April 21, 2014

Midnight Marathon Bike Ride
The Midnight Marathon Bike Ride Rolls Again
(Photo courtest of BostInno)
 

The Midnight Marathon Bike Ride Rolls into Boston Without a Hitch BostInno

Lauren Landry—Cyclists met in Hopkinton Sunday night for a 26.2-mile marathon of their own. The fifth annual Midnight Marathon Bike Ride went off without a hitch, despite riders having to hitch a ride out to the start of the race.

More than 1,000 people pedaled the Boston Marathon route before it was overtaken by runners and supporters Monday morning. Hosted by social arts and events group BostonSOS, the afterhours ride has become a cherished, city-wide tradition.

Parking-Free Developments: Panacea Or Ploy? WGBH

Some Boston officials are pushing a parking fix that might surprise you. They’re allowing developers to build residential buildings without any parking in hopes of encouraging city-dwellers to hop on a bike, bus or train to get around. But not everyone is on board with the idea.

Sullivan Square traffic dangers eyed after another serious crash Boston Herald

O’Ryan Johnson—A man in his 70s was struck by a car near the rotary at Sullivan Square in Charlestown yesterday, just days after a bicyclist was killed near the same spot.

“It’s alarming when more than one dangerous traffic incident has taken place in the same area,” said Kate Norton, a spokeswoman for Mayor Martin J. Walsh. “It’s important to understand how these accidents happened to determine what we might change to reduce the risk.”

Tennessee Passes Mind-Boggling Ban on Bus Rapid Transit Wired

Keith Barry—Tennessee lawmakers have finalized a deal approving a bus rapid transit project, which the Senate originally attempted to block.

The deal will allow Nashville’s AMP bus rapid transit project to proceed, but with greater oversight from the state’s General Assembly, according to The Tennessean. The deal, brokered Thursday by a conference committee of House and Senate lawmakers, allows BRT projects to use separate lanes, but such projects will require Assembly approval even if they don’t use state funding.

Watch 'Real-Time' Transit Planning Help North America's Busiest Bus Line Atlantic Cities

Eric Jaffe—Vancouver has a problem with its 99 Broadway bus that most cities would envy: it's too popular. The 99 is part of a Broadway bus corridor that's considered the busiest in North America, carrying about 100,000 riders a day. At some stops, despite coming every few minutes during morning rush, the buses hardly put a dent in the lines of passengers awaiting the next one.

"Streets"

  • Letters: Safer roads needed for cyclists, motorists to share Boston Globe
  • Letters: Sullivan Square area has been an accident waiting to happen Boston Globe
  • Sullivan Square traffic dangers eyed after another serious crash Boston Herald
  • Pothole and Winter Recovery Program Announced MA Transpo Blog
  • Charlestown’s circle of hell Boston Globe
  • COLUMN: MassDOT needs to fix our Charles River bridges now Wicked Local

Bicycling

  • Cambridge cyclists took 32,000 Hubway trips this winter Metro
  • Letters: Bicyclists must curb their wild ways Boston Globe
  • Visualizing Cambridge’s Bike-Crash Data Boston Magazine
  • Why I Ride My Bike – And Why You Should Too WBUR
  • WinterBiker campaign to bear fruit in summer & fall Boston Cyclist Union
  • The Bixi Bike-Share Bankruptcy Saga Just Got Even More Interesting Atlantic Cities
  • Hubway Station Moved From Post Office to Bank of America JP News
  • The Midnight Marathon Bike Ride Rolls into Boston Without a Hitch BostInno

Walking

  • Walking and Biking Advocates Make The Case For Active Transportation At The Massachusetts Bike/Walk Summit Mass Bike
  • Wayfinder Maps Help You Stay on Track Walking Around Downtown Boston BostInno

Transit

  • Looks like the T isn't bluffing about not restoring service on the A Line Universal Hub
  • Meet the 8th Grade MBTA Blogger Who Rides Boston Buses for Fun BostInno
  • Why Bikers Will Love the MBTA Green Line Extension BostInno
  • Bus Plus: New Regional Services MA Transpo Blog
  • Silver Line service needs to expand Commonwealth Magazine
  • New Train Headed to City Tomorrow Mass Transit Mag
  • Mass PoeTry coming to an MBTA trolley near you Metro
  • MBTA joins global fight against transit sexual harassment Metro
  • Second Weekend of Late-Night T Service was Successful BostInno
  • A ‘Smart’ Transit System Is Coming To Boston WBUR

Cars/Parking

  • Parking-Free Developments: Panacea Or Ploy? WGBH
  • Resident parking to commence in Four Corners DOT News
  • Boston’s parking solution is not more parking - Opinion  Boston Globe
  • sPARKing New Ideas: Parking Strategies for Stronger Communities MAPC

Transportation Finance/Government

  • Governor Patrick Announces "Go Time" Real Time Traffic System MA Transpo Blog
  • Boston Mayor Martin Walsh calls for Fenway Center tax break Boston Globe
  • Massachusetts drivers get real time traffic info Boston.com
  • MBTA GM Named Woman of the Year BostInno
  • MBTA fare hike: T to hold public hearings ahead of proposed 5 percent increase Metro

Development projects

  • BJ’s may be headed to Roxbury Boston Globe
  • The Pike Straightening in context Amateur Planner
  • Highway project holds promise for revamped region Boston Globe
  • West Roxbury developer agrees to shrink size of proposed residential project at Centre and LaGrange Universal Hub
  • Car lot project gets major revisions JP Gazette
  • Casey Overpass Project Goes Out to Bid JP News

Land Use/Planning

  • Southie building boom jams parking Boston Herald
  • Allston Community Calls for Neighborhood Improvements through Mass. Turnpike Realignment The Crimson
  • Waterfront revival sought by City Hall Boston Globe
  • People's Pike supporters call for a bolder Mass Pike project Universal Hub
  • BRA could approve long-delayed $80M project in Cleveland Circle Biz Journals
    • BRA cancels review of $80M Cleveland Circle project after neighborhood group protests Biz Journals
  • JPNC chair seeks Forest Hills development committee JP Gazette
  • Bus yard demo leaves hole in plans JP Gazette
  • Casey project moves ahead; Shea Sq. approved JP Gazette
  • Increasing Civic Participation Somerville by Design
  • BRA Board Moves Projects Forward BRA

Out-of-state

  • TX
    • Demolishing Dallas’ I-345 To Make Room for Economic Growth ArchPaper
  • DC
  • NC
    • Parking Politics Take a Bite Out of Downtown Raleigh StreetsBlog
  • WA
    • Seattle Just Became the First City to Cap the Number of UberX and Lyft Drivers on the Road Atlantic Cities
  • TN
    • Is Effective Transit Possible in a Transit-Hostile City? Transport Politic
    • Tennessee Passes Mind-Boggling Ban on Bus Rapid Transit Wired
  • CA
    • The Case for Evening Parking Meters, Graphed SF StreetsBlog
    • Huge mode shift reported for California SSTI
    • How they did it: Angelenos win their first protected bike lane People for Bikes
    • Mapping All 43 Awesome San Francisco Public Parklets Curbed SF
  • CO
    • Denver Auditor Blasts Plan to Widen I-70: Ten lanes is not an option StreetsBlog
  • NY
    • Citi Bike reveals how New Yorkers ride their bikes TreeHugger
  • CT
    • We Razed 270 Houses and All We Got Was This Lousy Boat Shop Next City

National trends

  • Cutting Car Reliance, One Trip at a Time Atlantic Cities
  • America's Cities are Still Too Afraid to Make Driving Unappealing Atlantic Cities
  • Quick Walk to the Store is a Rare Thing Atlantic Cities
  • Moody's: Future Is Bright for U.S. Transit Sector StreetsBlog
  • The Fiscal Insanity of Highway Building StreetsBlog
  • Bike Lanes Don’t Cause Traffic Jams If You’re Smart About Where You Build Them 538
  • Have U.S. Light Rail Systems Been Worth the Investment? Atlantic Cities
  • These 8 Depressing Bike Theft Statistics Show Just How Bad the Problem Is Atlantic Cities
  • Why The Government Just Threw Down $225 Million On Hybrid Electric Trains Think Progress

International news

  • Watch 'Real-Time' Transit Planning Help North America's Busiest Bus Line Atlantic Cities
  • Dutch Test Glow-In-The-Dark Road Of The Future NPR