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City transportation chief moves up

Thomas Tinlin, head of the transportation department under Tom Menino, will become hief of operations and maintenance for the state Department of Transportation next month.

Tinlin is ending almost a decade as the Commissioner of the Boston Transportation Department. During that time Tinlin introduced technology to modernize operations, embraced a multi-modal approach to roadway design and led the implementation of transportation plans for countless planned and unplanned events in the City.

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Comments

I consider Tom Tinlin one of the more competent and likable members of the Menino administration and I'm surprised Marty Walsh didn't keep him. Not sure if he tried or whether they even get along. Regardless, is it really considered moving "up" to go from Commissioner (Department Head) of Transportation in Boston to a state job working under several people including the Secretary of Transportation and God knows how many "Undersecretaries" and others? It would be akin to saying Ed Davis was "moving up" by leaving as Boston Police Commissioner to become a Captain or a Major on the State Police, working under the Colonel and Lieutenant Colonels. Even if there's a negligible pay raise, I think just being in charge of towing, meter-maids and parking tickets in Boston alone is the far more influential position.

PS -- I believe Tinlin will become Chief not "hief."

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Tinlin competent? Go talk to anybody in the transportation dept and ask what they think, I doubt they'll say competent.... Still, he's worlds better than his predecessor Hoffman...

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Boston's one of the only capitol cities in the country that doesn't make much use of sensor-based lights except for lights on side streets that shouldn't even have them. Almost anywhere downtown, you'll sit at a light for minutes waiting for its stupid timed signal even if there isn't another car in sight.

Consistent yellow light delays (they're supposed to be based on the speed limit)? Phhbbbbt!

Safe speed limit? (30mph is far too fast; survivability for pedestrians and cyclists is very poor at that speed), naaaaaah.

Emergency-light triggered priority? Pshaw! That'd make life too easy for our firefighters and ambulance crews.

Priority for MBTA LRV and busses at intersections? Poppycock!

Pedestrian walk buttons? Screw pedestrians! Disable the buttons completely, or make them wait 2+ minutes to cross the damn street if they happen to hit the cycle wrong!

Then there's Longwood Avenue, where trying to cross the street is like a game of frogger. They installed LED warning flashers that used motion sensors and were great, but then apparently drivers complained they were lit up "too often" so now you have to push a button that's several feet from the crosswalk...

Hell, just look at all the fact that they're still putting incandescent bulbs in a lot of stoplights...

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Does anon spend any time doing anything else but bitching about everyone and everything? Talk about being without a life...

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Tinlin was far from competent. He is just another hack and it proves if you kiss butt you go up the ladder rather quickly. During Ray Flynn's administration, he was a security guard for the building. Menino comes into office Tinlin becomes a neighborhood coordinator and then the Transportation chief. Bet Tinlin was the guy that turned Hoffman in.

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