington Advocate)
- Neighbors not sold on DeLuca's plans (Boston Globe)
- Suffolk University begins $68M Somerset Street project (Boston Herald)
- Boston food market plan produces many questions (Boston Herald, Boston Globe)
- High hopes hit the wall (Boston Globe)
- New library proposed for Upham's Corner development (Boston Globe)
- Berklee retunes plans for dorms (Boston Herald, Fenway News, Back Bay Patch)
- Berklee, Suffolk move ahead with expansion (Boston Globe)
- Pols oppose Harvard plan (Boston Globe)
- Faces project back on track in Cambridge (Cambridge Chronicle)
- Editorial: Westwood Station's Catch-22 (Boston Globe)
- Atlantic Wharf cruises toward '11 completion (Boston Herald)
- Appalled board members reject Norris Street development (Cambridge Day)
- Developer plans new 27-unit apartment building for Brookline (Brookline TAB)
- MIT plans expansion of University Park (The Tech)
- Chestnut Hill Square --
- Sidewalks on Boylston St (Newton Streets and Sidewalks, Universal Hub)
- Drive-thru open space (Newton Streets and Sidewalks)
- Newton aldermen approve Chestnut Hill Square project with concessions for Brookline (Brookline TAB, Brookline Patch)
Land Use/Planning
- Zoning Changes Proposed for Albany/Harrison Corridor (South End Patch, South End News)
- Zoning change aimed at North Cambridge Catholic development moves forward (Cambridge Chronicle)
Out-of-state
- Bicycling in New York City --
- Staten Island Strikes Down Cyclists (New York Observer)
- Rear Views, Downtown (New York Times)
- Expansion of Bike Lanes in City Brings Backlash (New York Times, Streetsblog)
- Bike Lanes: 1894 to Now (New York Times)
- City to Solicit Proposals on Bike Sharing (New York Times, Transportation Nation, WABC, WNYC)
- They Promote Bike Lanes and Use Them, Too (New York Times)
- Bike lane critics are wrong: Why New York needs to make way for cyclists (NY Daily News)
- Janette Sadik-Khan and Mayor Bloomberg are right: You should love bike lanes (NY Daily News)
- Transportation chief Jeanette Sadik-Khan needs to back up her bike with facts (NY Daily News)
- NYC Defends Controversial PPW Bike Lane With Data (Transportation Nation, Streetsblog, Streetsblog)
- City Council Hears Sides of Bike Lane Battle (New York Times, New York Observer, Transportation Nation, CBS 2, Streetsblog)
- A Bicycle Lane Built for Few? (New York Times)
- Pedal peril crackdown (NY POST)
- Take the No. 7 to Seacaucus? That's a Plan (New York Times, New York Times, Transport Politic)
- Tunnel Decision Has Ripple Effects (Wall Street Journal)
- Driver in fatal Conn. crash sues victim's parents (AP)
- In Cutting Bus Stops, San Francisco Points Towards a More Efficient Bus System (Transport Politic)
- MTA considers more freeway toll lanes to reduce congestion (Los Angeles Times)
- "Castle" TV Actors Give a Carfree Demonstration (Streetsblog LA)
- Walk This Way: Expanding Pedestrian and Bike Safety to the Whole District Won't Be Easy (Washington City Paper)
- Bus Rapid Transit debuts in Georgia on Memorial Drive (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
- Envisioning a Green Future for the BQE (Architects Newspaper)
- NYC To Raise On-Street Parking Fees (Transportation Nation)
- Houston Plans $10M EV-Charging Network (WIRED, GOOD)
- GOP Wants to Bring Transpo Policy Back to the 1950s (Streetsblog DC)
- VIDEO: Giving up my car was best decision ever (CNN)
- Keeping your feet high above the Hudson (Boston Globe)
- Cycling's New Rules of the Road (Wall Street Journal)
- Boulder's Driven to Drive Less Campaign Participants Have Gone Car Free for a Combined 1,661 Days and Have Not Driven a Total of 24.918 Miles in Three Months (Business Wire)
- Do all-ages helmet laws work? An update from Vancouver, WA (BikePortland)
- The Public Square Goes Mobile (New York Times)
- In Los Angeles, Big Step Ahead for Mass Transit (New York Times)
- Bicycle program makes District easier place to get around, residents say (Washington Post)
- Residential parking permit pricing (the third rail of local politics) (Rebuilding Place in the Urban Space)
- Streetcars coming back to Atlanta (Los Angeles Times)
- Bus-only lanes proposed for Wilshire Boulevard (Los Angeles Times)
- Controversial Wilshire bus lane approved, with one missing link (Los Angeles Times)
- Electric bicycle gives commuter a boost on 22-mile way to work (Baltimore Sun)
- Quirky Tram Runs Again, Delighting Its Riders (New York Times)
- 'Bike the Lights' returns to PIR for second year (BikePortland)
- BART to Hand Out 120,000 Free Tickets on Thursday for Holiday Promoting (Streetsblog SF)
- Road diet on Lawyers Road in Fairfax a big success (The WashCycle)
- Rod King and the slow-driving movement (New Yorker)
- An Extensive Addition to Dallas' Light Rail Network Makes in America's Longest (Transport Politic)
- VIDEO: The Slowest Bus in New York City (Streetfilms)
- Cal Park Tunnel Opening Today Culminates Nearly Two Decades of Planning (Streetsblog SF)
- FDNY To Begin Charging Motorists In Car Crashes (Consumerist)
National trends
- VIDEO: Obama Replaces Costly High-Speed Rail Plan With High-Speed Bus Plan (The Onion)
- State projects will drive funding for high-speed rail (Washington Post)
- Fuel Tax, Anyone? (Transportation Experts)
- National High Speed Rail Plan Unveiled, Despite Political Roadblocks (Reuters)
- Midterms Threaten Obama's Rail Plans (New York Times)
- Congress Threatens to Restore Unequal Tax Treatment between Drivers and Transit Users (Next American City)
- Metro America's Commuting Methods: The Interactive Edition (Infrastructurist)
- Traffic Beaters (Wall Street Journal)
- In the U.S., Poor Communication and Poor Choices Plague Bus Rapid Transit (The City Fix)
- Walk Score Ambles into 2,500 New Cities (GOOD)
- Confessions of a recovering engineer (Grist)
- A New Political Reality Settling in for National Transportation Financing (Transport Politic)
- Two Wheels Are Becoming As Chic As Four (Citiwire)
- Switching Gears: More Commuters Bike To Work (NPR)
- A Third Of Highway Deaths Involve Drugs--Yes, 33 Percent (Transportation Nation)
- Growing Conservative Strength Pub Transit Improvements in Doubt (Transport Politic)
- Deficit Commission: Raise The Gas Tax. And Soon. (Transportation Nation)
- EPA's 2010 smart growth awards go to innovative urban redevelopment and rural revitalization (Smart Growth America)
- Rep. Oberstar Reflects On 36 Years Of Service (NPR)
- No Free Parking (PhysicsCentral)
- Hertz to offer electric Smart cars for rent (BusinessWeek)
- Will Congress Extend Commuter Tax Break for 2011? (Forbes, Boston Globe)
- See the bike IKEA just gave all 12,400 of its U.S. employees (BikePortland)
- So You're Thinking Of Starting An Infrastructure Bank... (Transportation Nation)
- New advocacy report: Getting Bikes on Bridges (LAB)
- Amtrak As Subway Map (GOOD)
- Americans Don't Want The Gas Tax Raised. Big Surprise! (AltTransport)
- Amtrak Breaks Records During Thanksgiving (AltTransport)
- As Ohio and Wisconsin Sink into Self-Imposed Austerity, California and Florida Profit on Rail (Transport Politic)
- The Brightest: 16 Geniuses Who Give Us Hope -- Janette Sadik-Khan (Esquire)
- Wheels When You Don't Need Them (Next American City)
International news
- Why London needs a cycle revolution (CNN)
- The Tiger Stone: A Contraption that "Prints" Roads (GOOD)
- China Leads World In High-Speed Rail Tracks (NPR)
- Sobyanin's horrific plan for Moscow (Market Urbanism)
- Train Makers Rail Against China's High-Speed Designs (Wall Street Journal)
- VIDEO: Cities in Focus: Curitiba (The City Fix)
- VIDEO: 104 Years of Separated Bicycle Infrastructure (Copenhagenize.com)
- VIDEO: Copenhagen Cycling in the Snow (Copenhagenize.com)
- Images from the world's 10 (or 11) most walkable cities (NRDC)
- Drivers at fault in majority of cycling accidents (BikeRadar)
- Free Parking 'Not Effective' (North West Evening Mail)
- VIDEO: Reality vs. Myth: The "dangers" of Dutch cycle paths (A view from the cycle path)
- Copenhagen plans super highways ... for bikes (AFP)
- Envied the World Over, Strasbourg's Tram Expands Again (Transport Politic)
- VIDEO: Countdown timers on cycle traffic lights (A view from the cycle path)
- Britain 'cannot afford' high speed rail, MPs told (Telegraph)
- 300th CEMEX vehicle to be visited with sensors to keep vulnerable road users safe (BikeRadar)
- A new study of data from Lyon's bike-share system could help planners (Grist, Technology Review)
- Bike-Share Pilot Program Launches in Buenos Aires (ITDP)
- Hume: Ford to Transit City: Drop dead (Toronto Star)
- Not so fast, province warns Ford on killing transit plan (Toronto Star)
- Dutch cyclists caught up in the wheels of success (AFP)
- Complete Streets in North America: A Policy Platform to help Foster Healthy, Liveable Communities (ITDP)
- Copenhagen: City (full) of Bicycles (Copenhagenize.com)
- The Ultimate Bike Lane Snow Clearance Blogpost! (Copenhagenize.com)
- European Road-Train Tests Move Forward (WIRED)
- Bicycle freight: thinking outside the box truck (Grist)
- New Freeway Revolt Grips Guadalajara (Streetsblog SF)
- A real regional government would help to control sprawl (Montreal Gazette)
- Biking in a winter wonderland (Globe and Mail)
- Vintage Bicycle Traffic Photos from Copenhagen (Copenhagenize.com)
- It's not about the bike (BBC)
- VIDEO: Playing in the Street - Smacking The Culture of Fear on the Nose (Copenhagenize.com)
- Pedestrians take to the streets; motorists learn to coexist (New Urban Network)
- Cycle tracks that come to you as you go (Cycling Embassy of Denmark)
StreetHeadlines