Massachusetts permits interest groups to use Commonwealth auto registration as a fund-raising and advocacy mechanism. As you know from an earlier post, "Massachusetts Choose Life says it is only 214 sign-ups away from getting the Registry of Massachusetts to begin offering "Choose Life" vanity plates..."

The state's opened up its traffic cameras to the public, so now you can see what state traffic engineers see along Rte. 128, the Southeast Expressway, Rte. 3 north of 128, three spots on I-93 between 128 and the Zakim and near the Sagamore Bridge.

replicate what I witnessed tonight. About 5:25 pm, a Route 55 bus going through the intersection of Boylston and Tremont in the middle lane blew a right rear tire. No flying debris (very fortunate for the cabbie that was starting to pass the bus in the right lane), and the driver maintained control (very fortunate for the bus passengers) and pulled over to the curb by the Dunkies, but it sure made a loud BANG!

The Registry of Motor Vehicles has figured out a way: stop all those damn mailings. Beginning immediately, the RMV will cease mailing the helpful renewal letters for Driver’s Licenses and vehicle inspection that we’ve all become accustomed to. Not to mention reducing business hours at many branches...

It's charity walk season here in Boston, and that means every weekend, some part of the city will be shut down, causing major traffic and mobility headaches.

I think there is a better way...charity walks, extortion style.

Only Massachusetts requires police details at road work sites. Boston drivers are from Massachusetts. Coincidence? DrivingLikeAss.Com thinks not.
The new DLA Labs study, Traffic Authority Figures & Their Effectiveness in the Modification of Ass-like Driving Behavior: A DLA Research Study, points to a possible sensory cortex dysfunction among Boston drivers. On the other hand, it could also be that they just like driving like ass.

On Thursday, UMass Boston Chancellor Michael Collins updated the university community via email on the state of UMB's crumbling garage: 

"I am writing to share a development regarding the original parking garage. Last night, several sections of pipe fell from the ceiling of the Lower Level. Thankfully, no one was injured, and since we had closed the garages on July 19, no vehicles were struck by the debris."

It is frightening that this happened less than a month after the garage's Big Dig inspired closing.  Almost equally discomforting is the statement's ambiguity.  Is Chancellor Collins bragging that no vehicle has been damaged since July 19?  Or did he mean, 'because the garage has  been clossed since July 19, the debris struck no vehicles'?

In all seriousness, I have serious doubts that UMass Boston will exist in ten years.  Yesterday, my target graduation date was 4 semesters from now; today, I just want to graduate before my school is condemned!

Context:  "Survivor: UMass Boston Garage Edition" July 21, 2006

The Boston Globe is on a pothole patrol, and we need your help.

If you know of a nasty pothole in Boston, Brookline, Cambridge, or Somerville, take a photo and e-mail it as a jpeg to:

ciweek@globe.com

Please include the address and describe the location of the pothole, the date the photo was taken, and your own name. Photos and the results of our pothole hunt will be published in a future edition of City Weekly.

thanks,

Emily Sweeney
The Boston Globe
www.boston.com/citytalk

Driving to work this morning I saw something that made me both laugh and get angry. A truck (the kind that carries those highway rocks that crack windshields) was ahead of me on the Tobin bridge. On the back of the truck was a sign that said "Not Responsible for Broken Windshields."

You can see the picture and read a little bit more (not much though) here.