Driving

Hey, space hogger on Weld Hill Street: The city has its eye on you

adamg — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 20:53:57 +0000

In response to a citizen complaint about a neighbor constantly using a traffic cone to claim a space on Weld Hill Street in Forest Hills, a city DPW inspector reports:

I sent an inspector to this location, they reported back that the cones are not there now. We will keep patroling the area periodically so we can try and confiscate the cones.

Assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, to wit, a penny

adamg — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 17:56:27 +0000

The MetroWest Daily News reports an alleged road rager from Ashland responded to some perceived offense by tossing a bunch of pennies at his adversary - at least one of which flew through the guy's open sunroof and hit his girlfriend in the face.

Mayorless city still manages to raise kids with brains enough to stay out of traffic

adamg — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 23:30:20 +0000

In addition to wrangling over its next mayor, the Cambridge City Council continues to tussle with the issue of a rich guy with a large piece of land who wants to put in a second driveway. The driveway is opposed by some neighbors as the possible breaking of the seal that unleashes the spawn of Satan, but Cambridge Day reports one neighbor testified this week he is not concerned about kids getting hurt on the tiny street onto which the driveway would enter because:

When a car arrives, they get out of the way. After the car parks, they play more.

Early morning rollover in East Boston sends one to the hospital

adamg — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 11:19:09 +0000

Mike Moura photographed a rollover around 3:30 a.m. on the 300 block of Bremen Street that sent the driver to the hospital with what looked to be a pretty nasty head wound.

Early morning crash kills one, injures four in Readville

adamg — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 18:28:54 +0000

State Police report a crash at Hyde Park Avenue and Milton Street around 2:40 a.m. killed the driver of one car and sent four occupants of the other car to the hospital.

State Police said the dead driver was a 24-year-old Hyde Park man. No charges have yet been filed and the crash remains under investigation.

Sandwich chain doing its part to destroy the wallet industry

adamg — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 13:38:16 +0000

Street Fight interviews Mike Conley, director of marketing at Sebastians Cafe, which now has 2,200 people signed up for its phone-based payment and loyalty programs - customers use their phones rather than old-fashioned cash or credit cards to pay for lunch. Naturally, the chain started with its Kendall Square location first.

It's just an easier, great way to pay. I forgot my wallet one day, going into a meeting, and I was like: "Oh, crap. I can't pay for food. Oh, wait a minute. I have my phone. I have LevelUp." It's interesting that everyone is starting to realize how this is a very usable tool for payments.

Citizen complaint of the day: Damned middle-of-street parkers and barking dogs

adamg — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 13:41:21 +0000

It's a South End twofer. First, a South Ender reports the neighborhood's quaint Sunday tradition of parking in the middle of the street is "out of control," at least, on Warren Avenue, where he or she spotted somebody parking in a crosswalk:

But that's just once a week. Another fed-up citizen complains about the dog park in the Southwest Corridor Park by Carleton:

Please please please please put a huge "NO BARKING" banner in the Carleton st dog park. The park is surrounded by residential units but selfish and inconsiderate dog owners allow their dogs to bark constantly. It's so antisocial. We are woken as early as 6am by barking dogs and sometimes to as late as 1am. Please do something about this. It's driving me mad!

Epic parking fail

adamg — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 17:12:47 +0000

Sweetz spotted this example of Massachusetts parking grace at the Windsor Garden Apartments in Norwood.

Citizen complaint of the day: OK, who's the joker in JP with a giant storage box?

adamg — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 18:32:41 +0000

An aggrieved Ashcroft Street resident pleads:

Someone had their Door to Door storage unit put in front of my driveway in a clearly marked no parking zone. Please move, i can't get out of my driveway.

Don't mess with Prius drivers

adamg — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 22:05:14 +0000

Sadly, the fact that somebody got shot in the middle of the day today is not nearly as shocking as it should be. What was odd about the story, though, was that the assailants apparently used a Prius, first to ram their victim, then to drive away after they shot him for good measure.

Turns out there's a whole seamy underworld of criminals in Prii:

State representative chats with reporter about cell phone safety bill while driving home

Brett — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 18:11:17 +0000

A brilliant legislator last night was talking to a reporter about getting a cell-phone driving law out of committee, while driving home:

"It's a common-sense measure," said Wagner, in a phone interview he described as hands-free while driving home from the State House in his Honda Accord. "I think it will save lives; I think that it will improve public safety on the roads of Massachusetts; I think it's a measure which is long overdue."

According to a University of Utah study, during that conversation Wagner had the reaction time of someone with a Blood Alcohol Content of .08, the state's limit - and was more likely to be involved in a crash. This was at night, probably in inclement weather, too. Then we see the chairman of the committee demonstrating complete ignorance:

Driveway rage: Police say man tired of parents stopping in front of his driveway to pick up kids threatened one with a rifle

adamg — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 21:15:52 +0000

1/25/12 - 3:31 pm

Boston Police report arresting a Greenwood Street resident who'd allegedly finally snapped at all the parents who stop in front of his driveway to pick up kids at the school across the street.

Drive-in claims service

adamg — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 16:00:21 +0000

Kenny Jervis happened upon the after effects of a two-car collision at Columbus Avenue and W. Newton Street in the South End this morning.

News Man reports there were no injuries.

Can Boston drivers be tamed?

adamg — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 13:39:54 +0000

City Councilor Matt O'Malley thinks so. O'Malley, who reps JP, West Roxbury and a bit of Roslindale, is calling for a hearing to consider ways to force Boston drivers to stop being such Massholes, including speed humps, speed slots (which are like speed humps, but with grooves that let emergency vehicles avoid jostling when driving somewhere at ramming speed), new medians and signs warning motorists speeds are monitored by radar, like the ones New Yorkers learned decades ago to ignore. A little more enforcement by BPD wouldn't hurt, either, O'Malley says.

"I want the term 'Boston Driver' to become synonymous with safety and civility," O'Malley says in a statement. O'Malley's predecessor, John Tobin, waged a similar campaign - complete with lawn signs - to little effect.

O'Malley said the techniques have worked in other cities to "calm" traffic in residential areas. Bostonians who want to see for themselves need only take a quick jaunt across the Charles into Dedham at Spring Street, then turn right at Needham Street to drive over a "speed table" (like a speed hump, only longer) and through a "roundabout" (like a rotary, only smaller).

Northeastern student gets message about his parking

adamg — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 12:37:59 +0000

The Huntington News reports a Northeastern grad student who parked his car overnight in a college parking lot on Columbus Avenue returned the next afternoon to find both his side mirrors ripped off and a note "criticizing his parking and threatening to vandalize the car next time it is improperly parked."