June 10, 2014

Family Biking
A new age in commuting
(Photo courtesy of Boston Globe)
 

Parents buy in to bikes with kids aboard Globe

In certain enclaves around Boston, parenting is already a competitive sport. But the standards are getting even higher. A number of mothers and fathers are piling two, three, even four kids on a single bike, dropping off the older ones at school, pedaling the younger ones to day care, and then riding to the office, ready to start their day. Called cargo bikes, the pedal-powered behemoths may become the new minivan. And with prices that can surpass $4,000, they cost as much as bikes typically pedaled by a rider wearing spandex, not mom jeans.

Boston-area youth need boost a T pass would offer Globe

A comprehensive MBTA youth pass is long overdue. While the T sells a discounted pass to high schools for select students, many still pay to get to school and can’t afford it. Meanwhile, the T does nothing for teens and young adults who are in alternative education or for those who are entering the workforce, for whom bus fare is typically one-fourth or more of a week’s pay. It’s hard enough for city youth to thrive. Our transportation system should help give them a step up, not be stacked against them.

For tech job seekers its all about city Globe

When it comes to tech jobs, the suburbs are so last decade. Once the center of gravity for the state’s technology community, the suburbs are now more on the outer rings. In 2013, for example, Burlington, Lexington, and Waltham collectively accounted for just 13 percent of open positions for software engineers, while Cambridge and Boston jobs combined for a whopping 63 percent, according to an analysis by the recruitment giant WinterWyman. For companies hoping to hire top talent, the simple fact is that most tech workers want to live and work in the city.

 

It's Time to Embrace Congestion Pricing Gizmodo

An ambitious new transportation plan for DC announced last week includes a massive public transit expansion, additional subway line, and beefed up network of bike lanes. But the proposal that's getting the most attention is the introduction of congestion pricing. Yes, DC wants to charge cars to enter its downtown. And more cities should.

 

France experiments with paying people to cycle to work Reuters

In France, some 20 companies and institutions employing a total of 10,000 people have signed up to pay their staff 25 euro cents (34 U.S. cents) per kilometer biked to work, the transport ministry said in a statement on Monday.

 

"Streets"

  • Letters: State would take high road in building underpasses along Charles River Globe
  • First ever ADA and Accessibility Survey of an entire city needs residents participation Somerville Times
  • Wide Boulevard Syndrome: the mistake that planners love to make, over and over again Walking Bostonian
  • City commits to better transportation with Complete Streets Globe
  • BTD Installs Traffic Signals at Blue Hill Avenue and Clarkwood Street, Dorchester City of Boston
  • Bridj Founder Teases Additional Route, Talks Pop-Up Service's Launch BostInno
  • For tech job seekers its all about city Globe
  • Op-Ed: A more vibrant waterfront without convention center expansion Globe

Bicycling

  • Indiegogo Campaign Aims 'To Get More Butts on Bikes' In This Dorchester Neighborhood BostInno
  • SNN #15 - May 20, 2014: Biking Safety YouTube
  • DCR to study Arborway bike lanes JP Gazette
  • Take a Virtual Bike Ride on the Green Line Extension Community Path BostInno
  • Parents buy in to bikes with kids aboard Globe
  • Back Bay parking meters just for cars, bicyclists are learning Universal Hub
  • Lexington achieves bronze level biking status MassBike
  • Cyclists, don your gas masks Globe
  • The Bike Carcasses of Stony Brook JP Gazette
  • Hubway Did It! Breaks Single Day Ridership Record Boston Biker

Parks

  • City Hall Plaza deals a steal Herald
  • 9 Bright Ideas Win Funding To Refresh Boston’s Public Spaces WBUR

Walking

  • Marty Walsh launches review, vows sidewalk mends Herald
  • BRA plans $5M sidewalk overhaul Herald

Transit

  • Plans are in the works to add local commuter runs on Amtrak passenger train line MassLive
  • Allston rail station plan scrapped for now Globe
  • Boston-area youth need boost a T pass would offer Globe
  • South Coast Rail: Technical Assistance Grants MA Transpo Blog
  • A NOTE FOR THE NEXT GOVERNOR: Travel is the Least Important Thing about Transportation LivableStreets
  • New Balance commuter rail station to debut two years later than previously expected Globe
  • Express Bus: Back Bay to Logan Airport MA Transpo Blog
  • MBTA wireless: One of the largest end-to-end systems is getting even better Beta Boston
  • MassDOT misses importance of rail in Allston plans Globe
  • Uberboat debuts in Boston to let you navigate the harbor starting June 4 BostInno
  • OFF TRACK: WTF HAPPENED TO THE ALLSTON COMMUTER RAIL? Dig Boston
  • MBTA: Fare Increases Begin July 1 MA Transpo Blog
  • We Took UberBOAT Around Boston Harbor, & This Is What Happened BostInno

Cars/Parking

  • When It Comes to Uber, Cab Drivers Have a Public Relations Problem Boston Magazine
  • Southie residents upset over Bastille’s valet parking plan Herald
  • How Much do Boston UberX Drivers Make in a Night? BostInno
  • Boston UberX Driver Fined $500 by Undercover Police Officer BostInno
  • Boston Police Have Ticketed Multiple UberX Drivers BostInno
  • Tobin Bridge: All-Electronic Tolling Testing Begins MA Transpo Blog
  • Boston could soon launch smartphone parking app for meters, eliminating the need for quarters Globe

Transportation Finance/Government

  • MBTA GM Crushes C-SPAN, Testifies Before the Senate Banking Committee BostInno
  • The upcoming Red and Orange Line subway car order is massively overpriced. What's going on? Walking Bostonian
  • MBTA General Manager Dr Beverly Scott Senate CSPAN, CSPAN
  • Cleaning House Boston Magazine
  • Briefing Book for candidates for MA governor T4MA
  • Mayor Martin J. Walsh blasts city’s property management chief on City Hall Plaza repairs Globe
  • Op-Ed: Mayor Walsh wants to make exemptions to residency. But he should want to wipe it out Globe

Development projects

  • Rt. 39 improvement delayed again JP Gazette
  • An urgency to build in Boston - Opinion Globe
  • CRA likes shipping container marketplace concept, has expert to advise on Foundry Cambridge Day
  • Gap filled in downtown Herald
  • Turnpike project is heading the wrong way Globe
  • New owner to finish JFK-UMass apartment complex DOT News
  • Longfellow Bridge workers rescued after fall Metro
  • Methuen rotary project to start soon Eagle Tribune
  • Lee: Tyringham Road Reconstruction MA Transpo Blog

Land Use/Planning

  • JPNC creates Forest Hills committee JP Gazette
  • Neighbors want BRA to review 101 Brookley JP Gazette
  • Yancey opposes bus yard move JP Gazette
  • Walsh backs off call for Casey review JP Gazette
  • B.R.A. receptive to call for rezoning in Southie Herald
  • Allston Interchange Task Force tackles urban design Wicked Local
  • No plans to include proposed ‘West Station’ in turnpike reconstruction project, MassDOT officials say Globe
  • Editorial: Sprawl takes a fall? Lawmakers should approve zoning bill to promote transit-oriented development Globe
  • New Bedford-Fairhaven Bridge Corridor Public Meeting MA Transpo Blog
  • Summer Zoning Workshops Somerville by Design

Out-of-state

  • FL
    • Jacksonville ranked third worst city for pedestrians First Coast
  • NY
    • Did Cooper Stock really have to die? Yahoo
    • A Girl Gets Mothers to Start Biking Again NY Times
    • New York's Big Step Toward Safer Streets for All CityLab
    • A Visual Elegy for Buffalo's Pedestrian Mall CityLab
  • CA
    • Famous San Francisco Lombard Street to see summer closing Globe
    • Closing Lombard Street: The Language of Taking Cars for Granted SF StreetsBlog
    • In the Pedways of Los Angeles Past, a Vision of a Pedestrian-Friendly Future CityLab
    • Sweet New Protected Bikeway On Beautiful Rosemead Blvd in Temple City LA StreetsBlog
    • $2.1 Billion in Federal Transit Funding for the 'Subway to the Sea' in Los Angeles Planetizen
  • DC
  • MD
    • Greg Cantori's velomobile turns heads, keeps pace Baltimore Sun
  • VT
    • Gov. Shumlin signs largest investment in transportation infrastructure in state history VT.gov
  • OR
    • Protected bicycle lanes' safety, livability benefits worth cost of removing car lanes, Portland State study says Oregon Live
  • TX
    • Austin Wants to Build a Light Rail-Streetcar Hybrid CityLab 
    • Street plans call for doing more with less driving room Houston Chronicle
  • WI
    • Milwaukee Transit Advocates Win $13.5 Million Settlement From State DOT StreetsBlog
  • AL
    • Infamous YouTube Run em in a Ditch Driver Arrested in Alabama StreetsBlog

National trends

  • The Sidewalk of the Future Is Not So Concrete CityLab
  • Op-Ed: Driverless cars -- Closer than they appear Globe
  • 5 Crucial Principles for 21st Century Transportation Systems CityLab
  • Skateboarding Is Transportation, Too CityLab
  • Protected Bike Lanes Aren't Just Safer, They Can Also Increase Cycling CityLab
  • No Longer for Punks, Skateboards Cater to Yuppie Commuters WSJ
  •  A Parking Garage That Makes You Want to Keep Hunting for a Space CityLab
  • Parking Craters: Scourge of American Downtowns StreetFilms
  • The Better Block Celebrates Four Years of Re-imagining Streets StreetFilms
  • The Case For A 19 MPH Speed Limit Fast Co Design
  • Keys to a better streetscape Better Cities
  • It's Time to Embrace Congestion Pricing Gizmodo
  • How to Make Mass Transit Financially Sustainable Once and for All CityLab
  • Moving Transportation Projects into the Fast Lane Governing.com

International news

  • Paris to Set Default Citywide Speed Limit Below 20 MPH StreetsBlog
  • What Happens When You Introduce Airport-Style Security to the World's Busiest Subway CityLab
  • City of Montreal to pump $10 million into expanding bike paths Montreal Gazette
  • For Rome mayor, transit is key issue Globe
  • 15 of World's Best Urban Bike Infrastructures Gizmodo
  • France experiments with paying people to cycle to work Reuters
  • Montreal Will Turn Two Residential Streets Into Cycle Streets Planetizen
  • Paris Plans to Adopt Citywide Slow Speed Zone Planetizen
  • Parking in some areas of Beijing now costs more than $160,000 GZ.com