January 30, 2010

Extra wide cycle track in Copenhagen
Copenhagen "conversation" lane -- extra wide (over 5m) cycle track
(Photo courtesy Copenhagenize.com)

Highlights

  • All aboard: Can the new Massachusetts transportation board get things moving? (Commonwealth Magazine)
    By Gabrielle Gurley -- Sen. Steven Baddour, the co-chair of the Legislature’s Joint Committee on Transportation, was ticked off. The five members of the new Massachusetts Department of Transportation board of directors had been invited to appear before a November oversight hearing called by the committee. Only one showed up. The Methuen Democrat made it clear he wasn’t happy. “I wish more of them were here this morning, so I could say this to their faces,” he said.
  • Incorporate pedestrians, bikes into [I-95] bridge project (Newburyport News)
    By Bill Steelman -- The Coastal Trails Coalition urges area residents to join us in expressing hopes and concerns regarding local impacts of the massive Whittier Bridge/I-95 Improvement Project during a public meeting scheduled for tomorrow [Jan 21] [...] The Coastal Trails Coalition, together with municipal officials from Salisbury and Newburyport, is advocating for inclusion of bicycle and pedestrian accommodations in the 3.5-mile-long project. These enhancements are key to the continued development of the Coastal Trails Network, a 30-mile public system of trails linking Amesbury, Newbury, Newburyport and Salisbury.
  • Brookline considering removing stops, parking to speed up 66 bus line (Brookline TAB)
    By Neal Simspon -- In order to speed up bus service along Brookline’s busiest bus route, the town may need to eliminate popular-but-underused bus stops and give up parking spaces, according to a transit study released earlier this month. The study, produced by staff for the quasi-public Boston Metropolitan Planning Organization, points to a variety of steps — including dedicated lanes, better signal technology and stop adjustments — that could help improve service along the MBTA’s 66 bus route, which now carries more daily riders than any other route outside the Silver Line.
  • New England rail corridor in line for $160m in US funds (Boston Globe, Commonwealth Conversations, Springfield Republican)
    By Alan Wirzbicki -- New England states are expected to receive $160 million to upgrade a rail corridor linking New Haven, Western Massachusetts, and Vermont when railroad stimulus grants are unveiled today, lawmakers said. “It’s a good piece of news for the Pioneer Valley,’’ said Representative Richard E. Neal, Democrat of Springfield, the hub of the route. “This is precisely what stimulus was meant to do.’’“The Obama administration recognized the project’s strong potential and the powerful impact it will have on our economy,’’ said Governor Deval Patrick of Massachusetts. “I couldn’t be more thrilled or more grateful.’’
  • Investing in Biking and Walking Could Save Lives Says Report (Alliance for Biking & Walking)
    States with the lowest levels of biking and walking have higher traffic fatalities and chronic disease
    Washington, DC -- A new report released today by the Alliance for Biking & Walking shows that lack of investment in biking and walking could be contributing to higher traffic fatalities and chronic disease rates in the U.S. Bicycling and Walking in the United States: The 2010 Benchmarking Report reveals that in almost every state and major U.S. city, bicyclists and pedestrians are at a disproportionate risk of being killed, and receive less than their fair share of transportation dollars.
  • Abu Dhabi Street Design Manual (How We Drive)
    Writing that “previous design guidance was influenced by documents such as the AASHTO Green Book, which is inappropriate for urban streets where modes of transport other than the automobile are present,” Nelson/Nygaard has made available its Abu Dhabi Street Design Manual, which provides guidance to “design streets that create a safe environment for all users; transition from a vehicle-trip based society to a multimodal society; introduce fine-grained street networks into the existing super-block pattern.” It is, they suggest, “perhaps one of the most progressive in the world.”

"Streets"

Walking

Bicycling

Transit

Cars/Parking

Transportation financing/Government

Parks

Development projects

Land Use/Planning

Out-of-state

National trends

International news