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June 16, 2010

Bicycle Priority Lane
Bicycle Priority Lane on Longwood Ave, Brookline

Highlights

  • Bigger park planned for Monument Sq. (Jamaica Plain Gazette)
    By John Ruch -- Monument Square could become a large park, with part of Centre Street turned into a limited-access “carriage road,” in a “radical” redesign that is being worked on by the city’s Centre/South Action Plan advisory group. The redesign drew debate at a May 27 advisory group meeting, with residents expressing concern about traffic impacts, access to nearby private property and the uses of any new public space—including whether existing trees should be cut down.
    Related: Developers: Streetscape work will start soon (Jamaica Plain Gazette)
  • On Biking: a ride on a "bicycle priority lane" on Longwood Avenue (Boston Globe)
    By Jonathan Simmons -- Peter Furth, a professor of engineering at Northeastern University, and I are waiting for the traffic light to turn green. We’re going to follow the cyclist in front of us to see if she uses the Longwood Avenue bicycle priority lane, the first of its kind in the world. But first we have to catch her, and that won’t be easy at the speed she’s riding. Peter came up with the idea of the bicycle priority lane as a way “to promote safe, happy and low stress lane sharing” for all. The priority lane symbol is a silhouette of a bicycle and two chevrons framed by four dashed lines. What it means is “go ahead, cyclists, use the full lane.”
  • MBTA to expand real-time bus info (Universal Hub, WBUR)
    At a developer's conference this evening, the MBTA will announce plans to give access to real-time bus location data on all its bus lines by the end of the summer. In the meantime, the T is immediately releasing data on 12 bus lines, in addition to the five already covered by its "Where's the Bus" system. The new routes: 1, 4, 15, 22, 23, 28, 32, 57, 66, 71, 73, and 77. They join the 39, 111, 114, 116, and 117 routes.
  • Town can't get enough of parking studies [Winchester] (Daily Times Chronicle, PT's Parking Blog)
    Search continues for answers to old problem: traffic and parking
    By Ellen Knight -- WINCHESTER -- A study of parking in Winchester Center is underway – again – as the Town searches for new solutions to old problems, namely traffic and parking in the downtown. As long ago as 1935 and 1938, the issue of adequate parking led to parking time surveys being conducted in the center area. After tabulating numbers of cars parked on various streets and the lengths of time they parked, the supervisor of the 1938 survey concluded, “the system is as near PERFECT as can be and recommends that NO changes should be made: this is also the consensus of opinion of both merchants and drivers on that spot.”
  • DOT bicycle-pedestrian policy gets "thumbs up" (USDOT, T4America, T4America)
    What a way to kick-off a weekend. Last Friday dozens of bicyclists rode down to DOT headquarters to present a letter of thanks and support for our recent policy giving bicycles and pedestrians a seat at the transportation table. The letter was circulated by America Bikes, Safe Routes to School National Partnership, and Transportation for America. And it was signed by over 275 organizations nationwide. Now, as gratifying as that was, my response was simple: If we're going to be a Department of Transportation with a comprehensive approach, we need to promote biking and walking along with other modes of moving people and goods around.
  • Is it time to raise the gas tax? (TIME)
    By Barbara Kiviat -- Back in 2008, when Barack Obama was running for President, he took a politically unpopular stand on the gas tax. Both John McCain and Hillary Clinton were calling for a gas-tax "holiday" to stimulate the economy. Obama took the side of most economists (not to mention our very own Justin Fox) in saying that a lower gas tax might play well at the polls but wasn't actually smart economic policy. Where is that principle now?
    Related: How Higher Gas Prices Can Save You $$ (Fox Business)

"Streets"

  • VIDEO: "Parklands" with Bob Sloane [Longfellow Bridge] (Charles River Conservancy: 1, 2, 3)
  • Buses and bikes envisioned for unused rail track stretching from Waltham to Berlin (Boston Globe)
  • Some angry as state highway crews remove 'invasive' trees in Cambridge (Cambridge Chronicle)
  • Reader wants Haymarket trash out of sight, mind (Boston Globe)
  • East Cambridge is in bloom (Cambridge Chronicle)
  • BHCA looks at options for improving Charles Street (Beacon Hill Times)
  • Cars make way for walkers in Blue Hills' 'Sundays in the Park' (Boston Globe)
  • Help The Boston MPO Identify Problem Intersections (MassBike)
  • Meetings Announced for Morton and River Street Bridges (Commonwealth Conversations)
  • Developers: Streetscape work will start soon (Jamaica Plain Gazette)
  • Bigger park planned for Monument Sq. (Jamaica Plain Gazette)
  • Springfield, Mass., rededicates State Street corridor; urban boulevard connects past and future (USDOT)

Walking

Bicycling

Transit

Cars/Parking

Transportation financing/Government

Parks

Development projects

Land Use/Planning

Out-of-state

National trends

  • Miles Driven for Shopping Continues to Climb, But Pace Slows (New Rules Project)
  • What is 'Rural livability'? (PBS)
  • How Higher Gas Prices Can Save You $$ (Fox Business)
  • Should Mass Transit Get $2 Billion In Emergency Operating Aid (National Journal, Transport Politic, Washington Post)
  • DOT bicycle-pedestrian policy gets "thumbs up" (USDOT, T4America, T4America)
  • Are Electric Bikes Part of Our Future (Commute By Bike)
  • The congestion charging debate (Reuters)
  • Bike to Work Day - A Growing Movement (Vimeo)
  • "Livability" -- Wimpy Term But Big Stakes For Us All (Citiwire)
  • New Metro Formula: Helping Those Who Help Themselves (Citiwire)
  • Are VMT and GDP Really Correlated? (The City Fix)
  • Congress looks at making cities more "livable" (Reuters)
  • Is it time to raise the gas tax? (TIME)
  • American Power Act Will Create Clean Transportation Options (T4America)
  • New wave of US cities look at bike-sharing plans (AP)

International news

  • Downtown Cairo's Extreme Makeover (Egypt Today)
  • Beijing looks to revitalise bicycle culture (AFP)
  • If You Want Cycle Transport, Make Cycle Transport Sexy (Copenhaganize.com)
  • How one French town deals with the inevitable car-bicycle rivalry (Toronto Star)
  • Density without tears: Singapore's Transportation Secrets (World Streets)
  • Mayors Beat World Leaders Promoting Cycle Paths (Bloomberg)
  • India Steadily Increases Its Lead in Road Fatalities (New York Times)
  • Gautrain arrives in time for World Cup (BBC)