The Newton Bicycle Pedestrian Task Force needs a logo. Help make Newton a better place to ride and walk, or at least make the NBPTF a more graphically pleasing presence.
E-mail newtonbikeped (at) gmail (dot) com if you've got something to offer.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Call to art
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Paragon Place, not as bad as I led you to believe
While I have serious issues with the proposed Paragon Place on Needham Street, it would be incorrect to say — as I do in Chrissie Long's article on the Board of Alderman's approval of the Paragon Place special permit petition — that the design reviewed by the Board of Aldermen on Monday night has "no meaningful pedestrian connection." In fact, the developer has made some recent changes that should materially improve pedestrian circulation with the new Filene's Basement building and its neighbors.
So, what gives? Did Chrissie misquote me? Or did I misspeak? Neither. Here are the gruesome details ...
In the article, Chrissie quotes — accurately — language from a letter I wrote to the board last week:
What should we desire for 151,618 sq. ft. in one of our prime commercial districts? Certainly not a total of four curb cuts and no meaningful pedestrian connection. But, that's what we'll be left with according to the Paragon Place proposal, and the proposal leaves little opportunity for improvement if either Paragon Towers or Baza Supermarket is developed in the future. Not only does the Paragon Place proposal isolate the three properties, it consigns these properties to isolation for the foreseeable future. (Emphasis added.)
That language is actually an excerpt from a letter I wrote to the Land Use committee on 10/7 that I included in the letter to the board. In the letter to the full board, I added the following note to the paragraph:
[Please note that the developer has made improvements to the pedestrian connectivity since this letter.]
"[T]his letter" refers to the 10/7 letter to Land Use. Confused yet?
Between my writing to the Land Use committee and then to the Board of Alderman, the pedestrian connectivity of the Paragon Place design improved in at least three areas. Based on the current design, Paragon Place will not be completely isolated. It promises to have some pretty good pedestrian connectivity.
I can't really blame Chrissie for the omission. I included the paragraph in my letter to the board because I felt it was necessary to provide context for another excerpt from the 10/7 letter, my recommendation that the board require Paragon Place to grant an easement to its neighbor Paragon Towers, which easement might convince and allow Paragon Towers to close two curb cuts (driveway entrances) on Needham Street. But, I probably could have been more clear about the improved pedestrian accommodations.
Now, about that easement ...
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Hit in the crosswalk
There is simply no reasonable explanation for a middle-school child to have been hit by a car in a crosswalk on Needham Street. This isn't something that we should accept as one of the inevitable and, therefore, acceptable costs of the benefits of living in a motorized society.
The goal should be zero pedestrian injuries or fatalities in the city.
It gives me no pleasure to point out the irony that
- Needham Street is dangerous and pedestrian unfriendly in large part because of the chaos and confusion created by the multitude of driveway entrances along the street
- The Board of Alderman unanimously approved a special permit for a large development on Needham Street — Paragon Place — and did not require the developer to allow for a future easement that might have closed two of the driveways
- The injured young man was hit in the crosswalk directly in front of the site in question
The TAB article describing the new development is on the front page of the paper, but is not yet online. (It's only fair to note that the developer is contributing to putting a signal at the intersection.)
I have requested from the police statistics on the number of citations issued in the city for failure to yield to pedestrians in the crosswalk. Enforcement is rarely the long-term answer to traffic safety issues, but I think that a little constabulatory attention to crosswalk violations might make drivers a little more careful.
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Walk & Roll!
Sean will soon post a few pictures of the convivial crowd scene outside Bowen School this morning, enjoying International Walk to School day. Kids were walking, biking, scootering, running, and their parents were chatting and drinking coffee: altogether far more fun than sitting behind the wheel of a car.
And better for everyone! New federal guidelines recommend adults get 2 1/2 hours of moderate activity weekly (or 1 1/4 hours vigorous activity) to get and stay fit. The key change: try to incorporate exercise into your daily routine. In other words, don't punish yourself with guilt that you haven't gone to the gym. (Who wants to spend hours in the gym every week, anyway... and these days, who can afford it?) Walk your child to school, bike to the post office, walk to the cafe, bike to the library.
But as I saw this morning, it's not just about physical health. It was like a mobile morning block party. Let's get out of our cars and party!
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Contested Streets showing Monday, October 6, 7:00 PM
NS&S is a livable streets blog, that is we promote the values and policy implications of the livable streets movement. From Streetswiki, livable streets are streets that are designed and maintained to meet the needs of all constituents -- pedestrians, bicyclists, and motorists.
[Livable streets] strike a balance between the vehicles that travel through them and the community that lives there, works there, and plays there. They are functional corridors of public realm where people live, shop, interact, travel, and resolve their daily needs. Livable streets establish great neighborhoods and the possibility for true community building. Goods and services are readily accessible while adequate open space is provided for the local community. Unlike other streets that primarily serve the needs of traffic, they cater to the needs of everyone using them.
On Monday night, Bike Newton, Green Decade, and the Newton Conservators are hosting a screening of Contested Streets, an hour-long documentary that vividly illustrates what happens when things get out-of-balance and the automobile dominates our streets and communities. And, it explores what is possible if we strive to restore balance.
It is, in short, a livable streets manifesto. A call to arms (and legs).
If you read this blog, it's likely that you are a proponent of pedestrian and bicycle accommodations in Newton (and elsewhere). I urge you to see this film. It will put your pro-pedestrian/pro-bicycle inclinations into a larger context and give you a framework for understanding and describing why pedestrian and bicycle accommodations are so important. And, you'll spend an hour or so in the company of like-minded advocates.
Jeff Rosenblum, Executive Director of Cambridge-based LivableStreets Alliance, will introduce the movie. He is a major figure in the Boston area and an energizing speaker.
Do not miss this event.
Friday, September 26, 2008
Stop the presses!
Commuters don't want toll hikes on the Turnpike!
In other earth-shattering news, children don't like vegetables, men don't think there's enough football on Sundays, and Sarah Palin actually likes earmarks.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Heading in the right direction
The Pike is considering stupendously large toll hikes, maybe close to doubling the tolls near us (Allston-Brighton, Weston) or adding $5 (not a misprint) to the tunnel tolls or re-instating the western tolls or some combination or blend.
Good: the Pike is looking to tap drivers for upkeep of state highways instead of a subsidy from the general fund.
Bad: there still seems to be no momentum for ending the subsidy to north/south traffic on I-93.
Worrisome: a big toll hike is going to send toll avoiders onto Newton streets; we'll need mitigation
Of course, this would all be less of an issue if we'd get around to stemming the erosion of the gas tax. But, Bernard Cohen and the rest of the Pike board considering such drastic action suggests that maybe a responsible gas tax hike is in our future.
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Faster than a Speeding D-Line Trolley!
Alright, maybe only faster if you count the 1/2 mile walk on each end of my D-Line commute. On Friday, I biked from my abode near Weeks Park to Northeastern University (via Beacon Street) in a little over 40 minutes, and back in a little over 45, for a total of 15 miles. And two days later I can say (smugly!) that I'm not sore. Alright, my neck's a little stiff. And I was a little wobbly when I got home, and was snoozing by 9:30pm. But I'm all set to do it again!
Reflections:
If I'm going to keep this up, I need some higher gears than my old mountain bike provides: pedaling like a madman on gentle downhill slopes in my highest gear. Or I need to relax and coast.
Stopped at a light in Brookline, eastbound, 8:20 am. A red Lamborghini revs next to me, its roar mocking my puny attempt to save the planet. In a few moments, the car is a red speck in the distance, which, relative to the planet, so am I in my red jacket. We're all puny. But the driver of the Lamborghini is puny and probably a jerk.
Beacon Street westbound at 4:00pm: sun in my eyes, an easy pace behind another commuter uphill towards Coolidge Corner, a 20-something in spandex on a single-speed passing me, no cars (other than parked ones) in sight. Nirvana! More cycles than cars. At least for a minute or two.
Just past Coolidge Corner, one car is backing into a parallel spot, blocking traffic, and the door of another car opens. As if arranged by a cosmic bike-commuting professor: Hazards 101.
Further west on Beacon, stopped at another light. The driver in the car next to me starts dialing his cellphone. The light turns green. He keeps dialing. I yell (cheerfully, I hope) "Beep! Beep!" It works!
The hills are alive... with the sound of my huffing and puffing. Between Chestnut Hill Reservoir and the Mary Baker Eddy house, I just about got off and walked. I cursed the 15 pounds of notebooks and textbooks in my pannier, and I cursed the road for getting so damn narrow near the the top of the hill. But, ah! The coast down the other side on those broad new shoulders!
There are a lot of cyclists out there. It's a thrill to be part of this growing tribe.
Why don't we in the bike-tribe talk to each other? Are we lost in thought? Overly acclimatized to the isolation of 2-ton steel cages? Coming and going, a good dozen cyclists passed me without warning: no bell, no "passing on the left," nothing. If we aren't civil with our own tribe, are we a we?
Monday, September 15, 2008
Now's the time
With gas prices likely to fall (as oil fell to $93-a-barrel), it's time to really think hard about a higher gas tax. Let's add a dime to the gas tax every two years for the next ten years. We will:
- Survive the up-tick. We survived $4.00-a-gallon gas.
- Continue the virtuous cycle that higher gas prices created in terms of less driving and more transit use.
- Have revenue to help pay for the increased demand on the transit system.
- Have revenue to help pay down the bridge bonds
Sunday, September 7, 2008
What's in the bag?
Find out tomorrow (Monday, September 8) at 8:45. The mayor will remove the bag and reveal a historical first (sort of) for Newton.
The bagged sign is on the southbound side of Chestnut Street Walnut Street, just south of Homer. Please show your support for bicycle improvements and attend the ceremony. Bring your helmet and bike, if you can.
If you drive, probably easiest to park at the library.
Friday, August 22, 2008
Wonderful bike commute
The third and final Bike Friday of the summer this morning and the Newton bike convoy numbered over 35. (Lexington won the largest convoy contest with 51.) Each ride has seen more people join the trip from Newton City Hall to Boston City Hall. Boston Bike tsarina Nicole Freedman says that Bike Fridays may continue into the fall. Here's hoping.
Newton Bicycle/Pedestrian Task Force chairman George Kirby charted the Newton convoy and led the first two rides. No pictures for this ride because George couldn't ride (though he did stop by to send the riders off) and yours truly set the pace.
George missed a terrific ride. It's really wonderful to be part of the growing contingent of people riding to work.
Canadian bike thief
This is, at best, tangentially related to biking in Newton, but it's too weird not to share. Toronto police busted a guy with nearly 3,000 stolen bikes.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Biking Head
If NS&S had an official soundtrack, it would have lots of Talking Heads and David Byrne (in his solo incarnation). We only love him more that Byrne is a long-time biking rider and activist. So, how cool is this: he created nine arty bike racks that have been installed (temporarily) around New York City.
Here's a shoe for in front of Bergdof's.
Sharing the Road, India
As if taking a cue from the DHL signboard, everyone has begun to "move forward," regardless of those still clearing the intersection. The cyclist appears to be dead center, but is actually somewhat to the left of most of the traffic here, which is making a right turn. (Keep in mind that you drive on the left in India, not the right; a right turn crosses traffic.)
Cyclists have to contend with a lot of competition for road share: scooters, motorcycles, auto-rikshaws, cars, small trucks, large trucks, buses, cows. As I posted before, the space for bicycles is getting smaller. Low prestige. The shoulder-strap & package on the back suggest that this one is making a delivery, and likely, in the brutally honest argot of Indian offices, a "peon."
In the photo at the right, note the pecking order of vehicles waiting for a green signal: cars to the extreme right, then motorcycles and rikshaws, then bicycles. There are exceptions, of course (exceptions are the rule on India's roads), but the rule of thumb is that slower, smaller vehicles move to the edges. At lights, cyclists tend to creep around other vehicles to fill in nooks and crannies toward the front. As more vehicles congregate for a right turn, the turn "lane" expands to fit them, until turners block straight traffic.
What relevance does all this have for cyclists in the US? I'm not yet sure. But I'm sure there's a happy medium somewhere between the chaotic heterogeneity of Indian roads and the regimented monoculture of American roads.
Monday, August 18, 2008
More Walnut-y goodness
Apart from the occasional Bike Boston-sponsored group commute, I rarely ride (or drive) on Walnut Street south of Comm. Ave. So, it was a special thrill to ride with son of NS&S down to the New Arts Center this morning in the freshly striped shoulders.
This completes a project to stripe Walnut Street from Beacon down to Newtonville. Beacon to Comm. Ave. was completed in July.
Pictures to come.
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