And now the state loses out on $145 million in federal stimulus funds; money was to have gone to a fancy-shmancy Silver Line extension through Roxbury and Mattapan that state officials tried to foist on the neighborhoods as a fait accompli.

Lawmakers ask state to withdraw 28X proposal (from the Dorchester Reporter a couple weeks ago).

Steve Poftak is sad.

Earlier:
Gloria Fox, Byron Rushing objected to bus cramming.

Marti V. tweets:

I just saw some guy actually just lick his hand then touch a pole on the bus.

The Traveling Wheelchair reviews Kenmore Square:

...Once safely on the brick sidewalk, I found it plenty wide enough and fairly easy to wheel on the bricks. As we were about to cross the street at a pedestrian sidewalk, we were pleased to see there is a map with Braille for the blind to read; and the crosswalk made of brick which provides contrast and is easy to see if you are visually impaired like me. I like it because the brick will always stand out and not fade as painted white lines do. ...

The state Department of Transportation says it has started publishing raw, live location data for buses on five routes - which will eventually lead to applications that let riders see how far away the next bus is and when they can expect it to show up.

Why Does Public Transport Not Arrive on Time? The Pervasiveness of Equal Headway Instability.

Although the paper attempts a generalized discussion of the issue, it specifically mentions the MBTA's attempt to deal with the problem by periodically running express Red Line trains.

Via Mike the Mad Biologist.

The MBTA reports a plainclothes transit cop arrested two teenagers on charges they etched something on the window of a 32 bus in Hyde Park this afternoon.

A brawl that erupted around 2:45 p.m. yesterday at Forest Hills disrupted bus service through the station as MBTA and Boston police tried to clear both combatants and groups of teens who gathered to watch, according to the Suffolk County District Attorney's office.

Finn posts a photo of the rear window of a 9 bus, which, he reports, somebody shot out with an air rifle at Dorchester Street and Broadway around 7:15 p.m. Nobody hurt, he adds.

Well, maybe not fun, exactly, but still a fact, at least when it comes to MBTA buses vs. bicycles.

Just before 8 this morning, I passed MBTA bus 0435 on southbound Main Street in Wakefield. The bus was sitting on the side of the road with the engine compartment open. There were two T mechanics and a supervisor on scene.

Assuming the bus had been in service when it broke down, it was apparent that whatever riders were on it had already been transferred to another bus, as there were no other people milling around.

UPDATE - Bus was in service when it broke down. From the T Web page:

Route 137 experiencing 15-20 min delays due to disabled bus 10/2/2009 7:31 AM