Transportation

Commonwealth Ave. Bridge Project Will Impact Pike, Trains, MBTA Service

By Guest Writer | July 27, 2018

The following announcement was provided by MassDOT:
The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) has announced that intensive construction operations for its project to replace the westbound side of the Commonwealth Avenue Bridge in Boston began successfully on the evening of Thursday, July 26. “On Thursday evening, Commonwealth Avenue as well as the Boston University Bridge were closed to all vehicular traffic, detours were implemented for MBTA bus routes, and a section of the Green Line B branch is now replaced by bus shuttles,” said Highway Administrator Jonathan Gulliver. “Our crews have started initial work-related activities including roadway milling, staging equipment, and bringing in bridge beams and materials. The public is asked to avoid the local area if possible as significant travel impacts are in place, and make informed decisions on route, timing, and mode of travel.”
Crews will start demolishing the westbound side of the bridge on the morning of Saturday, July 28. The MBTA Commuter Rail Worcester/Framingham line and the Amtrak Lake Shore Limited line will be replaced for some station stops by bus shuttles throughout the weekend, and during the following weekend, in order to ensure adequate room for operations.

Bicycles

Designers Add More Options for Redesigning Watertown Square After Traffic Counts

By Charlie Breitrose | July 19, 2018

After taking traffic counts in the area around Watertown Square and along Charles River Road an North Beacon Street, the designers of the Watertown Square Improvement project added more options for how the intersection could be changed. On July 9, the Town of Watertown held an open house to present the latest options for reconfiguring Watertown Square. The last time the project was presented to the public, in November 2017, many residents — particularly those living between Charles River Road and North Beacon Street — opposed the idea of removing Charles River Road from the Watertown Square intersection. Representatives from the Town’s consultant on the project, VHB, said traffic counts would be done before coming back with recommendations for the project. “Based on the traffic counts, rather than reduce the options, we added more,” said Dennis Sheehan, the DPW’s Director of Administration and Finance. “If one solution would have clearly worked best we would have presented less options.”

Bicycling

OP-ED: State Sen. Brownsberger Pushing to Make Roads Safer for Bicyclists

By Guest Writer | July 8, 2018

(The following piece was provided by State Sen. Will Brownsberger (D – Belmont) who also represents Watertown and parts of Boston)
When I cycled across the country in 2011, I saw a lot of roadkill. I was constantly aware that all it would take was one mistake by me or by one of those caffeinated guys in big rigs and I’d look about the same. On the open road, I developed a profound gratitude towards the tens of thousands of drivers who did not hit me. The Senate just approved a safety package that would require a clearance of at least three feet for vehicles passing vulnerable road users like highway workers, cyclists and pedestrians. It would add an additional foot of required clearance for each ten miles per hour of speed.

Government

OP-ED: Mass. Senate Passes Act to Reduce Pedestrian/Bicycle Fatalities

By Guest Writer | July 4, 2018

State Sen. Will Brownsberger released the following piece on legislation, of which he was the lead sponsor, to increase bicycle and pedestrian safety:

The Massachusetts State Senate voted Thursday, July 28, 2018 to pass legislation that aims to create safer streets for all road users. Developed in collaboration with a coalition of bicycle, pedestrian and transportation advocates, S.2570, An Act to reduce traffic fatalities, includes several measures to improve road safety, lessen the severity of crashes, and standardize the collection and analysis of crash data. The bill classifies several groups, including pedestrians, utility workers, first responders and cyclists, as “vulnerable road users,” and requires motor vehicles to apply a “safe passing distance” of at least three feet when traveling 30 miles per hour or less with an additional foot of clearance required for every 10 miles per hour over 30 miles per hour. Current law only requires motor vehicle operators to pass at “a safe distance and at a reasonable and proper speed.” The bill would further require a vehicle that is overtaking a vulnerable road user to use all or part of the adjacent lane, crossing the center line if necessary, when it cannot pass at a safe distance in the same lane and only when it is safe to do so. “We need to keep working year after year to achieve a future in which traffic fatalities get as close as possible to zero,” said Senator William N. Brownsberger (D-Belmont), lead sponsor of the bill in the Senate.

Around Town

Changes Coming to Charles River Road, Including New Crosswalks, Re-striping of Road

By Charlie Breitrose | July 3, 2018

A representative from the Department of Conservation and Recreation visited Charles River Road last week to speak with neighbors about how to make the newly repaved roadway safer, including adding more crosswalks. The tour was organized by State Sen. Will Brownsberger and State Rep. Jonathan Hecht. The goal of the re-striping is to increase the connections to between the neighborhood, the Charles River, the Riverside Park, as well as slowing traffic, said Jeffrey Parenti, Deputy Chief Engineer of the DCR’s Division of Planning and Engineering. After the new striping, there will be some changes to Charles River Road. The roadway will remain one lane in each direction for motor vehicles, and there will bebike lanes in each direction.

Around Town

Look for the Green Bikes — Lime Bike Share Company Comes to Watertown

By Charlie Breitrose | June 29, 2018

A fleet of 200 bright green bicycles arrives in Watertown on Friday. These bicycles are part of the town’s first bikeshare program, run by Lime. Unlike the bikeshares in Boston, Cambridge and Somerville, Lime operates a dockless bike program. “Lime is thrilled to bring our dock-free smart bikes to Arlington and Watertown. Many of the communities north of Boston have now added our affordable, green transportation option for everyone to enjoy,” said Scott Mullen, Lime Director of Expansion, New England.

Government

Mt. Auburn St. Plans Approved by Council Subcommittee, Now on to Full Council

By Charlie Breitrose | June 28, 2018

Wednesday evening, the Council’s Public Works subcommittee recommended that the Town Council approve the plan for Mt. Auburn Street that would reduce the number of travel lanes in most sections and add buffered bike lanes along many stretches.

The plan has been much discussed over the past several years, after the Town Council voted in 2013 to have the Department of Public Works and the town’s traffic engineering consultant, WorldTech Engineering, come up with plan for a “road diet” for the major artery between Watertown Square and the Cambridge line. The project is a Complete Streets project, which means it is designed for all modes of transportation: motor vehicle, bicycles, pedestrians and public transportation. If the Town can get TIP (Transportation Improvement Program) funding, the entire $14 million budget will be covered entirely by the state, said Bill Mertz, vice president of WorldTech. The plan would reduce the number of motor vehicle travel lanes from two lanes each way to one each way along most of the length of Mt.