May 2, 2013

Harvard gains recognition for its forward-looking bike initiatives 

Photo courtesy of Bike League

     

    Livable Streets Alliance Hosts 'Rush Hour Race' Boston Magazine

    Steve Annear-- The LivableStreets Alliance, which promotes alternative modes of travel, and the Somerville Bicycle Committee, are teaming up to determine which method of transportation is the most efficient when going from Davis Square to South Station during peak travel hours for the second annual “Rush Hour Race.”

    This year’s event will slightly change formats from last year’s inaugural experiment, where the race, from Davis Square to Kendall Square, featured a cyclist, driver, and T rider, by adding in a runner and inline skater. Last year, a cyclist proved it was easiest to navigate the streets of Greater Boston in order to get to work by taking a bike from Somerville to Cambridge during the busiest travel times in the morning, however, the travel route and destination may prove to be more difficult this time around.

     

    JCDecaux Boston maps lost in translation Boston Herald

    Donna Goodison-- No, you are not here!

    In an embarrassing cartographic snafu, inaccurate street maps posted on advertising-backed signs throughout the city will have to be corrected or replaced by the New York outdoor advertising firm that has a multimillion-dollar contract with the city.

    Some of the maps produced by JCDecaux North America are missing their “you are here” markers. Others have the “you are here” dots in the wrong place.

     

    Op-Ed: Legislature’s more limited transportation proposal moves Massachusetts in right direction Boston Globe

    Edward Glaeser-- GOVERNOR PATRICK is displeased with our legislators. Instead of his 10 year, $13 billion transportation plan, supported by an increased income tax, the Legislature has put forward a more modest approach, making fewer promises for big projects and asking travelers to pay more of the costs of their transportation. However disappointing to Patrick, this more limited approach comes closer to how we ought to be raising money for transportation. Legislative leaders are dead right to expect commuters — not general taxpayers who would pay the income tax hike that Patrick proposed — to cover the costs of transportation infrastructure.

     

    Obama nominates Foxx - mayor of Charlotte, NC -to run Transportation Department Washington Post

    AP-- President Barack Obama on Monday tapped rising Democratic politician Anthony Foxx to lead the Department of Transportation, an agency at the center of Washington’s fiscal fights.

    Foxx, the mayor of Charlotte, N.C., is the first black nominee among the president’s picks for open spots in his second term Cabinet. The president had faced questions, including from the Congressional Black Caucus, about a lack of diversity in his first round of nominations after winning re-election.

     

    In Praise of the Stockholm Subway's Breathtaking Art Atlantic Cities

    Kaid Benfield-- The Wikipedia entry for Stockholm’s Metro system says that it has 100 stations in use along about 65 miles of track. I seem to recall that Stockholm was one of the cities used to illustrate the concept of transit-oriented development in Michael Bernick and Robert Cervero’s 1996 book on the subject, Transit Villages in the 21st Century. I also know that Stockholm was an early adopter of congestion pricing for roadways.What I didn’t know until now, however, was that transportation innovation in the Swedish capital and its suburbs also extends to a flamboyant display of public art in its Metro stations. Indeed, The website Twisted Sifter relays the claim that the system is basically "the world’s longest art exhibit"

     

    "Streets"

    • The Psychology of a Citywide Lockdown Atlantic Cities
    • Newton mayor’s budget adds $1 million for road repairs Newton budget plan targets infrastructure Newton budget plan targets infrastructure Boston.com
    • Arlington officials seek to move ahead with Mass. Ave. project Boston.com
    • Food Trucks Given the OK until December 2014 Brookline Patch
    • Trash cans lacking in Centre/South JP Gazette
    • Washington Street Repaving: What Road Needs to be Next? Roslindale Patch
    • Bostonians return to Boylston Street Universal Hub
    • Livable Streets Alliance Hosts 'Rush Hour Race'Boston Magazine

    Walking

    Bicycling

    Transit

    Cars/Parking

    • Boston to close Winthrop Square garage Boston Globe
    • CLF Applauds New Massachusetts Electric Vehicle Incentive Program CLF.org
    • City offers free parking in Back Bay to bring back business WCVB
    • Uber Wants to Get In on This Whole Ridesharing Thing Boston Magazine

    Transportation financing/Government

    • Massachusetts highway administrator boosts I-91 overhaul in Springfield, possible restoration of turnpike tolls MassLive
    • Union Station project in Springfield gets $467,400 contribution from MassDevelopment environmental work Mass Live
    • State puts 4 small parcels up for bids JP Gazette
    • Patrick-Murray Administration Boosts Freight Rail Projects MA Transport Blog
    • Op-Ed: Legislature’s more limited transportation proposal moves Massachusetts in right direction Boston Globe

    Parks

    • Bringing The Forest Into The City -- Gina Crandell’s ‘Tree Gardens’ WBUR
    • Opening Celebrated for Boston South End Park Near I-90 MA Transport Blog

    Development projects

    • PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS The Priority Must Be Enhancing Public Value LivableStreets Blog
    • ‘Sausage’ site at 399 Congress Street in Seaport District may get stuffed with housing Boston Herald
    • Op-Ed: Seed urban neighborhoods with micro-apartments Boston Globe
    • Selectmen's vote to advance Mass. Ave. is unanimous Word on the Street
    • MassDOT responds to Casey bias claims JP Gazette
    • Task Force to protest condo plan JP Gazette
    • Longfellow Bridge Construction: Progress, But Questions Remain Mass Bike
    • LETTER: Developers should leave Cambridge neighborhood better, safer Wicked Local

    Land Use/Planning

    • A better idea for Melnea Cass Boulevard Walking Bostonian
    • Supermarket Requirement Nixed for One Canal--Now What? Curbed
    • Blessed Sacrament campus stirs controversy again JP Gazette
    • Red Sox push for permanent rights to public streets Boston Globe

    Out-of-state

    • NY
      • New York Tries Out Bike Parking Corrals to Protect Separated Bike Lanes Atlantic Cities
      • City Won’t Support Bill for New Cabs to Be Wheelchair-Accessible NY Times
      • How Gross Is the Air of the NYC Subway, Really? Atlantic Cities
      • If You Ride a Bike for Work, These New Rules Will Make Your Life Suck Animal New York
      • Sharing Bikes and Fury in New York Neighborhoods NY Times
    • CA
      • Chinese Firm to Open Bus Factory in Lancaster Mass Transit Mag
      • Community Leadership Alliance calls for SFMTA to proceed with original Polk plan Examiner
      • Separated Bike-Ped Path Coming to Mansell Street in McLaren Park by 2016 SF StreetsBlog
      • Non-drivers hog the road at 6th and biggest CicLAvia LA Times
      • Transportation Observations from San Francisco Somerville Patch
    • OR
      • PBOT nears final decision on "right-sizing" and bike lane for SE Division Bike Portland
      • The business benefits of on-street bike corrals: An infographic Bike Portland
      • Fearing parking loss, downtown business group stops 'Street Seats' program Bike Portland
      • Riders discover woman driving car on I-205 Bridge bike path Bike Portland
      • Mapping the Subtle Science of Parking Demand Atlantic Cities
    • FL
      • Gainesville city commission moves ahead with $100K streetcar study Gainesville.com
      • Miami Trolleys a Hit, Expanding South to Vizcaya, North to Wynwood, Midtown Mobile Mass Transit Mag
    • GA
      • Atlanta Streetcar's Wait Time Prompts Concern Mass Transit Mag
      • Can Atlanta Become a Top 10 Cycling City?WNYC
    • PA
    • IL
    • TX
      • The wonder of libertarian zoning laws, West, Texas edition Daily KOS

    National Trends

    • AAA Spokesman: Leading DC Urbanist “Retarded” and “Like the Klan” StreetsBlog
    • High visibility enforcement improves safety US DOT
    • The First Mass Transit Super Bowl? WNYC
    • Leadership Innovation City Parks Blog
    • An E.V. That Wraps Around a Wheelchair NY Times
    • Walking May Help Prevent Dementia In Seniors, If Only They Could Do It Safely Atlantic Cities
    • Why aren’t younger Americans driving anymore? Washington Post
    • The Advertiser That Embraces Bicycles: Regions Bank StreetFilms
    • How to Charge Millions of Electric Cars? Not All at Once -- Preparing for the Power Demands of an Electric Car Boom NY Times
    • Building a Bike and Pedestrian Lobby With Teeth Atlantic Cities
    • Obama nominates Foxx - mayor of Charlotte, NC -to run Transportation Department Washington Post
    • Better Bicycling Community Grants Lead to 3 New Open Streets People Powered Movement
    • The Coming Bold Transformation of the American City Atlantic Cities
    • 16 Rules for 'Smarter' Smart Growth Atlantic Cities

    International news