November 19, 2011

in
A Blackberry smartphone displaying<br /> static
The solution for safer roads?
(Graphic courtesy of Max Bleich, TheTechTile.com)


Highlights

  • Abu Dhabi: BlackBerry outages made roads safer, police say (The National)
    By Awad Mustafa and Caline Malek -- A dramatic fall in traffic accidents this week has been directly linked to the three-day disruption in BlackBerry services. In Dubai, traffic accidents fell 20 per cent from average rates on the days BlackBerry users were unable to use its messaging service. In Abu Dhabi, the number of accidents this week fell 40 per cent and there were no fatal accidents.
  • MBTA ridership eclipses record in September, fueled by high gas prices and more employment (Boston Globe)
    By Eric Hoskowitz -- Commuters who find it harder to get a seat on the subway, bus, and train are not imagining things: Last month, the MBTA appeared to set a modern record for ridership, with 1.35 million trips on an average weekday, according to figures released yesterday.
  • Bike lanes nearing installation on Mass Ave(Boston Cyclists Union, Boston Herald)
    By Boston Cyclists Union -- As promised, the Boston Transportation Department is set to remove 71 parking spaces and install a bike lane along Massachusetts Avenue between Symphony and the Charles River in the next few weeks before the frost sets in. The Boston Herald is talking of war again, but of course a greater peace for everyone is the goal the city has in mind. Twenty-two bike accidents were serious enough to call an ambulance for along this half mile stretch between May of 2010 and August 2011, a high number when compared to other streets in the city, and the awareness a bike lane could create among motorists may help drive that number down.
  • Senate Approves Austere Transpo Spending Bill; High Speed Rail Funding Plummets (Transportation Nation, USA Today)
    By Todd Zwillich -- The Democratic-controlled Senate backed $108 billion in Fiscal 2012 federal transportation spending 69-30, flatlining budgets as Washington operates in a climate of spending cuts. The bill passed after a long-delayed flourish of votes Tuesday.
    Related: U.S. Senate votes to spare money for bike paths (Boston Globe
    Analysis: About Those Bicycles (National Journal
  • Federal funding to boost smarter, more equitable growth in cities north of Boston (Boston Globe)
    An infusion of federal cash will soon be invested in several cities north of Boston to boost local economic development in ways that are consistent with smart growth principles and promote social equity. Federal money will probably start flowing into Chelsea, Everett, and Lynn after the New Year, said Marc Draisen, executive director of the Metropolitan Area Planning Council.
  • Green Line Extension Phase 2 Up to Communities Now (Medford Patch, Medford Transcript, Boston Globe)
    By Jarret Bencks -- The Metropolitan Area Planning Council will issue a report by the end of the year that planners expect municipal officials in Medford and Somerville to use to decide how committed they are to running the rail to Route 16. "Our hope is the muncipalities will take it and think about things that could happen in that area," said Kate Fichter, Green Line Extension project manager for MassDOT.

"Streets"

Walking

Bicycling

  • Bike lanes nearing installation on Mass Ave (Boston Cyclists Union, Boston Herald)
  • Reduced Emissions and Improved Quality of Life through Urban Cycling (Source link)
  • How to cycle in winter weather (Boston.com)
  • Secret To A Long, Healthy Life: Bike To The Store (NPR)
  • Peabody considers rail trail linking to Danvers (SalemNews.com)
  • Cyclist's wild ride goes bust (Boston Herald)
  • Brookline Police arrest cyclist after pursuit through Coolidge Corner (Boston.com)
  • Massachusetts art students ride bicycles to peddle their artwork and clothing (Boston Globe)
  • Bikeyface: How One Local Blogger is Putting a Comedic Spin on Biking in Boston (Bostinnovation)

Transit

Cars/Parking

  • Neighbors oppose driveway for 'the 1 percent' (Cambridge Day)
  • Peer-to-peer car sharing gains investors, users (USA Today)
  • Officials vow crackdown on speeding drivers in highway construction zones (Boston Globe)
  • Sensors alert drivers to parking spaces (Boston Herald)
  • Owners of smaller vehicles pay less at The Charles Hotel in Cambridge (Boston Herald)

Transportation financing/Government

Parks

  • Privately funded playspace opens on the Esplanade (Boston Globe)
  • Finishing touches - the Greenway ramp parcels (Boston Globe)
  • Neponset River Greenway Council has high hopes for $13 million grant application (Boston Globe)
  • Planning drags on $2.5M Zakim park (Boston Herald)

Development projects

  • The final death of Columbus Center (Boston Globe)
  • Spurring Growth on Boston’s Waterfront (NY Times)
  • High hopes for hip hotel on Arlington Street near Bay Village (Boston Herald)
  • Neighbors fear traffic, shadows from tower planned near Copley Square (Boston Globe)
  • Hayward Place -- New residential tower breaks ground in Boston (Boston Globe)
  • Another wave of apartment construction to hit Boston (Boston Globe)
  • Boston Development Group buys Applebee's site in Cleveland Circle, resumes planning for two-site project (Boston Globe)
  • Apartments on way to Downtown Crossing with residential conversion of Winter Street office building (Boston Herald)

Land Use/Planning

Out-of-state

  • New York City --
    • Brooklyn, Manhattan Bridge "Pedestrian Safety Managers" Get No Respect (Gothamist)
    • Council to Vote on Plan for Residents' Parking Permits (NY Times)
    • A Bike-Lane Perch for the Urban Show (NY Times)
    • Redesigned Grand Army Plaza debuts (NY1.com, WNYC, Architect's Newspaper)
    • New York May Become Newest Bike-Sharing Mecca (NPR)
    • Faster Buses Come to 34th Street in Manhattan...But BRT, They're Not (Transportation Nation)
    • For Those Who Pedal to Work, a Room to Store Their Bikes (NY Times)
    • Subway Service Shortfalls May Move From Weekends to Weeknights (NY Times)
    • Breaking Blocks: Brooklyn public housing minus the superblock (Architect's Newspaper)
  • Tappan Zee Bridge replacement --
    • When -- and Where -- Did Transit Over The Tappan Zee Bridge Go? (Transportation Nation)
    • Different generational view of mass transit needs (LoHud.com)
  • Chicago --
  • Metro DC: Your credit may take a hit from unpaid traffic and parking tickets (Washington Post)
  • San Francisco: Truly critical mass (Modern Luxury)
  • AAA: Fatal motor vehicle crash costs $6 million (USA Today)
  • Escalator tensions have BART considering signs (San Francisco Examiner)
  • Fine paid on 1954 parking ticket (York News-Times)
  • A strategy for pedestrian safety in perilous Las Vegas (Las Vegas Sun)
  • New Haven aldermen pursue better street design (New Urban Network)
  • Proposed D.C. speed limit of 15 mph provokes debate (Washington Examiner)
  • A Kentucky City Reinvents a Faded Downtown (NY Times)

National trends

International news

  • China hurries back to bicycle-friendly cities to curb gridlocks and pollution (E&E News)
  • VIDEO: Self-Reliance Grows in the Utrecht Traffic Garden (Streetfilms)
  • Abu Dhabi: BlackBerry outages made roads safer, police say (The National)
  • Segway tours -- Two wheels good, two legs bad (The Economist)
  • More frustrated motorists taking public transit (Montreal Gazette)