February 3, 2012

The 1950s plans that nearly turned Jamaicaway into a highway
(Image courtesy of Boston Cyclists Union)
Highlights
- Development deal will fill gaping Downtown Crossing hole (Boston Herald)
By Jerry Kronenberg -- Three years after New York developer Vornado Realty Trust left a giant hole in the ground where Boston’s landmark retailer Filene’s once stood, the company has cut a deal to restart construction at the Downtown Crossing site. Vornado reached an agreement today [Feb. 2] to sell fellow developer Millennium Partners a 50 percent interest in what was supposed to be a $750 million redevelopment of the site, sources told the Herald. - Andersen Memorial Bridge between Cambridge, Boston to be rebuilt for $20m (Boston Globe)
By Eric Moskowitz -- State officials approved a nearly $20 million contract yesterday to rebuild a Charles River bridge connecting Harvard Square and Harvard’s Allston campus ... between this spring and summer 2014. As was the recently completed Boston University Bridge, it will be slimmed from four vehicle lanes to three to accommodate bicycle lanes and wheelchair-accessible sidewalks. - Casey and a brief history of highways in Boston (Boston Cyclists Union)
By Pete Stidman -- During Jamaica Plain’s great debate on the Casey Overpass, some have said that it has no relation whatsoever to Boston’s highway revolt of the 1960s—the “street fight” that brought us the Southwest Corridor instead of an elevated highway. But the truth is they are both part of a relatively short period of history when road engineers, politicians and even newspaper reporters were all fighting the evil “bottleneck” and devising every way they could to drive long distances without ever experiencing a slow down or even a stop light.
Related: Casey Overpass announcement delayed a second time (Jamaica Plain Gazette, Boston Cyclists Union), and more below - At meeting, residents reassured Green Line extension coming (Boston Globe, Boston Metro)
By Kathy McCabe -- The long-awaited Green Line Extension is on track to move ahead, with the final design of the $1.1 billion public transit project due to be completed in March, and the first phase of construction, including the widening of railroad bridges in Medford and Somerville, to start by the end of this year, MBTA project officials said.... Plans for the $20 million first phase were outlined Wednesday at a community meeting at Somerville High School, the first of several the MBTA plans to hold to keep area residents informed. - MBTA mulling more scenarios to close budget gap (Boston Metro)
By Steve Annear -- MassDOT Secretary Rich Davey is saying there might be other options than the two proposed scenarios the T has put on the table for customers to digest. According to State House News, Davey said he’s weighing several proposals to “more creatively” structure T fares, including three or four ideas he heard from members of the public at the T’s hearings. Asked whether he’s warmed to the idea of implementing a system of higher fares during the T’s busiest commuting hours, Davey said, “I think the answer is yes.”
Related: for Background, Public hearings and meetings, Political responses, Editorials, and Other reactions regarding the fare hikes and service cuts, see sections below - House GOP Moves to Decimate Dedicated Transit Funding (Streetsblog DC)
By Ben Goldman -- In a move that should dispel any remaining thoughts that the House transportation bill [PDF] will ever be signed into law, the Ways and Means Committee announced today that they will try to forbid gas tax revenue from funding transit.... Essentially, the House GOP is holding transit hostage to achieve budget cuts elsewhere -- and they don’t seem to care if the hostage dies. - New report: Top US cities for cycling and walking (BikeBiz, TheCityFix, Bikeleague.org)
Alaska and Boston have been picked out as the state and city seeing the highest levels of cycling and walking in the US. The Alliance for Biking and Walking published the Benchmarking Report, which found that Alaska, Vermont and New York State saw the highest numbers of riders and walkers, while in terms of US cities, Boston, Washington DC and San Francisco saw the highest levels.
"Streets"
- Casey Overpass --
- Casey Overpass announcement delayed (Jamaica Plain Gazette)
- Casey and a brief history of highways in Boston (Boston Cyclists Union)
- Letter to the Editor: Casey Overpass Solution is Good, Fast, and Cheap (Jamaica Plain Patch)
- Andersen Memorial Bridge between Cambridge, Boston to be rebuilt for $20m (Boston Globe, MassDOT blog)
- Food Trucks --
- Food truck owner says his industry can't thrive under current system (Boston Globe)
- Trains, Buses, Bikes, and Sandwiches...There Should Be an App For That (Streetsblog DC)
- Food Truck Pilot Program Gets Rolling in April (Brookline Patch)
- Don't Bite Off More Than You Can Chew: How Food Trucks Can Succeed Outside of Boston (BostInno)
- Poll: Worst Intersection in Jamaica Plain? (Jamaica Plain Gazette)
- Arlington intersection in focus (Arlington Advocate)
- Spreading The Word About Complete Streets: MassDOT trainings (MassBike)
- Strides made at second meeting on Melnea Cass Blvd. design (Bay State Banner)
- Hit-and-Run Pedestrian Accident Near Tufts (Somerville Patch)
- Watertown Town Council Rejects Snow Shoveling Requirement (Watertown Patch)
- Final East Broadway Streetscape Design Complete (Somerville ResiStat)
- Push to change East Berkeley Street back to Dover Street hits a pothole (Boston Business Journal)
- Somerville taxi drivers seek increase in fare rates (Somerville Journal)
Walking
- Gas Prices and the Value of Walkable Communities (Planetizen Newswire)
- The joy of walking: A path through time immemorial (The Economist)
- Listen Up, Walkers: Watch Out For Traffic When Wearing Headphones (NPR blogs)
Bicycling
- Think Your Bike Was Stolen? It Might Just Be in Storage (Somerville Patch)
- Cambridge DPW bike official charged with bike theft (Cambridge Chronicle)
- Related: City won't comment on DPW worker charged with bike theft (Cambridge Chronicle)
- Related: Cambridge DPW bike official denies bike theft charges (Cambridge Chronicle)
- Hubway --
- "Unbanked" Bostonians: the next hurdle for Hubway? (MAPC Planning 101)
- Bike rentals may come with helmet dispensers, safety brochure (Cambridge Day)
- VIDEO: Gaining Momentum: Youth Bike Summit 2012 (Streetfilms)
- What's OK When it Comes to Bikes and the Rules of the Road? (Somerville ResiStat)
- Sharrows: Confusion and Compromise (IsolateCyclist)
- Somerville moving company Gentle Giant offers bicycle delivery (Somerville Journal)
Transit
- Federal grants put Lowell trolley expansion on fast track (Lowell Sun, see also "Parks" below)
- Opinion: Environmental justice a must for New Bedford and Fall River transit (South Coast Today)
- MBTA proposals for service cuts and fare hikes -- Background --
- T seeks to boost fares, cut service (Jamaica Plain Gazette, Charlestown Patriot-Bridge)
- A Closer Look at Impact of Proposed MBTA Cuts in Medford (Medford Patch)
- T's plan to abandon ships would leave thousands stranded (Boston Metro)
- MBTA general manager: Fare hike plan would see decreased ridership, after record year (Cambridge Chronicle, Boston Globe, MassDOT blog, BostInno)
- 2010 Blue Ribbon Summit on transportation financing (STEP)
- VIDEO: Un-Fare: How the T Became Broke (Beacon Hill Patch)
- History Lesson: MBTA funding (A Better City blog)
- What would fewer buses mean for Boston? (Boston Metro)
- MBTA mulling more scenarios to close budget gap (Boston Metro)
- MBTA cuts and hikes -- Public Hearing and Meetings --
- Public meetings begin on plans to decimate bus, commuter rail, ferry and Green Line service (Universal Hub)
- Concerned T Patrons Pack Newton City Hall (Watertown Patch, Boston Metro, Boston Globe)
- Chelsea MBTA Meeting Called 'Beer Bottle Rumble' (Charlestown Patch)
- Hundreds protest T cuts at Roxbury Community College (Jamaica Plain Gazette)
- At hearing, T protesters say "hell no" to fare hike, cuts (Boston Metro, Allston-Brighton TAB, WBUR, UniversalHUB)
- Residents balk at T service cuts, fare hikes in Mattapan (Dorchester Reporter)
- Officials pledge T budget fix amid protests at JP meeting (Jamaica Plain Gazette)
- Selectmen want MBTA public hearing in Brookline (Brookline TAB)
- Medford legislators plan forum on proposed T cuts, fare hikes (Boston.com)
- MBTA cuts and hikes -- Political responses --
- Rep. Provost on MBTA: 'We Will Have Another Crisis Next Year' (Somerville Patch)
- Rep. Provost: 'MBTA Troubles Just a Symptom of Systemic Crisis' (BostInno)
- Local Leaders Chide MBTA Proposed Cuts, Favor Upping Gas Tax (Medford Patch)
- O'Flaherty Asks MBTA to Reconsider 92 Bus, Ferry Elimination (Charlestown Patch)
- State Sen. Pat Jehlen Weighs in on Proposed MBTA Cuts (Medford Patch)
- Parkway politicians object to drastic MBTA cuts (West Roxbury Transcript)
- Gov. Patrick: Gas Tax Hike Not [Long-Term] Answer to MBTA Funding Shortfall (Medford Patch)
- Gov. Patrick: MBTA Funding Should Go Beyond Fares (Watertown Patch)
- Menino's letter to Davey on the MBTA (Boston Globe, Boston Metro)
- Menino, Advocates Urge Alternatives To MBTA Cuts (Back Bay Patch)
- MBTA cuts and hikes -- Editorials --
- If the MBTA can’t fund ferries, other agencies should step in (Boston Globe)
- Proposed MBTA cuts too disruptive to South Brookline (Brookline TAB)
- T officials to blame for fare hikes, service reductions (Allston/Brighton TAB)
- Don't sweat possible MBTA cuts, just walk (Brookline TAB)
- Runaway costs from T neglect (Boston Herald)
- The T Needs More Than A Fare Increase (CLF blog)
- Transportation for Massachusetts Responds to Secretary Davey's Remarks: The MBTA Has Created a False Choice (CLF press release)
- Too Big to Fail: The MBTA Needs State Subsidy (BostInno)
- The MBTA's Fiscal Crisis Hinders Economic Growth, Harms Environment (BostInno)
- MBTA cuts and hikes -- Other reactions --
- Charlestown residents organizing to oppose MBTA proposal cutting ferry service (Boston Globe)
- Boston college students oppose MBTA service cuts (Boston Globe)
- T Concerns Swell, Residents Oppose Cuts (Charlestown Patch)
- What's Your Opinion On 'Occupy The T?' (South End Patch)
- POLL: Gas Tax Increase or MBTA Service Cuts/Fare Hikes? (Medford Patch)
- Commuters sign petition against proposal to cut train services (Boston Metro)
- DOT chief: Fare hikes favored by MBTA riders (Arlington Advocate)
- Cuts protested at State House (Boston Globe)
- T chief: Our plan kills my own bus ride (Jamaica Plain Gazette)
- Green Line Extension --
- At meeting, residents reassured Green Line extension coming (Boston Globe, Boston Metro, Medford Patch)
- Capuano on Green Line: 'Take What We Can' (Somerville Patch)
- Small Victories for GLX: Phase 1 could start by year's end (Somerville News)
- Other MBTA --
- A look at the MBTA tunnels under repair in Cambridge (Cambridge Chronicle)
- Orient Heights Stop to Be Rebuilt In 2014 (East Boston Times-Free Press)
- MBTA unveils brand new elevator at Harvard Square Station (Boston Metro)
- Silver Line "Next Bus" signs arriving at Logan Airport (@MassDOT tweet, Boston Globe)
- T crime up in 2011, stats show (Boston Metro, Boston Globe, Somerville Journal)
- T bus driver charged with faking attempted shooting, collecting worker's comp (UniversalHub)
- Stakeout at South Shore commuter lot works: Couple nabbed as catalytic-converter thieves (UniversalHub)
- MBTA sets national example for mobile apps (Boston Metro)
- No Smartphone? No Problem! MBTA Launches Service to Text You When Your Bus is Coming (BostInno, Boston Metro, MassDOT blog)
- Seriously? The MBTA Bans Alcohol Ads & Loses $1.5M in Revenue (BostInno, Boston Metro)
- Fare Collection and Validation a Branding Problem for the Green Line (Transit on the Line)
Cars/Parking
- Traffic Jam Economics (NY Times)
- Related: The Law of Traffic Congestion, according to "The Flash!" (Planetizen)
- Lowering speed on Norton's East Main Street explored (Taunton Gazette)
- Mock MassDOT statement shows what closed highways would do to commuters (Boston Metro)
- Can Boston drivers be tamed? (UniversalHub)
- Northeastern student gets message about his parking (UniversalHub)
- RMV Budget Fact Check (RMV press release)
- O'Malley Wants to Stop Boston From Speeding (Jamaica Plain Patch, Boston.com)
- Hand-held cellphone ban unanimously approved by Massachusetts legislative committee (Boston Globe)
- Consalvo: City Should Work with Valets to Curb Drunken Driving (Back Bay Patch)
- Center Parking Study in the Spotlight (Belmont Patch)
Transportation financing/Government
- Transportation grants to help five New England campuses (Boston Herald)
- Freeloading: The state's sloppy oversight of public land leases is costly for taxpayers (CommonWealth Magazine)
- Welcome to Megaboston -- Growth, annexation, and paths not taken (Boston Globe)
- House GOP Moves to Decimate Dedicated Transit Funding (Streetsblog DC)
- Amendment to Restore Bike/Ped Programs in House Transpo Bill Fails (Streetsblog DC)
Parks
- Vision for a Better Esplanade to Be Unveiled (Beacon Hill Times)
- Mass. to get $5 million for Lowell NHP trolleys, Cape bike path (Boston Globe)
- Greenway Conservancy --
- Email puts Greenway on hot seat (Boston Herald)
- State pays half of Greenway budget (Boston Herald)
- Greenway Chief Disputes Herald Probe Into Park's Spending (WBUR)
- Officials demand Greenway 'transparency' (Boston Herald)
- Greenway Conservancy has Boston's 'seal of approval' (Boston Herald)
- Greenway Conservancy pays five in 6 figures (Boston Globe)
- The Greenway Carousel (Boston Herald)
- Greenway conservancy told to fund itself (Boston Globe)
- Proposal surprises chair of Greenway (Boston Globe)
- Open season on Greenway (Boston Herald)
- Dueling viewpoints on the Greenway (CommonWealth Magazine)
- Greenway's Funding Model Under Renewed Scrutiny (Radio Boston)
- New Balance again will pay to clear snow from Charles River paths (Boston Globe)
- Design Chosen for New Harris Park (Somerville ResiStat)
- Full speed ahead for rail trail in Saugus (WickedLocal)
Development projects
- Beal Cos. signs on to Quincy Center redevelopment with StreetWorks (Boston Globe)
- Development deal will fill gaping Downtown Crossing hole (Boston Herald, Boston Globe)
- Assembly Row announces AMC Theatre as first major tenant (Somerville News)
- Neighbors file lawsuit against approved Somerville condo project (Somerville Journal)
- Microsoft gets its sign in Cambridge -- on another building (Cambridge Chronicle)
- MGH Institute Expands Again in Charlestown (Charlestown Patriot-Bridge)
- Bigger, bolder plan for Herald site by National Development with Elkus Manfredi Architects (Boston Globe)
Land Use/Planning
- Beacon Hill --
- Beacon Hill Civic Association Votes for Restrictions on Retail Spaces (Beacon Hill Times)
- Opinion: Banks hurt the life of retail streets (Beacon Hill Times)
- Concern About the Future of Charles Street Discussed in Meeting (Beacon Hill Patch)
- A Suffolk University move could bring more housing to Beacon Hill (Boston Globe)
- Charles Street shops look for ways to improve thoroughfare, business (Boston Globe)
- Visualizing Boston's Density (Bostonography)
- New Town Planner Sees Potential For Alternative Transportation (Swampscott Patch)
- Forest Hills MBTA Parcel U on sale for 3rd time (Jamaica Plain Gazette)
- Mayor Menino Announces New Zoning Adopted in the South End (BRA News)
- Crowding of North Cambridge renews efforts to limit housing (Cambridge Day)
- Downtown View: If I were Mayor (Beacon Hill Times)
- They're anti-driveway, pro-democracy and a little dodgy up on Avon Hill (Cambridge Day)
- City approves five-story condo building near Union Square in Allston (Boston.com)
- Dot Ave. zoning changes near completion (Dorchester Reporter)
Out-of-state
- New York City --
- Zoning Laws Grow Up (Wall Street Journal)
- PHOTOS: Central Park Gets First East/West Shared Bike/Pedestrian Path (Transportation Nation)
- Los Angeles --
- A startling pattern on downtown L.A.'s streets -- Abuse of disabled placards? (L.A. Times)
- Suits could force L.A. to spend huge sums on sidewalk repair (L.A. Times)
- L.A.'s Antonio Villaraigosa discusses transit funding with China (L.A. Times)
- Cycles and cents: Long Beach sets out to prove that bikes are good for business (Grist / The Nation, The Atlantic Cities)
- L.A. County takes step to promote exercise, reduce obesity (L.A. Times)
- Tea Party Mayor Loses Battle to Block Troy Transit Center (The Atlantic Cities)
- With James Island connector off limits, lack of cycling alternative criticized (Charleston Post and Courier)
- Seeing red: Where do the GOP candidates stand on urban issues? (Grist)
- New York State Assessment: No Reason Not To Replace Tappan Zee Bridge (Transportation Nation)
- San Francisco Chinatown Businesses Thrive During a Week Without Car Parking (Streetsblog S.F.)
- In San Francisco, a Push for Public Benches (NY Times)
- A Moveable Chief: A Conversation With Chicago Transportation Commissioner Gabe Klein (The Atlantic Cities)
- Streetcars to return soon to the District (Washington Post)
National trends
- High Speed Rail --
- High-Speed Rail in a Coma (NationalJournal)
- Why Jerry Brown is standing firm on shaky California high-speed rail plan (Christian Science Monitor)
- Does California Need High-Speed Rail? (NY Times)
- What Smart Growth Advocates Get Wrong About Density (The Atlantic Cities)
- How to Entice Car Owners to Switch to Public Transit (The Atlantic Cities)
- When shops and services are within walking distance, we walk more and drive less (NRDC blog)
- Mixed-Use Development Delivers Huge Public Returns Compared to Sprawl (Streetsblog DC)
- The new American dream: developer says people want walkable urban options (Weld Local)
- America's Health Threat: Poor Urban Design (The Chronicle of Higher Education)
- Documenting the New Generation of Health Problems Caused by Sprawl (The Atlantic Cities)
- Google's Autonomous Vehicles Draw Skepticism at Legal Symposium (NY Times)
- Mass Transit's State Of The Union: Growing Despite Hikes, Cuts (Huffington Post)
- New Report: Bicycling and Walking in the United States (BikeBiz, TheCityFix, Bikeleague.org)
- New Urbanists Release Principles for Sustainable Street Networks (Streetsblog DC)
- Why Do Some Cities Get Car Shares and Others Not? The Answer... (Transportation Nation)
- Mass transit vs. highways: The Department of Transportation rule that is killing American cities (Slate)
- Why the Places We Live Make Us Happy (The Atlantic Cities)
- A Lukewarm Report Card for High-Occupancy Toll Lanes (The Atlantic Cities)
International news
- Swedish cities could connect via bike superhighway (Grist, TreeHugger)
- Danish centrists: Congestion zone should fund bicycle superhighways (Copenhagen Post)
- The 8 to 80 Problem -- Designing Cities for Young and Old (The Atlantic Cities)
- London: What can Olympics fans travelling on bikes expect? (The Guardian)
- Four fear free hours in Uganda's capital city (European Cyclists' Federation)
- What’s the Best Way To Get Users To Embrace Mass Transit -- Make it pleasant? Or make it efficient? (Slate)
- World's largest bus getting ready to roll out in China (Digital Trends)
- Lima's metro: The train leaves platform one at last (The Economist)
- In Kazakhstan, A Beautiful, Futuristic New Subway System (The Atlantic Cities)
- Can Ontario Really Deliver North America's Best Smart Growth Plan? (The Atlantic Cities)
- VIDEO: Streetfilms Visits Medellín, Colombia (Streetfilms)
- The mayor of Montreal's Plateau borough races to keep commuters' cars out of his borough (The Walrus)
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