September 17, 2012

MBTA Tracks Down Missing Trains
MBTA Tracks Down Missing Trains

(Photo Courtesy of Boston.com)
 

Bike4Life peddling toward $50K goal Metro

Morgan Rousseau-- A local organization aimed at improving biking, walking and transit conditions hopes to raise $50,000 to make the Boston area a safer place to get around.

LivableStreets Alliance's annual "Bike4Life" fundraiser, which is slated to culminate on Sept. 30 with a day of cycling in Newton, has already raised nearly $21,000 toward its goal. 

"Bike4Life is raising funds that will go to improving the quality of life for residents and commuters by creating better ways for them to get where they need to go daily," says Nina Garfinkle, president of LivableStreets.

 

MBTA General Manager: First New Commuter Rail Coaches Should Be Here by January BostInno

Steve Annear-- After traveling all the way to South Korea and having a “very frank” discussion with the company responsible for the delay of delivering Boston its owed 75 brand new Commuter Rail coaches, MBTA officials said they finally expect to have at least four of the vehicles on the tracks by January 2013.

“We have gotten a new schedule that they have provided to us. We had a discussion with [the company’s] Executive Officer, who had a frank discussion with his team that there would be no further delays,” said Acting General Manager Jon Davis, who called BostInno from overseas on Tuesday morning.

 

Downtown Crossing businesses cheer new Filene’s plan Boston.com

Gail Waterhouse-- Merchants and businesses in Boston’s Downtown Crossing are feeling optimistic about the redevelopment of the shopping district now that the Filene’s project appears to be back on track with a 600-foot skyscraper.

A forum at Suffolk University met Wednesday to discuss the future of Downtown Crossing, just two days after Millennium Partners revealed detailed plans for the redeveloping the Filene’s block at One Franklin Street that will include some 500 residences and significant retail space in a complex that includes a slender glass tower 55 stories high.

 

Yankee Stadium Parking Garages Almost Certainly Coming Down Streetsblog

Brad Aaron-- How long now before the Yankee Stadium parking fiasco becomes an unpleasant memory? In a brief Crain's item published last Friday (hat tip to Tri-State), Marlene Cintron, president of the Bronx Overall Economic Development Corporation, said that occupancy rates at the taxpayer-financed stadium garages are down from last year, and now stand below 50 percent.

The Bronx Parking Development Corporation is in default, as expected, according to Crain’s, and bondholders are weighing their options.

Mayor Bloomberg: 'Fifteen thousand miles of high speed rail in the world? Zero in America' Capital New York

Dana Rubenstein-- Michael Bloomberg decried America's levels of infrastructure investment today on MSNBC's "Morning Joe."

"If you take a look at what Washington has done to us, we have the worst congestion in the air of any big country," the mayor said. "The ten best and biggest ports in the world? Zero in the United States, six in China. If you can't get goods and services in and out, you can't do this. Fifteen thousand miles of high speed rail in the world? Zero in America. You can go right down the list, we have walked away from our future. "

"Streets"

Walking

  • ResiStat: Give One Hour to Support Somerville Bike and Pedestrian Efforts Somerville ResiStat
  • The Next Major Real Estate Cycle: Walkable Urbanism? Atlantic Cities
  • Downtown Streetscape Design and Wayfinding Program BRA News
  • Crossing Guards Urge Somerville Officials to Implement Safety Measures Somerville Patch
  • Do traffic signals make Boston pedestrians more Massholish than their counterparts in Cambridge? Universal Hub

Bicycling

  • Zagster: Bike Sharing on the Zipcar Model BostInno

Transit

  • YOUR VIEW: Eliminating Plymouth Station key to improving rail service Wicked Local
  • Historic Photos: Public transit marks 115 years in Boston WCVB
  • Imagine: Building an entire subway tunnel in less than three years Universal Hub
  • Back Bay Station, Part II I Ride the T
  • Public transit satisfies Curiosity Boston Herald
  • Transit system must serve all who depend on it Boston.com
  • Options for the MBTA Belmont Patch
  • MBTA wants to kill off Red/Blue connector idea once and for all Universal Hub
  • 'Oh, for T's sake!' Are some MBTA riders too finicky? Metro
  • MBTA Innovative Technology and Mobile Apps BostInno
  • Nobody Likes Riding North American Commuter Rail Pedestrian Observations
  • Editorial: Stop runaway train Boston Herald 

Cars/Parking

Transportation financing/Government

  • Massachusetts Transportation Bench is Running on Empty Boston Magazine
  • MIT - Fred Salvucci honored by Eno Center for Transportation MIT
  • Missing MBTA Trains
    • MBTA boss to hunt down tardy rail coaches in South Korea Metro
    • MBTA Expects New Trains by 2013; MBTA Delayed Train Schedule BostInno
    • S. Korea company to MBTA on 75 late trains: "We're embarrassed" Metro
  • Amtrak Funding Caught In Crosshairs Of Presidential Race Boston.com
  • MassDOT Board to Weigh $45 Million Green Line Contract Wednesday Medford Patch
  • Board stiff at MassDOT Commonwealth Magazine
  • Thomas Glynn named CEO to head Massachusetts Port Authority Boston Globe
  • MassDOT Board Authorizes $45 Green Line Extension Design Contract Somerville Patch
  • Registry will 'be ready' for proof of legal residence law in January Wicked Local
  • Selectman: Why isn't roadwork money being spent? Wicked Local
  • Medford MBTA chief talks about first year on the job Wicked Local
  • Fairmount Indigo Planning Initiative looks for economic jolt along rail line Boston.com
  • Glynn to be tapped for Massport head Commonwealth Magazine
  • MBTA approves $25 million for garage Salem News

Parks

Development projects

Land Use/Planning

  • Key link can be found between city’s industries and housing needs Boston Globe
  • What If We Supplied Hamburgers the Same Way We Supply Roads? Streetsblog
  • Urban planning in Greater Boston needs to aim higher Boston Globe
  • The Death - and Life - of Small Downtown America Atlantic Cities
  • The bridge that divides Boston.com
  • Cambridge residents want more say in Central Square Red Ribbon Commission Wicked Local
  • Eateries to be among 1st in Assembly Row Boston Globe
  • Smaller developments in South Boston bloom Biz Journals
  • Resident pens Forest Hills history book JP Gazette

Out-of-state

  • California
  • New York
    • Yankee Stadium Parking Garages Almost Certainly Coming Down Streetsblog
    • Data Show a City’s Car Sharing May Be Working, but Doubts Persist NY Times
    • Cab-Hailing Apps Not Allowed by New York Taxi Commission NY Times
    • Reckless Drivers Who Hit People Face Few Penalties in New York NY Times
  • Vermont Strong: A Transportation Tale of Recovery from Irene's Devastation NRDC
  • Tennessee DOT Moves Past Road-Widening as a Congestion Reduction Strategy DC Streetsblog
  • Light rail helps Charlotte avoid Tampa's bus woes TampaBay.com
  • Evaluating land use codes and transportation performance in Oklahoma City Smart Growth America
  • Texas OKs nation's fastest speed limit, 85 mph, on new road LA Times
  • Chicago releases 1st pedestrian safety plan Chicago Tribune
  • Portland, Ore., city planners crafting a bike-friendly cityscape USA Today
  • Walkable Tyson's Corner? Over VDOT's dead streetscape Better! Cities
  • Georgia Prosecutor Continues Case Against Raquel Nelson DC Streets Blog
  • Accident pushes concerns about bus stop safety back into spotlight Las Vegas Sun
  • Amtrak Downeaster to extend beyond Portland to Freeport, Brunswick Boston.com, KJ Online
  • Examiner prints incendiary anti-bike cover Greater Greater Washington

National trends

  • Bikes
  • Rail
  • Vote: What Should Happen to the Gas Tax? WSJ
  • How Will Boomers Reshape U.S. Cities? Governing.com
  • America's Best Transportation Projects Are All Highways DC Streestblog
  • The Tricky Second Wave of Urban Highway Removals Atlantic Cities
  • If You Want Walkable Development, You Must Show That It Pays Atlantic Cities
  • Tea Party vs. planning boards -- Recycling, tree pruning, and other assaults on liberty Boston Globe

International news

  • In Bike-Friendly Copenhagen, Highways For Cyclists NPR
  • Bicycle Culture by Design: The State of Copenhagen Congestion Copenhaganize I, II, III, IV 
  • A Chinese City Moves to Limit New Cars NY Times
  • Is London Serious About Building a Network of Elevated Bike Lanes? Atlantic Cities
  • Why China's Subway Boom Went Bust Atlantic Cities