July 3, 2014

 


Blinkah

A new appeal for safe driving

(Image courtesy of MassDOT)

Op-Ed: Sending school kids to school on public transit is a bad choice Globe

THE BOSTON Public Schools system plans to eliminate bus service for its seventh and eighth grade students next year. Instead of boarding school buses, 4,500 12- and 13-year-olds will receive passes to ride the MBTA to school.

This plan requires budget approval by the Boston City Council, and several councilors have raised significant concerns about its shortfalls. Since the MBTA is not planning to increase service, T riders may find themselves acting as de facto chaperones on more crowded buses, trains, and subway platforms.

 

More Meetings About Uber's Operations to Be Held in Cambridge Boston Magazine

The battle over Uber’s business operations is taking a back seat as Cambridge officials craft a new set of proposed regulations, and prepare for additional public hearings on the matter.

Andrea Jackson, chairwoman of the city’s License Commission, said the department’s executive director would do a “complete rewrite” of a proposal floated by the city earlier this month that set off a heated debate between fans of Uber’s on-demand car services, and drivers from the taxi industry that are under strict guidelines regulated by lawmakers.

 

Bike use is rising among the young, but it is skyrocketing among the old People for Bikes

There's no question that Generation Y's tendency to favor city life and its declining enthusiasm for car ownership has boosted bike transportation. But as the older Civil Rights Generation and the Baby Boomers who followed them have entered the last third of their lives, they've quietly transformed what it means to be the kind of person who rides a bicycle.

Between 1995 and 2009, the most recent year for which data is available from the National Household Travel Survey, the rise in biking among people ages 60-79 accounted for 37 percent of the total nationwide increase in bike trips.

 

There Is Now Scientific Evidence That Parking Makes People Crazy StreetsBlog

All this week, we’ve been unpacking the nuances of the first major study of protected bike lanes in the United States. Today, we’re wrapping things up by taking a moment for perhaps the most amusing finding in the179-page report.

Even when a protected bike lane project creates on-street parking spaces where none existed before, 30 percent of nearby residents think the project made parking worse.

 

5 Lessons U.S. Transit Systems Should Learn from London City Lab

Public transportation in London achieves the sort of financial efficiency that most U.S. transit agencies can only dream of matching. Last year, Transport for London (TfL) spent 6.8 billion pounds operating its bus, rail, and metro systems, and generated 4.8 billion pounds in revenue (mostly through fares). In the parlance of transit wonks, that's a recovery rate of roughly 70 percent. In general terms, it means riders pay for most TfL operations, leaving taxpayers on the hook for only a slice.

The agency isn't stopping there. By the end of this decade, TfL expects to break even across its entire system—meaning it won't need any public subsidies for operations at all. (It will still require public support for major capital projects and some periodic maintenance.) TfL even plans to cover the cost of routes and services that lose money but provide valuable public services.

 

"Streets"

  • Learning How You Experience Central Broadway Somerville by Design
  • Collaborative releases new police crash map, data Boston Cyclists Union
  • Rollout anticipated for new pushcart kiosks downtown Herald
  • Summer Streets returns with Park Avenue tunnel sound installation and 91-trumpeter performance Metro
  • Tolls, traffic and unintended consequences Amateur Planner
  • Civic-minded Couple Rescues Unsightly Corner Beacon Hill Times
  • Pedestrian-friendly development leads to profits, study finds Globe
  • Buzz Grows For Jamaica Plain Porchfest JP News
  • Can We End Traffic? WGBH

Bicycling

  • New Boston cycling program geared toward women Metro
  • Is Bike Share in the Future for the Pioneer Valley? Mass Bike
  • Driver of Japanese station wagon with newly cracked windshield sought for bicyclist hit and run in Cambridge Universal Hub
  • Fall 2013 Cycling and Pedestrian Count: A Look at Cycling Somerville Resistat
  • Cyclists Can Now 'Mind-Map' Their Ride & Discover Where They Get the Most Stressed BostInno
  • Head Injuries Didn't Rise in Bike-Share Cities. They Actually Fell City Lab
  • Grand Junction Path's star is rising Boston Cyclists Union
  • N.H. 5th grader rides bike to school for an entire year WHDH
  • A New Bike Lane That Could Save Lives and Make Cycling More Popular Wired
  • Bike Crash Map Offers Comprehensive Look at Boston Accidents Boston Magazine
  • Cambridge’s debuts first bicycle traffic signal Globe
  • 8 Takeaways From the Bike League’s Study of Cyclist Fatalities StreetsBlog
  • Bike Share for Kids? A new program in Paris has lessons for cities like Boston Boston Magazine
  • Longfellow Bike Count: Year 2 Amateur Planner
  • The ultimate riddle of supply and demand: bikeshare Washington Post
  • B/SPOKE adds to cycling craze in Boston Globe
  • Letters: A more bike-friendly world is nothing to scoff at Globe

Parks

  • A simple way to add art in Boston Globe
  • Boston Art Commission -- Field's Corner Public Art Project in Dorchester BostInno
  • Rain doesn't stop Roslindale parklet Universal Hub
  • Parklet could come to Aurum restaurant JP Gazette
  • Parklets Return To Boston For Summer WBUR
  • Blight of Central Square's Barron Plaza will drag down pushcart test, some fear Cambridge Day
  • JP Pets: City: No plans for more dog parks JP Gazette
  • Parklet future is unclear JP Gazette
  • Tasty Burger Unveils Cambridge's First Parklet Boston Magazine
  • Remnants of the Big Dig Could Help Bring More Innovation to the Rose Kennedy Greenway -- BRA Schedules Public Hearing for Greenway Ramp Parcel Study BostInno
  • Before and After by the Maintenance Team RKG
  • High-tech benches that can charge phones, monitor air quality to debut in Boston parks Biz Journals

Walking

  • FedEx Truck Hits, Kills Woman in Davis Square Somerville Patch
  • Boston Ranked One of the Best Walking Cities by: Walkable Urbanism Report BostInno
  • Town seeks to accommodate elder walkers Globe
  • Back Bay car crash kills pedestrians, Brookline couple Metro

Transit

  • 21 arrested after protest for MBTA youth passes Globe
  • Back Bay expansion joint gets a fix — after one year of painful crashes Globe
  • Taunton Project Wins Transportation Award MA Transpo Blog 
  • Amtrak Really Wants to Do Acela Wi-Fi Right This Time. Really. BostInno
  • MBTA cleaning service cuts protested at State House DOT News
  • The T's Arborway Yard plan: a recap JP Gazette
  • When's the last T? Walking Bostonian
  • MBTA says weekend ferries between South Shore and Boston ‘off to a great start’ Boston Globe
  • Women's Group Looking For Creative Types to Bring Public Art to South Station Boston Magazine
  • In July, Keolis Will Take Over Commuter Rail Operations Boston Magazine
  • MBTA Assembly Station to Open Later This Summer BostInno
  • Op-Ed: Sending school kids to school on public transit is a bad choice Globe
  • Push for restored weekend rail service continues Patriot Ledger
  • $210m contract awarded for South Coast commuter rail project Globe

Cars/Parking

  • Since uberX Launched, the Price of a Boston Taxi Medallion Has Only Gone Up  BostInno
  • Driver with suspended license charged in fatal Sharon crash WCVB
  • The MBTA Gets Tough On Drivers With Updated Cell Phone Policy Boston Magazine
  • Cambridge Officials Want to Discuss Uber's Services Boston Magazine
  • Tech Speaks Out Against Cambridge's Attempt to Take Down Uber BostInno
  • Cambridge Mayor David Maher Speaks Out on Uber Licensing Issues BostInno
  • Cambridge appears to be on the verge of doing something really, really stupid Blue Mass Group
  • How Cambridge and Boston Can Solve the Uber Crisis BostInno
  • Texting and Driving Crackdown Continues Boston Magazine
  • The Back Bay Speedway WGBH
  • MassDOT Wants Residents to Come Up With Next 'Use Yah Blinkah' Sign Boston Magazine
  • Alghazali Ghuzlan Faces Charges for Beacon Street Crash Boston Magazine
  • Taxis, Uber And The Stakes For Right Of Way Cognoscenti
  • Happy Birthday To Boston's Most Hated Tunnel Boston.com
  • More Meetings About Uber's Operations to Be Held in Cambridge Boston Magazine

Transportation Finance/Government

  • Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh withdraws proposal to waive residency rule for top city officials Globe
  • Audit: Poor MBTA planning cost $11M Herald
  • South Coast Rail Project Contract Approved MA Transpo Blog
  • Boston Youth Pass protesters angry over MBTA meeting shut out Metro
  • T plans to sell Arborway Yard JP Gazette
  • #DOTSPEAK Highway Safety Message Contest MA Transpo Blog
  • MBTA Team Aces APTA Customer Service Competition MA Transpo Blog

Development projects

  • New residential tower will join offices on Boston’s skyline Boston.com
  • Residents object to Forest Hills development JP Gazette
  • Big Time in Bean Town - New Boston mayor opens floodgates on development. ArchPaper
  • JPNA Gives Nod to 245 Sumner St. Eastie Times
  • Doing our homework on Union Square developer finalists continues The Somerville Times
  • Sullivan Square Gets Improvements Charlestown Bridge
  • Governor Patrick Leads Lynn Broadway Groundbreaking MA Transpo Blog
  • With the Godmayor gone from City Hall, Chiofaro proposes two skyscrapers for Aquarium garage Universal Hub, Globe
  • Group proposes mixed-use development for Roxbury Crossing Universal Hub
  • Somerville Union Square $1 Billion Redevelopment -- Magellan Development Group BostInno
  • Will Walsh boot a chance to boost housing in Hyde Park? Globe

Land Use/Planning

  • Old plans won¹t work in Boston¹s emerging downtown Globe
  • Smart zoning reform will lead to better development Somerville Times
  • Bowker Overpass Repairs Public Meeting Set MA Transpo Blog
  • Grand Junction Path scope changes as planners look to expand railroad Wicked Local 
  • Somerville zoning: sane at last Boston Globe
  • Forest Hills Bridge Supporters Call For Mayor Walsh to Act JP News
  • City expected to endorse Cleveland Circle plan despite resident-group's objections Biz Journals
  • Deal to renovate/manage Back Bay T Station would grant Boston Properties rights for new mixed-use tower Globe
  • Partners HealthCare's plan brings good news and bad news The Somerville News
  • Hyde Park Ave. project to shrink JP Gazette
  • Groups favor Washington St. study JP Gazette
  • BRA Board Approves Initiatives for Improved Building Accessibility, Greenway Ramps, and Allston House BRA
  • Assembly Square, Stage 2 -- Somerville Looks At Remaking The Next 73 Acres Banker and Tradesman
  • First Greenway Ramp Parcel Study Meeting Recap BRA
  • Some residents unhappy with proposed Allston Turnpike designs Wicked Local
  • State sees forests dwindle as development takes more land Globe

Out-of-state

  • DC
    • The Colossal Expectations of D.C.'s Newest Metro Line City Lab
    • Urban Trails, Neighborhood Partnerships: DC’s Metropolitan Branch Trail City Parks Blog
  • PA
    • In Pittsburgh, Residents Are Divided on What to Do About Famous Staircases WSJ
    • Jury Awards Precedent-Setting $2.4 Million to Doored Cyclist StreetsBlog
    • Philadelphia Planners and Police Looking for Pedestrian Safety Solutions Planetizen
    • Changing Skyline: Pedestrian safety is becoming a focus  Philly
  • FL
    • Orlando Steps Up To Make Its Streets More Pedestrian-Friendly NPR
  • CA
    • California High-Speed Rail Finally Finds the Funding It Needs City Lab
    • San Diego Added 39 Miles of Buffered Bike Lanes in the Last Year StreetsBlog
    • The Street Ballet of a Bike Lane Behind a Transit Stop StreetsBlog
    • Car-Free Lombard Street, Filled With People, is KPIX's Vision of "Chaos" SF StreetsBlog
    • Los Angeles Union Station: Looks Great And Works Well, Too! Urbanophile
    • Finally, Los Angeles moving ahead with rail connection to LAX Arch Paper
  • NY
    • NYC Transportation Head Outlines Priorities For Building Infrastructure & Public Space Arch Paper
    • Route Improvements - New York City eyes expansion of Select Bus Service Arch Paper
    • How a DOT Parking Rule Change Made NYC Streets Less Safe StreetsBlog
    • Every Bus Should Get Priority at NYC Traffic Signals StreetsBlog
    • De Blasio Signs Traffic Safety Bills, Says 25 MPH Will Go Into Effect This Fall StreetsBlog
    • No One Knows When Buffalo's Pedestrian Mall Overhaul Will Be Finished  City Lab
    • A New Mapping Tool Lets NYC Residents Peek Into Developers' Plans City Lab
  • MN
    • Minneapolis's Most Famous Street Gets Ready For a Makeover City Lab
    • Is the Twin Cities' New Light-Rail Line an Urban Planner's Dream? National Journal
  • OR
    • Portland Considers Transportation User Fee to Help Pay for Infrastructure StreetsBlog
  • TX
    • Austin Wants to Build a Light Rail-Streetcar Hybrid City Lab
    • Light Rail Success Story for Houston's Red Line Planetizen
    • Texas Transportation Commission approves $97M for trolleys in El Paso El Paso Times
  • GA
    • Some drivers upset over changes to Atlanta's Decatur Street 11 alive
    • Work Begins on Atlanta's Liberty Plaza Planetizen
  • AZ
    • Phoenix Is Pulling Off An Urban Miracle: Transforming Into A Walkable City Fast Co
  • OH
    • Columbus Prepares for a Dramatic Transit Makeover StreetsBlog
    • The Ridiculous Politics That Slow Down America's Best BRT Route StreetsBlog
  • TN
    • Memphis Turns Two Highway Lanes Into a Car-Free Oasis By the Mississippi StreetsBlog
  • MI
    • 7 Photos Show How Detroit Hollowed Out During the Highway Age StreetsBlog

National trends

  • To Fix the Highway Trust Fund, Why Not Raise the Gas Tax? Business Week
  • The Case for Tearing Down Park-and-Ride Lots City Lab
  • The Rise of Private 'Luxury' Mass Transit Buses City Lab
  • To Lure Travelers, Trains and Planes Start Competing on Faster Wi-Fi Business Week
  • What Happened to Head Injuries in Bike-Share Cities? Boston Magazine
  • In state elections, voters decline to punish pols for raising transportation taxes T4 America
  • The Triumphant Return of Private U.S. Passenger Rail City Lab
  • Gas Taxes, Road Repair And The US Infrastructure Crisis WBUR
  • What’s Up With That: Building Bigger Roads Actually Makes Traffic Worse Wired
  • Making the Real Estate Case for 'Walkable Urban Places' City Lab
  • Harley-Davidson invites public to test electric motorbike BBC
  • Think Bicycle Commuters Are Good Citizens? You're Probably A Democrat Huffington Post
  • Proterra, an Electric Bus Maker, Aims to Follow the Tesla Model Business Week
  • Bike use is rising among the young, but it is skyrocketing among the old People for Bikes
  • Public Park(ing) – Rise of the Parklet Movement Momentum Mag
  • This New Transit App May Get Me to Ditch My iPhone Slate
  • Olmsted the Hero, Moses the Villain City Lab
  • Why Commute Times Don't Change Much Even as a City Grows City Lab
  • Website Lets You Build a Better Bus System Boston.com
  • Will Julián Castro Follow Shaun Donovan’s Smart Growth Path at HUD? StreetsBlog
  • A Therapy Created to Treat Addiction Is Being Used to Reduce Car Reliance City Lab
  • America split between two community ideals Better Cities
  • Op-Ed: User Fees, Not General Funds, Should Fund Transportation Planetizen
  • Two-Way Streets Can Fix Declining Downtown Neighborhoods Planetizen
  • Study: Traffic Forecasts Are Often Inaccurate Planetizen
  • The Future ofAmerica's Roads: Smart Streets, Cars that Communicate Fast Co
  • In US Cities Where Walking Is Safer, It's Also More Popular Huffington Post
  • America's Invisible Trolley System Newsweek
  • People in Pedestrian-Friendly Cities Make More Money Wired
  • Study: Corrupt States Spend More on Highways StreetsBlog
  • There Is Now Scientific Evidence That Parking Makes People Crazy StreetsBlog
  • Study: Of All Transportation Modes, Cycling Evokes the Most Positive Mood StreetsBlog
  • Do Americans have the right to free parking? The Week 
  • Study -- protected bike lanes really do increase biking Vox
  • Why Public Transit Is Not Living Up to Its Social Contract City Lab
  • We Have Designed Cities To Make People Ill Fast Co
  • How the Bicycle Paved the Way for Women's Rights City Lab
  • You'll Be Seeing Bike Racks on Amtrak Very Soon! Rails to Trails
  • MOVING BEYOND CAR LEVEL OF SERVICE (LOS): Criteria for Transportation Investments, Project Designs, and Development Mitigation LivableStreets Blog
  • Who Really Owns Public Spaces? City Lab

International news

  • Shanghai Bike Culture and Urban Change Sustainable Cities
  • Europe's Cabbies, Fed Up With Uber, Plan a Day of Traffic Chaos Business Week
  • Why Japan's high-speed trains are so good Economist
  • Uber sees 850% jump in new sign-ups as cabs strike CNBC
  • Can a city really ban cars from its streets? BBC
  • Shareable cities--integration not separation for road users Woodhouse
  • Japan's proof-of-parking rule has an essential twin policy Reinventing Parking
  • How a Massive Bike Tour Inspired Montreal to Become a Bike-Friendly City StreetFilms
  • Finland points the Way to the Future of Urban Transportation Sustainable Cities Collective
  • How to make motor traffic feel unwelcome Bicycle Dutch
  • Sharing Space well in Hertogenbosch Bicycle Dutch
  • Madrid Rio -- A toast to the greatest urban park on Earth Globe
  • 5 Lessons U.S. Transit Systems Should Learn from London City Lab