August 15, 2012


Union Square's Green Line Extension Gets the Green Light
(Photo Courtesy of The Somerville Patch)

Highlights

Cambridge Council lets Forest City petition expire, developer sent back to drawing board Wicked Local

By Erin Baldassari-- Nearly two months of heightened public debate came down to a voice vote Monday as the Cambridge City Council allowed Forest City’s petition to expire, effectively rejecting their proposal to build a 246,000-square-foot commercial development at 300 Mass. Ave. while still allowing them to return with an alternate proposal. In the end it all came down to affordable housing. (For more: Wicked Local, Boston.com)

 

Bicycling Boston; Becoming the Green and Healthy Thing To Do Back Bay Sun

By The Back Bay Sun Staff-- The announcement last week by Mayor Menino that the city is allowing the addition of another 400 Hubway bicycles at an additional number of stops in more than several neighborhoods.

 

In Boston, $300G will get you a parking spot Boston Herald

By Jennifer Athas-- Finding parking in downtown Boston can be difficult and expensive. Rental options range from about $200 to $400 per month, but would you pay up to $300,000 just to have your own guaranteed parking space in the city?

Near the Boston Common, at 170 Tremont St. in the Parkside condominium building, Steven Fung of William Raveis Real Estate is offering an in-door parking space with a 24-hour valet attendant for $32,000. Buyers of this heated space can enjoy no more parking tickets. There is a monthly maintenance fee associated with this parking space of $297 per month.

 

Agreement Says Union Square Green Line Station Operational by 2017 Somerville Patch

By Chris Orchard-- The city, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation and the MBTA have entered into a memorandum of agreement regarding the future Union Square Green Line station, according to an announcement sent by the city Friday afternoon.

According to the announcement, the city will purchase land in Union Square for the station and then grant a permanent easement to the MBTA.

As part of the agreement, the MBTA and MassDOT commit to beginning construction on the station no later than spring of 2014 and making it operational by late 2016 or early 2017.

 

More Americans Are Walking NY Times

By Kate Yandell-- The proportion of adults who said they went on a 10-minute walk at least once a week increased to 62 percent in 2010, from 56 percent in 2005, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported. (For more: WBUR)

 

London Encourages Walking and Cycling During Olympic Games The City Fix

By Matt Kroneberger-- Though London’s mobility options are numerous, strain on the larger transport network is bound to be extensive during the games, as regular Londoners and all the visitors, reporters, volunteers and athletes compete for the same space on traditional transit.

Traffic experts forecast that 28 subway metro and light rail stations across three lines will experience crush loads during commute hours.

Concerned about overcrowding on the world’s famous “Tube” metro, which is forecast to  handle a million more passengers daily during the Olympic period (July 27 through September 9), the city’s transit department, Transport for London, created a campaign to encourage people to move on foot.

 

"Streets"

Walking

  • With Changes in New York’s Streets, More Hurdles for the City’s Blind Pedestrians NY Times

Bicycling

  • Hubway

Transit

  • Take the commuter rail to Singing Beach in Manchester-by-the-Sea Boston Globe
  • Is the MBTA offering a free ride for some? Metro
  • MBTA Mobile Ticket Purchasing App Will Be Available For Ferry Commuters BostInno
  • MBTA ridership tops 400 million Metro, BostInno
  • MBTA Ridership Jumps in Year Ending June 30 MA Transportation Blog
  • Feds prep MBTA for bioterror attack Metro
  • Greenbush and Old Colony riders wanted for MBTA mobile app pilot Metro
  • Banking on kindness at the MBTA Boston Globe
  • South Coast rail project getting closer Enterprise News
  • Two MBTA workers praised by the agency for quick action after woman falls on tracks at State Street Station Boston Globe
  • MBTA Green Line; Front Door Policy MBTA BostInno
  • MBTA Employees Get Schooled On How To Stay Awake On The Job BostInno
  • Ferry service could boost stalled development in Eastie Biz Journals
  • Bus driver in bizarre crash has lengthy record WCVB
  • Transportation professionals talk MBTA mobile app over lunch Metro
  • More Than 600 Citations Issued in MBTA Fare Evasion Crackdown Back Bay Patch
  • MBTA opens new CharlieCard Store inside Downtown Crossing Station Boston.com, Metro
  • Fitchburg Line train derails in Belmont; no injuries Universal Hub

Cars/Parking

  • Pricey garages taking over less expensive surface lots as city builds up in Seaport District Boston Herald
  • Sunday Parking Meter Enforcement to Begin January 1
  • Parking garages seem full, contrary to developer's assessments for City Council Cambridge Day
  • YOUR TURN: Somerville's Worst Drivers? Somerville Patch
  • Bike Lane Changes on Commercial Street Causing Traffic Congestion North End Waterfront
  • Congestion charges -- Fixing traffic for the price of a cup of coffee Boston Globe
  • A Boston congestion zone: Where to draw the line? Boston Globe
  • New MA Registry of Motor Vehicles Number, 857-DOT-8000, Part of Move to Save $422,000 Medford Patch
  • Bright idea brings new lights to Zakim Bridge Boston Globe
  • In Boston, $300G will get you a parking spot Boston Herald
  • State to newfangled cab company: Not so fast there, pals Universal Hub
  • Somerville Gets $5 Million for Highway Sound Barriers in Transportation Bill Somerville Patch

Transportation financing/ Government

  • Green Line Extension work goes out to bid Boston.com
  • Automatic Stop Announcements, Tracking, & More On The Green Line Boston to a T
  • How Does Your State Stack Up on Prioritizing Transit and Street Safety? DC Streetsblog
  • State Decision Making in the Context of Federal Transportation Funding The Transport Politic
  • $21.5 million in stimulus money spent by MBTA on consultants WCVB
  • Union Square Green Line Station
    • Agreement Says Union Square Green Line Station Operational by 2017 Somerville Patch
    • Somerville strikes deal with T on land for Union Square Station Boston.com
    • Pact Signed on Green Line Station Development for Union Square The Somerville News
  • 2 harbor ferries funded for East Boston, South Boston and Charlestown Boston Herald
  • A new chapter for Union Square The Somerville News
  • Patrick signs $1.5 billion transportation bill Boston.com
  • Governor Patrick Signs Transportation Funding Bill MA Transportation Blog
  • Transportation Bill Earmarks Upgrades to Boston's Road, Bridges Beacon Hill Patch
  • Transportation Bill Earmarks Include Rutherford Redesign Charlestown Patch
  • MassDOT Award Boosts Westhampton Bridge MA Transportation Blog

Parks

  • Construction of Charles River skatepark in Cambridge slated for 2013 Wicked Local
  • Graffiti Artists Leave Mammoth Mark On Buttoned-Up Boston WBUR
  • Greenway eyes skating rink and naming rights to raise cold, hard cash Boston Herald
  • Rose Kennedy Greenway deserves public support, despite what MassDOT says Boston Globe
  • How Urban Parks Enhance Your Brain, Part 2 The Atlantic Cities
  • Greenway visitors speak out on mural controversy Boston.com
  • City Considers $2.7 Million Rehab of Lincoln Park Somerville Patch
  • Greenway mural deserves to stay in place until November Boston Globe

Development Projects

  • Boston's lost island neighborhood Boston Globe
  • Assembling the Pieces Somerville Scout
  • Intertwined development issues sure to lengthen Monday council meeting Cambridge Day
  • Mayor Menino Selects Upham's Corner Working Advisory Group BRA News
  • Room for us downtown, says boutique hotel owner Boston Herald
  • Apartments, hotel proposed by Normandy Real Estate Partners for South End Next to Former Boston Herald Site Boston Globe 
  • Led By School Building, Boston Seeks To Revitalize Dudley Square WBUR
  • Many sources for $2 billion in Somerville capital projects Wicked Local
  • Letter: The JPNDC's bigger picture on Blessed Sacrament JP Gazette
  • JPNDC takes heat for church plan changes JP Gazette
  • Revised plans for 161 S. Huntington filed JP Gazette

Land Use/ Planning

  • Forest City
    • Preserve Central Square, Say "No" to up-zoning Wicked Local
    • Letters: Say no to down-sizing Wicked Local
    • No vote on Forest City, Cambridge council to meet again next week Wicked Local
    • Cambridge Council lets Forest City petition expire, developer sent back to drawing board Wicked Local
    • Cambridge council backs away from Central Square life sciences building proposal - does not want to become Kendall Square Boston.com
  • Rethinking Boston: Is It Time For A New Grand City Plan? WBUR
  • Local civic associations play controversial role in Boston zoning Boston.com
  • Building permit pulled for waterfront construction Eastie Times
  • Revised plans for 161 S. Huntington filed JP Gazette
  • Rezoning in north Cambridge seeks to preserve retail-residential mix along Mass. Ave. Wicked Local

Out-of-State

  • New York
    • Lack of Congestion Pricing Is NYC's Biggest Transpo Problem Transportation Nation
    • Manhattan Court Sends Erring Cyclists to Remedial Class NY Times
    • Chicago Delay Fuels Concern About New York’s Bike Sharing NY Times
    • The Bicycle Uprising: Remembering the Midtown Bike Ban 25 Years Later Streets Blog
  • California
    • The Villaraigosa Interview I: Building a New Transportation System LA Streetsblog
    • Sunday Parking Meter Enforcement to Begin January 1 SF Streetsblog
    • Feature> On The Right Track Arch Paper
    • In Los Angeles, Ideas for a Quieter Wait for Mass Transit The Atlantic Cities
    • Aiming to Win Over Critics, SFMTA Spells Out Its Parking Policies on Paper SF Streetsblog
    • Palo Alto, Choked By Famously Free Parking, May Consider Pricing the Curb SF Streetsblog
  • Pennsylvania
    • City, police cracking down on unsafe bicyclists in South Philly Philly.com
    • The Porch at 30th Street Station Welcomes You to Philadelphia Street Films
    • Vives les Plages! Paris Rethinks its Riverbanks by Banishing Cars
  • Oregon
    • City of Portland looks to go beyond auto-centric 'level of service' standards Bike Portland
    • Addition of the Day: Portland Installs Nation's First Bike Counter The Atlantic Cities

National Trends

International News

  • London Olympics
    • London Encourages Walking and Cycling During Olympic Games The City Fix
    • Olympics Bicycles power Olympics fountain Yahoo Sports
    • Bradley Wiggins speaks out about road safety as cyclist killed in accident with Olympic bus is named Independent
    • London Olympic VIP lanes not needed as many turn to public transit NBC News
    • Latvian, 72, travels to London on a bicycle BBC
  • China Crowdmaps Pedestrian and Cyclist Problem Areas The Atlantic Cities
  • Is Toronto's Mayor a Barrier to Good Planning? The Atlantic Cities
  • Festival Floats Hundreds of Umbrellas over the Streets of a Portuguese Town Arch Paper
  • Montreal: Lessons from great Canadian urbanism Place Shakers
  • Lessons From Zurich's Parking Revolution The Atlantic Cities
  • Paris Metro System Forced to Admit Parisians Act Like Jerks The Atlantic Cities
  • Ireland Approves Dublin Tram Link Project Mass Transit Mag
  • Vives les Plages! Paris Rethinks its Riverbanks by Banishing Cars Arch Paper
  • Ireland Approves Dublin Tram Link Project meanwhile back in Boston how's that Silver Lie Mass Transit Mag
  • The Basics on Congestion: Singapore, London, Copenhagen The City Fix
  • China Transportation Briefing: Stemming The Tide of Private Autos in Guangzhou The City Fix
  • Ruling Halts an Effort to Reduce Traffic in Milan NY Times