StreetNews 11/3/2008
Light rail in Denver, Colorado (Photo courtesy Denver Post)
Highlights
- Alewife Station's Bike Cage: Cambridge, Mass. (
In the greater Boston area, a secure bike parking facility for bikes
has been erected at the end of the T's Red Line in Cambridge. It boasts
one incredible amenity: it's completely free!Alewife station is
perfectly situated at the edge of the burbs and perpendicular to The
Minuteman Bikeway,
one of the most popular rail trails in the U.S. Wanting to encourage
even more customers to launch an intermodal bike commute, the
Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) fast tracked two
unmanned bike cages that can hold hundreds of bicycles in a
secure, covered cage, protected by high-tech surveillance.
- Medford panel considering need for revised parking rules (
Globe)
By Brad Kane -- MEDFORD -- Finding a place to park in Medford
is getting more and more difficult,
and city officials say they are scrambling to fix the problem before
businesses suffer further. "Right now, we are getting a black eye
because we don't have good
parking enforcement," said Police Chief Leo Sacco, who chairs a city
parking committee rethinking the city's laws. "The problem is we don't
have any dedicated officers whose sole responsibility is parking," he
said.
- Big ambitions come with steep price tag for Rose Kennedy
Greenway (Commonwealth
Magazine)
By Bruce Mohl -- LIKE THE BIG DIG that
gave birth to it, there’s nothing low-budget about the Rose Kennedy
Greenway. The park, which snakes for more than a mile through the
center of downtown Boston, cost more than $50 million to build and will
probably take tens of millions more to fully complete. The annual tab
for upkeep is expected to be $3.2 million, which, on a
cost-per-square-foot-basis, would make the Greenway one of the most
expensive parks to maintain in the nation.
- Light-rail can turn into money train: Homes near light-rail
lines tend to increase in value (
By Margaret Jackson -- DENVER -- Margarete Humphrey knows her
bungalow
near the Louisiana Station light-rail stop is in a hot neighborhood.
But she was surprised to learn the value of her home has increased over
the past two years as much of the metro Denver housing market has
declined. Homes near light-rail stations along the southeast line,
which
opened in November 2006, have increased by an average of nearly 4
percent over the past two years, according to an analysis by Your
Castle Real Estate. But the rest of the Denver market declined an
average of 7.5 percent.
- As Gas Prices Go Down, Driving Goes Up (
York Times)
By Clifford Krauss -- VINTON, La. -- Doug Guidry gave up drag
racing and boating last summer
when gasoline prices shot up. Billy Castaneda put off trips to Houston
to see his grandchildren. Randal Shul stopped playing paintball with
his buddies to save gas. Now, with gasoline prices dropping, all three
men are hitting the road
again. “Gas going down means freedom, even when everyone is worried
about the economy,” Mr. Castaneda said as he filled his 1995 Oldsmobile
88 to drive 125 miles to Houston the other day.
- If You Stripe It, They Will Come (
York Post,
York Times,
By Mike Lydon -- The most recent bicycle counts from two of
America's most progressive
cities, New York City and Portland, have been made public. The results
are impressive as much as they are instructive. With a 35% increase in
measured bicycle trips, New York City has effectively doubled
bicycle ridership in six years. Several socio-economic and cultural
factors may be spurring Gotham's ascension as the east coast's most
bicycle-friendly city: High gas prices, increasingly crowded subway
cars and buses and environmental concerns. Not to mention a growing
culture of
velophiles interested in convenience, staying fit, cycle cool and
simply having an enhanced connection to the city in which they live.
"Streets"
- Letter: Area has always been draw for teens, and has served
shoppers (
Globe) - Lowell looks to put brakes on traffic accidents (
Globe) - Adopt-A-Pole tradition continues on Main and Bunker Hill Streets (
- Audubon crash hits campus (
Free Press) - STAFF EDIT: A dangerous crossroad (
Free Press)
Bicycling
- Alewife Station's Bike Cage: Cambridge, Mass. (
- Word of the Day: Bikeism (
We Drive) - DotBike spawns imitators in city neighborhoods (
- Winter biking is no breeze - but it can be done (
- Sculptors reinventing the wheel-holder (
Globe)
Transit
- Rail line up and running (
Metro) - Hank Investigates: MBTA claims (
- Aldermen want to be in loop on talks of Green Line, stadium (
Journal,
News) - Rushing: Silver Line Phase III proposal 'dead in the water' (
End News) - Commuter boats suffer at Greenbush expense (
News Tribune) - MBTA Gives Passengers Free Rides (
- T Drivers Say Don't Blame Them for Free Rides (
- T request to exempt Spain firm protested (
Globe) - Prescient to a T (
Magazine)
Cars/Parking
- Boston taxi drivers laud ruling in NYC (
Globe) - Editorial: Curse of the falling gas prices (
Globe) - Medford panel considering need for revised parking rules (
Globe)
Parks
- Big ambitions come with steep price tag for Rose Kennedy Greenway
(Commonwealth
Magazine) - Adopt a park? Not in Brookline (
TAB) - A role model takes to the trails (
Telegram) - City to replant three new maples to replace trees chopped down at
Shore Drive (
Journal)
Development projects
- Allston Meeting Becomes Heated (
Crimson,
TAB,
Globe) - Putting the AI in Allston (
Crimson) - ZBA unanimously rejects Red Hat billboard proposal (
- What's next for protecting Cambridge Street? (
- Amid cutbacks, mayor fast-tracks three Back Bay developments (
- Letter: We are all spokes in the Hub (
Globe) - Letter: With new buildings, Boston can still be Boston (
Globe) - Letter: High-rise would wipe out needed parking (
Globe) - Letter: Development helped Lower Roxbury; now it's time to help
Roslindale Square (
Globe)
Land Use/Zoning
- City Councilors talk up new zoning reforms (
Newspapers)
Transportation financing/Government
- Natick businessman named to Mass. Turnpike board (
Herald) - Editorial: Bridges to somewhere (
Globe) - Editorial: Time for a little chat with the automakers (
Globe)
Out-of-state
- Hudson rail bridge will be high-altitude walkway (
- Cars That Never Leave (
York Times) - Cops Crack Down On Cyclists (
Haven Independent) - Bus vs. light rail: Which is your ticket to ride (
Times) - Light-rail can turn into money train: Homes near light-rail lines
tend to increase in value ( - Texas Governor Rick Perry Celebrates 18 Lanes of "Freedom" (
- Sunday Parkways Chicago (
National trends
- Who says Americans won't ride mass transit? (
- National Survey of Bicyclists Attitudes and Behaviors (
- AIG Collapse Leaves Transit Agencies in the Lurch (
- Public Works Projects Promoted at Hearing (
York Times) - As Gas Prices Go Down, Driving Goes Up (
York Times) - If You Stripe It, They Will Come (
York Post,
York Times, - Editorial: A National Mobility Project (
York Times)
International news
- Not Everyone Can Have A Car if We Still Want A Planet -- Unless
We Change (
You Can Save The World) - China to invest $445bn in rail system (
- The Global Transit Space Race: China's $272 Billion Advantage (
- 4th Annual World Usability Day Launches Global Transport
Challenge (