April 8, 2014

Late Night T Service
Late Night T Service Comes to Boston!
(Image Courtesy of Boston Magazine)

 

MBTA's Late-Night T Service Hits the Tracks Boston Magazine

For the second time in the city’s history, Boston had itself a T party.

On a typical Saturday morning at 1 a.m., Beverly Scott, general manager of the MBTA, would be at home watching C-Span or binging on episodes of Game of Thrones. “I have to get myself all set up for the new season, that’s what I would have been doing,” she said.

But not this weekend. In the wee hours of Saturday morning, Scott was instead standing on a platform along the Red Line at Park Street, wrapped in an orange shawl, waving as customers shuffled on and off of the trains at the downtown transit hub, all of them taking advantage of the first-ever late-night MBTA train service.

Alarm over a tsunami of development brings call for ban, citywide master plan Cambridge Day

City councillor Dennis Carlone has launched an online petition asking for new citywide master plan, first circulating a letter at Monday’s inaugural meeting of the Fresh Pond Residents Alliance in which he called for “an open process that will begin to provide a cohesive vision for how our city will grow and mature in the years to come,” stronger design review and “action to ensure that zoning guidelines are applied in a way that reinforces all that we love about our neighborhoods.”

Report: Parking in Boston really is that bad Boston.com

Few pleasures are as sweet as the comfort of knowing you’re justified in whining about parking in Boston.

A new study from the personal finance website NerdWallet ranked Boston the fifth-worst city in the nation for the quality of parking — putting it behind Chicago, Oakland, San Francisco, and New York City.

The ranking was based off average daily and monthly parking costs and vehicle theft rates, but didn’t look at the real torment of Hub drivers: the ratio of on-street parking spots to cars seeking a temporary home.

Doc Says Pedal -- Boston Launches ‘Prescribe-A-Bike’ Hubway Program WBUR

Boston Medical Center physicians can now refer low-income patients for a $5 membership to Hubway, the area’s bike share system, under a new initiative announced by the city Wednesday.

The “Prescribe-a-Bike” program seeks to address health disparities and increase residents’ access to affordable transportation options, the mayor’s office said in a release. “Obesity is a significant and growing health concern for our city, particularly among low-income Boston residents,” BMC President and CEO Kate Walsh said in a statement. “Regular exercise is key to combating this trend, and Prescribe-a-Bike is one important way our caregivers can help patients get the exercise they need to be healthy.”

Big news in the world of infrastructure financing SSTI

Fitch Rating—the third largest credit rating agency in the U.S.—acknowledged earlier this month that we may be entering a new era in travel demand, which will likely have a major impact on transportation infrastructure spending. In a recent commentary article, they point to record transit use and multi-family home construction as two key trends affecting this change. 

 

"Streets"

  • In Somerville, Green Line Extension means higher rents Boston Globe
  • Boston Street Sign Painting Pavement Marking Video BostInno
  • Massachusetts Becomes Second State DOT to Officially Endorse NACTO Urban Street Design Guide US2
  • After complaints of broken Pike street lights, MassDOT promises repairs Boston.com
  • The real reason why Boston’s geography is the most confusing thing ever Boston.com
  • MBTA 100-year-old Scollay Under Mosaic Found at Government Center Pictures BostInno
  • "No feasible and prudent alternative" - M.H.C. Arborway Matters

Bicycling

  • In the Bike-Car wars, bikes getting a new tool: very loud horns Boston Globe
  • Spring has sprung ‹ and so have Hubway stations Boston.com
  • New York City is Solving the Problem of Abandoned Bikes & Boston Should Follow Suit BostInno
  • Doc Says Pedal -- Boston Launches ‘Prescribe-A-Bike’ Hubway Program WBUR
  • Midnight Marathon bike ride: Civic spirit on two wheels Boston Globe
  • A Close Encounter on Washington Street John Allen
  • Bicyclist Killed by Hit & Run Charlestown Boston BostInno
  • BRA Bike Planning Rolls Forward BRA
  • Tufts expands campus bike share program Tufts Daily
  • Variations In Bicycling Weather Challenges Isolate Cyclist
  • Bike tragedy shows need for new safety measures Boston Globe
  • Bicycle advocates seek harsher penalties after cyclist's death in Charlestown Boston Globe
  • Tracking Boston’s growing obsession with pedal power Boston Globe
  • For Hubway, optimism abounds in fourth season Boston Globe

Parks

  • The Spaces In Between -- Think beyond buildings to forge a new civic identity Architects.org
  • DCR And Advocacy Groups Discuss Snow Removal And Bicycle Transportation Policies MassBike
  • City Hall Plaza -- Fix the Edges North End Waterfront

Transit

  • Arbitrator Blocks Reinstatement of Driver in 2012 Green Line Crash Boston Magazine
  • Massport launching shuttle from Logan Airport to Back Bay Metro
  • South Station Theatre Reeled Them In MA Transpo Blog
  • Are We There Yet? Life is short; commuting is too long Architects.org
  • Greater safety risks on late-night trains? Not so, T says Boston.com
  • College Students Can Change the MBTA & Boston for the Better BU Quad
  • Fare hikes on MBTA subway, bus and commuter rail services proposed Boston Globe
  • Employers Honored for Excellence in Commuter Options MA Transpo Blog
  • Besieged rail firm planning another MBTA bid Boston Globe
  • Boston Twitter Software Engineer's Creation Tracks MBTA Traffic Speed BostInno
  • Governor Patrick Applauds Worcester Bus Fleet for Going Electric BostInno
  • Late Night T Service
    • Late-Night MBTA Service Comes With Maintenance Trade-Off WGBH
    • MBTA's Late-Night T Service Hits the Tracks Boston Magazine
    • Who's excited about late night T service? Startups. Biz Journals
    • The First Run of MBTA Late Night Service Was a Success BostInno
    • Late Night MBTA: Stories from the Boston Underground WGBH
    • Boston Taxi Company Benefits from Start of MBTA Late-Night Service BostInno
    • MBTA: 18,732 subway rides during first weekend of late night service MassLive
  • T art: Beauty in the eye of the commuter Boston Globe
  • Meet 'Hypothetical Future MBTA Map' Designer Ben Themo BostInno
  • For one commuter, Government Center nostalgia leads to guerrilla poetry Boston.com

Cars/Parking

  • Why Does Mass. Drive So Much? District Hall Datathon Will Try to Answer That BostInno
  • Op-Ed: In defense of driving - Make it greener to drive Boston Globe
  • Cheap parking disappears on the South Boston Waterfront Boston Globe
  • Report: Parking in Boston really is that bad Boston.com

Transportation Finance/Government

  • Progress of Funding and Reforming Transportation in Massachusetts T4MA
  • Red-Blue Connector: It costs how much? Amateur Planner
  • Red-Blue connector: think outside the tunnel Amateur Planner
  • STEERING THE ORGANIZATION: Using Decision-Point Criteria to Achieve Goals LivableStreets
  • MassDOT Community Transit Grants Announced MA Transpo Blog
  • MassDOT Endorses Urban Street Design Guide MA Transpo Blog

Development projects

  • Downtown View: Downtown Changing, Good For All North End Waterfront
  • DoReMi Oh My! Apartment Plans for Allston Karaoke Studio Curbed
  • T to demolish 500 Arborway building JP Gazette
  • Tobin Bridge Work to Resume in April MA Transpo Blog
  • Developers urge mayor to clarify Boston Redevelopment Authority process Boston Globe
  • CHARLES RIVER BRIDGES FALL OFF THE SCHEDULE: State Needs To Find Funds Without Skimping on Surrounding Improvements LivableStreets

Land Use/Planning

  • Public asked to weigh in on Mt. Vernon Street revamp DOT News
  • MASS PIKE EXITS: Master Key for Unlocking Boston Roads from Esplanade to Allston LivableStreets Blog
  • Developer John Hynes calls fear of gridlock in the Seaport District 'B-S'  Biz Journals
  • Advisory Group Seeks Greater Role in Forest Hills JP News
  • MassDOT pushes for Shea Sq. design JP Gazette
  • Kickoff Meeting Gathers Ideas to Redesign Mt. Vernon St. BRA
  • Alarm over a tsunami of development brings call for ban, citywide master plan Cambridge Day
  • Op-Ed: How tall will a new BRA go? Finally, Boston looks to the sky in development Boston Globe
  • A chance for transformation in Allston BCU
  • With Turnpike Project Meeting Approaching, Allstonians Hope for Positive Changes The Crimson
  • Let’s actually answer the question -- Does Cambridge have a required master plan? Cambridge Day
  • Somerville sets a vision of where it wants to go - Opinion Boston Globe

Out-of-state

  • NY
    • The Plan That Could Finally Free New York City From Traffic Congestion Atlantic Cities
    • Mapping the Imbalances of New York's Popular, Troubled Bike-Share Atlantic Cities
    • As New Tappan Zee Bridge Goes Up (Along With Tolls), Funding Questions Remain NY Times
  • CA
    • They Moved Mountains (And People) To Build L.A.'s Freeways Gizmodo
    • Westside Subway Extension Survives Legal Challenge by Beverly Hills Mass Transit Mag
  • IL

National trends

  • 5 Big New Projects Remaking Cities into Havens for Pedestrians Gizmodo
  • Big news in the world of infrastructure financing SSTI
  • Will Women Ever Feel Completely Safe on Mass Transit? Atlantic Cities
  • American Cities Waste Space and Money on Car Parking, Say Studies Business Week
  • Southwest Airlines new cause: Placemaking CNN
  • 7 Reasons U.S. Infrastructure Projects Cost Way More Than They Should Atlantic Cities

International news

  • A Bicycle-Powered Moving Company's Sales Pitch: We're Just Faster Atlantic Cities
  • The Lovely Multi-Use Mishmash of Vietnamese City Streets Next City