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Route 39 bus gets stuck, riders, drivers out of luck
By adamg on Tue, 03/10/2015 - 9:16am
A UHub eye in the sky forwarded a photo of South Huntington Avenue in Jamaica Plain, where an inbound 39 bus got jammed by a car parked by a snowbank near the VA entrance, jamming up traffic in both directions.
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Can't really tell from the picture...
...but it looks like there's full lane blocked by snow, and cars (double-)parked all along the snowbank, thereby eliminating a travel lane. Which, I dunno, might come in handy in a situation like this where there's a dead bus.
Nicely done, City of Boston.
It's worse than that...
See some of the other comments in this thread (especially the one with the picture): the bus didn't have mechanical problems. It was hemmed in by those double-parked cars and got stuck trying to squeeze past another bus.
They'll get on that double parking enforcement any day now.
You just wait.
Why did Walsh....
... decide to simply abandon basic traffic enforcement measures (such as blocking travel lanes on major thoroughfares)?
Has there ever been enforcement of this?
People double park with complete impunity in Boston.
This issue predates Walsh.
Yeah, but
Just because Walsh didn't start the problem doesn't mean he couldn't address it if he wanted.
And the results of non-enforcement....
... have been more severe and widespread than the norm. (Lifting non-vigorously unenforced parking bands before removing snow banks from parking sports was mayoral malpractice).
"Abandon" was the key word.
Walsh didn't "decide to simply abandon basic traffic enforcement measures."
Boston never has had basic traffic enforcement measures.
I thought that routine non-enforcement....
... mainly applied to South Boston. This time the non-enforcement was everywhere. Besides, the need for enforcement was manifestly greater this time than typpical (or even "ever before").
Double Parking
Wasn't the problem. As I said , I was on the bus that was stopped. The snow isn't removed far enough on both sides of the street (you can park on either side... normally there's more than enough room), so the buses and big vehicles get stuck. In the main picture, the bus that was stuck isn't even shown, it was more up the left side of S. Huntington going up toward Centre Street. It yet again comes down to crappy snow removal. Which, though, is weird, because they removed a ton of snow up past Bynner Street the other day. They just didn't continue further down S. Huntington.
We're calling it "(double) parking"
The poster at the top of this thread original referred to it as "(double) parking." I believe this is because in their view, there is so much snow on the road that parking normally and safely is impossible. Anyone parking there is effectively double-parking against the already "parked" snowbank, essentially.
Makes
Sense.
I guess....
... illegally parking in a lane that is supposed to be used by moving traffic is more accurate. ;-}
THANKS, MARTY is the new
THANKS, MARTY is the new THANKS OBAMA. hilarious
Unlike Obama
Marty Walsh has the direct ability to control parking enforcement. If he wanted cars parked in travel lanes ticked and towed it would take but one call.
This isn't a complex or global issue here.
You cant abandon something
You cant abandon something that never existed. Boston drivers park wherever they want, drive however they want with no consequences until they kill someone (or cause the death of someone like the girl in southie killed because double parkers blocked the ambulance), and even then its just a ticket.
How severe are the consequences....
... even ni cases that lead to deaths? My recollection is that, even then, severe consequences are far from guaranteed (especially if the offender has the right sort of connections).
The driver who sped through a
The driver who sped through a stop sign and killed 2 pedestrians last year will be back behind the wheel of a car in a few years. It is sick that American culture places cars above people.
You don't want to piss off
You don't want to piss off the townies by not letting them drive like assholes.
Go Patriots!
Hopefully they can win free agency this week and plan a new parade up Huntington! That'll get those streets clean!
I was
I was on that bus. I think it actually got stuck and couldn't get around all the cars.
Just another example of T mismanagement, poor...
... buying decisions, inadequate staff training.
'Getting stuck' is easy for this vehicle because of its basic design. The T drivers are (or should be) instructed to never pull this bus into any position where they cannot maneuver out of by going in a forward direction. This is obviously limited by the turning ability of the front tires and steering AND... now just wait for it... the fact that this vehicle should NOT ever be operated in reverse cause of its hinged design. Go figure.
Glad the theory of
"buses are better than streetcars because traffic can more easily move around a disabled bus" appears to be working so well.
You mean Better Transit
You mean Better Transit Without Trolleys LIED to the public along with the bus favoring Mulhern administration at the MBTA a decade ago?
The deuce you say!
Well at least since buses
Well at least since buses carry fewer people and are slower, there are less people inconvenienced when they die and they don't expect to get anywhere timely.
It got stuck, didn't die
I'm glad that this is showing up here, as it was/is an atrocious incident. I was on the bus that was stopped and blocking traffic in both directions. What actually happened was that the bus driver was squeezing past another 39 bus headed in the opposite direction, got too close to the parked cars, and ended up stuck. The bus was working just fine - the driver was inching it back and forth trying to get it out, but eventually gave up. Here's the link to a picture I took after I and everyone else abandoned ship:
http://imgur.com/7SaE8V3
I have been
Reporting this stretch of road every week since the snow started. The cars all park in the travel lane as there is snow on both sides....but no action by the city.
Little traffic jams have been happening regularly, maybe now that a big one happened the city will finally remove the giant snow banks OR RESTRICT PARKING !!!!
same as it ever was
I reported similar problems along Hyde Park Ave near Forest Hills. After several reports (and probably by others too) the city finally removed the snow to bring HPA back to two travel lanes--weeks after major snowfalls.
I don't understand why things like this aren't at the top of the city's priority snow removal list. Or why they allow parking in travel lanes, if plowing is going to take time.
Not to mention
This stretch of road is a snow emergency parking ban so they had DAYS to clear it, but never did, not after any of the storms. Huntington Ave just got cleared curb to curb last week. And then to not clear it and but allow parking was ridiculous. that construction site has a police detail sometimes, who just ignored cars parked in the travel lane.
Parade
Because he's too busy...
1) Having snow removed for a St Pattys day parade that with current weather forecast may not even happen
2) Having his lips firmly pressed againsts Boston2024's hiney
Parade?
Cybah - why do you think the parade "might not happen"? The weather forecasts I've seen indicate possible rain/snow showers with less than an inch of snow expected. In my experience, that is not enough to cancel the parade. [Certainly won't be pleasant for the spectators!]
Also, there have been volunteer crews out since Saturday (with Bobcats and front-end loaders) removing snow from East Broadway. I've not seen evidence that the city is involved with or paying for this effort. Just to clarify....
Because
Any sort of movement of that rain/snow line could yield much more precipitation.
I'm just saying what the weather people are saying.. "too early to tell".
No the city has been helping also. There were pictures on twitter from marty_walsh's account showing the removal over the weekend. Coworkers who live in Southie have also stated this is true also. (because they are pissed that efforts are being focused on a parade route, and not their narrow residential streets)
Just saying that I'd be
Just saying that I'd be surprised if this parade ended up being cancelled (short of a large storm). With all the effort that is going in to clearing the streets, I think there will be a parade come hell or high water.
In our neighborhood the snow clearing was done Saturday and Sunday by private volunteers - we spoke with them; no city trucks around.
Perhaps it is different where your co-workers live.
From the "Caught in Southie" blog:
The parade organizers and volunteers will be removing snow along East and West Broadway over the course of the next few days. Sections of Broadway will have “NO PARKING” signs to help expedite that effort.
Any gay snow clearing crews?
Gays fought so hard for years to participate in this parade, including shaming advertising sponsors away. I would think that they would help out removing snow for the first one they are to be in.
Go away
Just go away.
What will you make Black people do?
I mean, we let them vote now, and sit at lunch counters and use any public rest room.
Out of state plates too
What are the chances that the truck in the picture with an out of state (NH?) inspection sticker belongs to a resident who is illegally not registering their car here and then also parking it in a travel lane blocking traffic?
Contractor
Most of the trucks on that stretch are contractors for the new high rise going up across from the VA
Contractors needing parking
The irony is the visible parking demands by contractors to put up new buildings that lack sufficient parking for intended residents!
There might also be some doctors, nurses, techs, administrators, guards, custodians, and patients needing parking at the VA.
Then there are the commuters who want to park for free on streets near bus stops for their ride to work.
We need a wall along the NH
We need a wall along the NH/MA state line to secure our border. Or at least tolls.
Jamming up tactic?
You mean this is a demonstration!?!?!?
#
#BusLivesMatter
No need to submit a report to
No need to submit a report to the city. Just cut straight to the answer that they are not doing snow removal any more because there are no more snow issues in the city.
I hate to bring it up this
I hate to bring it up this way, but you know what the fine for driving in the HOV lane is in California? $340-$350 bucks. Blocking the box? $110 if written by a traffic warden, $258 if written by a police officer (counts as a moving violation). Double parking is $110. Red lights cost $400+ and license points. Not only that, those are enforced. Guess what, I rarely saw any infractions over there. Why can't our city get its act together, clean up that snow, fine people for blocking travel lanes, etc.?
Its more fair in CA
As pedestrians get fined for jaywalking and bicyclists get fined for running red lights etc.. Oh, and these fines are actually enforced on them with driving license suspensions, unlike in Massachusetts, where they are not by law.
CA needs to fund its massive spending every way they can.
So the penalty for doing what
So the penalty for doing what you need to do to get around in a reasonable amount of time without driving on roads designed primarily for driving is that you're not allowed to drive?
Yup. Same if you don't pay MBTA fares
jumping turnstiles etc. If you don't pay the fine after being caught, Massachusetts DOES enforce them by suspending your driving license! If you don't have one (ie minors), the RMV still must keep track of your owed fines, in case you might want to drive some day.
Its all because the RMV is less dysfunctional than our courts, so used for enforcement. That and most people prefer to drive.
Massive spending
You do know how populous CA is? How many MAs would fit in one CA?
Probably not - that's West of Worcester.
People complaining about double parking
May I ask, where do most of you come from? Honestly, double parking and other violations were a much worse problem 20-30 years ago. Boston and Greater Boston has actually improved dramatically in this regard IMHO.
Overall number of cars in Boston....
... and overall traffic volume has increased in the past 30 years, has it not? So traffic lane obstructions get more bang for the buck now, right?
No
No, I don't think you can make this assumption. It depends on where. Many statistics that I've seen comparing 1990s traffic numbers to 2000s and today's numbers show a decline on local streets. Boston's population only started growing again in recent history, and it seems to be doing so in a manner that doesn't translate into higher traffic volumes (thankfully).
Local traffic patterns have more to do with local trends (zoning affecting land use, transit ridership, resurgent interest in local business, etc) than they have to do with nationwide population growth. And even at the national level, vehicle-miles traveled has become increasing disconnected from population as well, a trend that may have started in the late 90s, but became quite clear about ten years ago, and has continued since.
My two main data points....
... are Washington on one side of Roslindale and Hyde Park Avenue on the other. Both definitely seem a lot more congested now than 17 years ago.
One example
There don't seem to be too many data-gathering points available for review in that area but here's a few selections from Centre Street just west of West Roxbury Pkwy:
Year: AADT
1993: 16,000
2002: 17,600
2008: 15,200
2013: 14,698
You both could be right
I mean, what if the traffic that used to hook a left at West Roxbury Parkway from Washington Street, and then ended up on Centre Street heading to the rotary, went straight instead?
I see Kerpan's anecdotal point. There are backups on Washington Street heading downhill on Saturdays, which amazes me. Of course, officially from the City we only have 15 year old numbers, which I don't trust. There's no way that Cummins Highway has the highest vehicle counts in Roslindale.
My wife went to the recent Casey Overpass meeting....
... and said it was clear that the traffic planners never seriously considered the impact of the changes on drivers from south and east of the overpass -- and were unable (or unwilling) to offer any suggestions on what alternate routes people could or should take. All they did was repeat over and over that drivers could and would find adequate alternatives. When she pointed out the fact that there were, in fact, remarkably few alternatives, they did not disagree -- or identify any others that were not on the paltry list she gave them.
But Michael
Traffic will be better. They even told us so.
Not to change topics too much, but did you see what they did to the trees on Washington Street south of the station Monday? I am less of a fan now.
The one a couple days ago?
Where one of the pro-bridge people starting singing "We Shall Overcome" ?
How do I miss these things?
I mean, aside from being obsessed with being with a toddler and not actually being from the Forest Hills area.
I swear, if they don't do anything where they just cut all the trees down, I'll be convinced that the whole project was conceived by the tin eared.
It's quite possible
I didn't mean to imply that all streets saw declining volumes at the same rate as Centre at West Rox. There's just not a whole lot of data gathering stations in Roslindale for whatever reason. Several of them haven't been updated since 1992 either.
I'm more familiar with the numbers in Allston/Brighton. There, almost all data gathering stations saw declines in AADT over the past 10-15 years, some with even more precipitous drops from the 1990s. The notable exception is Washington Street in Brighton Center, where the counts have ticked up slightly, matching anecdotes. I think more drivers are cutting through Brighton Center these days. Not to mention, I don't think they ever really recovered from the loss of the trolley line, 57 bus regardless.
As I said earlier, local context dominates.
Some up, some down
Boston parking permits are up something like 22% since 2009, but generally, Boston is an outlier for an American city. Public transit and walking modes to work are high with growth in the past 10 years. With the great recession and fewer people having jobs to go to, driving had a temporary downturn. With recovery we experience levels bouncing back.
Just because it was worse before...
...doesn't mean it's not bad now.
I hate to be the one to say it
But it's been 3 weeks since the last major storm, and South Huntington is a major road, so it should be cleared by now.
I give the city the first month of this, since there was no way they could make headway with the frequency and intensity of the snowfall, but they can't just wait for spring to let Mother Nature handle a street like this. My street, fine, but not the likes of South Huntington.
Walsh's lieutenants just don't seem to be on top of things....
... or just don't care enough to get things done right. Which means Walsh himself either is not on top of the situation or doesn't care enough to get things taken care of properly.
A map would be interesting
Snow clearance versus vote totals in the last mayor's race.
I think Walsh did pretty well in my part of Roslindale....
... but definitely pretty lackadaisical snow removal overall.
I dunno
Centre Street in West Roxbury was the first street in the Parkway cleared curb to curb, and that was Connolly country.
I just want to see a map with streets handled and streets to be handled, so we can see progress, if any. I would also love to see the means by which they decide which streets to do when.
I think he got very few votes
I think he got very few votes in Medford, so you could be on to something if the streets there are bad.
I just drove by that section
I just drove by that section of Huntington and as expected nothing has changed. No snow removal, still people parked in the travel lane.