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Eliminating trolleys in JP was supposed to improve traffic
By adamg on Mon, 01/05/2009 - 10:09pm
William provides photographic proof that the extra-long 39 buses are every bit as effective at completely blocking traffic on Centre Street as the old trolleys were.
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Comments
why busses can't pull in on Centre
Why? What you can't see are the delivery trucks for the Tedeschi's and Dunkin Donuts. Sometimes in the morning, they double park the delivery trucks.
If BPD or BTD stationed one officer/meter maid on Centre Street whose sole job was to drive up and down the main commercial district in the morning and ticket the hell out of anyone who parked in the bus stops (and have BTD tow them immediately like the signs claim!) this wouldn't be a problem.
As I've said before: the southbound bus stop in front of Bukhara (for example) is treated like "5 minute temporary parking" for CVS/Tedeschis customers...people too fucking lazy to drive another 100 feet and park in the lot or find a legit parking space. The same thing happens at the corner of S. Huntington and Huntington- people park illegally there to pick up stuff at the local pizzeria.
The Globe recently lauded a piece of legislation to simplify ticketing of cars in bus stops. I buy that excuse for places outside Boston where transit officers would have to have a dozen different ticket books, but there's no excuse why BPD and MBTA police aren't ticketing inside Boston already! One ticket book works for the ENTIRE DAMN CITY!
Centre Street & police coverage
Well it's a nice idea to have a beat cop on Centre but there's no way E13 can cover it. They've just been redistricted to include part of Forest Hills and Woodbourne and have been given no additional resources or men. Of course, even when they had the resources they couldn't seem to show up when you need them. BTW - do we have a captain? The last I heard the swat team was at her front door as she went on a mad rant...
yes, there is a captain
From what I heard, someone was temporarily put in. John Tobin injected himself into the matter in an article in the Gazette, making it sound like he's the Keeper Of the E-13 Captain's Chair.
The man seems to fancy himself Mayor of JP or something...
Meanwhile other cities like
Meanwhile other cities like New York are bringing the sidewalk out to meet the bus, so the driver doesnt have to swerve around like in the picture and can stop, board customers and move on. No double parking, no loading vehicles, and ramp access for those that need it.
Nobody double parks if it blocks off the only lane. As for the cars? They have to deal with a 20 second stop. Transit first.
Center Street with the 39 is
Center Street with the 39 is a clusterfuck of the highest degree. Bring back the trolleys with a ROW, even if that means no more on-street parking.
T is planning curb extensions and stop consolidation
The good news is that the T is currently planning to install curb extensions along route 39 at the bus stops, which will both reduce the double parking problem and actually result in a GAIN in parking, since the bus won't need all that curbside room to pull over. They will also be consolidating stops that are too close together:
http://www.jamaicaplaingazette.com/node/3196
Maybe
They tried this on Centre St. in W. Roxbury, but what happened was that cars double-park anyhow, even beside those curb bump-outs. And the busses don't pull over to stop - the other day I watched the busses stopping in the middle of the road, half-way over into the left lane, no attempt at all to pull over. So the bump-outs actually made it worse.
Gotta get your Real Deal pizza before it cools down!
I LOVE how people park in front of the bumper thing there.
Also fun: Our Lady of the Perpetual Tractor Trailer which can be found parked every weeknight in the turn lane in front of the Roche Bros. Plaza Memorial Starbucks.
Typical Boston view of transit
A vehicle with several hundred people on board is called out for inconveniencing maybe a few dozen people in their cars. So it's done away with and replaced with something that is still huge and now a vehicle with around a hundred people on board is still inconveniencing maybe a few dozen people in their cars. Boohoo.
Also, the principle of Induced Demand suggests that removing mass transit, or scaling it back in the case of Centre St. will only worsen traffic.
oh for chrissakes
You lost with your whole trolley business. Sit DOWN, move ON with your life.
Here, here!
Clap, clap, clap, thunderous applause! And the irony is that he cries and cries and cries about it, when there is a thing called the Orange Line, just a few blocks away.
real irony
cracks me up that folks who opposed the rightful return of the streetcar are now the first ones to complain about bus operation. in fact, the bus has been operating poorly and loosing ridership steadily for over 20 years. what more evidence do you need that is does not work? and if bulb outs are to be used for buses, (which many people oppose and is not a certainty) it renders the only argument in favor of the bus moot and makes the operational differences between the streetcar and the bus on centre/south a big fat ZERO, that is the irony.
the state’s feet will be held to the fire on transportation one of these days. the story is not yet over.
Maybe just walk
Did you ever take the trolley down Centre St? Did you ever drive down there when the trolleys were running?
If so, I can't imagine how you could possibly be in favor of them returning.
Would it be so GD hard to
Would it be so GD hard to run a cut and cover subway down there??
It would be GD hard
There are probably a gazillion water, electric, cable, sewer, gas, etc., lines beneath the street. Tunnel maintenance is also likely a non-trivial expense.
probably, but i imagine it
probably, but i imagine it would be much easier to have the E-Line hang the big Left turn onto the jamaicaway instead of south huntingtong, and give it a ROW all the way up to forest hills.... it would run parallel to the current 39 bus by a few blocks for much of the way, then get a bit remote down around the monument but would still work for commuters. For people needing to get up and down Centre Street the 41 could just be extended to Forest Hills, and it would give the endangered 48 a reason for existence.
People treat the jamaicaway like an interstate now anyway, this could help cut those speeds (and maybe traffic volume?) down a bit, and make it a little less suburban speedway like for all the folks trying to get to the pond