Mass Rail Trail News -- July 26 2012
Tom Connors
COPENHAGEN JOURNAL
Commuters Pedal to Work on Their Very Own Superhighway
Car-free commuting push pays off in Kendall Square
Despite the rapid expansion in and around Kendall Square in the last decade — the neighborhood absorbed a 40 percent increase in commercial and institutional space, adding 4.6 million square feet of development — automobile traffic actually dropped on major streets, with vehicle counts falling as much as 14 percent. Although more commuters are churning in and out of Kendall each day, many more than ever are going by T, bike, car pool, or foot. A new kind of congestion — waiting for the T, jostling for position in bike lanes — is supplanting traffic worries, which officials call a good problem to have.
China Crowdmaps Pedestrian and Cyclist Problem Areas
ReutersThe tides of transportation in China have undeniably changed in recent years. In 2010, ownership of cars and motorcycles was 20 times higher than it was just ten years before.Eighteen million cars were sold in China in 2011, and car ownership in Beijing has grown tomore than 5 million. That tide has washed over the bicycle, formerly one of the most used forms of transportation in China, the use of which decline by more than 35 percent between 1995 and 2005.
But that tide is changing again, albeit slowly. While Chinese city-building has put much effort into building the highways and roads of a thoroughly car-dependent society, the Chinese government is not ignorant of the potential downsides of focusing on building infrastructure for automobiles and mostly ignoring pedestrians and bicyclists. The government wants to know where sidewalks and bike lanes are insufficient, and they've turned to the Chinese people to tell them.
A new crowdsourcing website seeks to tap into the wisdom of Chinese pedestrians and cyclists to identify areas in need of repair or improvement in Beijing. Developed by Beijing Transport Research Center and the World Bank, the website is aimed at helping transportation planners in the municipal government to know how roads and sidewalks are being used by the public, and where changes may be needed, according to this explanatory article from the World Bank.
When this online platform is officially launched, anyone can submit a mini report on issues related to quality of cycling and walking infrastructure as they discover, via web, smart phone apps, SMS or social media. Like during the one-hour testing on Sunday, the volunteers spotted a formidable array of issues that hamper cycling and walking, such as vehicles parked in bike lanes, no bike parking station or safe location to lock their bikes, areas with mixed traffic placing cyclists and passengers at greater risk.
All user-generated reports are then mapped and visualized, available for others to view and comment on.
It's a Chinese version of urban problem-spotting websites and apps such as SeeClickFix orFillThatHole. By making it easy for people to identify problems and notify officials, it's hoped that Beijing's website and mobile application will help make the infrastructure of the city work not just for its motorists, but for its still present pedestrians and bicyclists.
The website is currently being tested, but is expected to be available to the public soon.
WSJ: In Queens, An Artistic Alteration
![[image]](https://ci3.googleusercontent.com/proxy/kABEBeMro4v6ye0XOSfAGFQFYVd2XH8iqkIMdPQGmFDSIIW77HsXDu5j1EI1WDJOVlpYc1WH4-HrtSdYWabJi6DOeGJWP8dzgfXotgEYsWRNsWX5ZWEFOstzltlZB1iG=s0-d-e1-ft#http://s.wsj.net/public/resources/images/NY-BU176_GARDNE_G_20120723163753.jpg)
Queensboro Plaza subway station.
Queensboro Plaza subway station.
Goal: Transform Queens Plaza from a wasteland of potholed roads, a parking lot and elevated subway tracks into a greenway that would attract businesses and greet pedestrians and motorists arriving in Queens.
Let me put it another way: Imagine an urban-design competition where some higher power with a peculiar sense of humor—that would be the New York City Planning Commission—said, "We're going to give you a 16-lane roadway so dangerous pedestrians get hit by cars and an elevated subway track that creates so much noise you can't hear yourself think; now go turn it into a life-affirming oasis."
Remarkably, they succeeded, doing so by creating a lush strip of green plantings, benches and a two-way bicycle path. The project culminates in a new, 1.5-acre park on the site of the former parking lot. Ms. Ruddick describes the whole thing as a "linear park." That might be stretching it, no pun intended. Nonetheless, it's shining proof of the power of enlightened urban planning, talent, taste, trees and other plants and, perhaps most of all, positive thinking to minimize, if not wholly eradicate, the effects of an otherwise hostile environment.
How State DOTs Got Congress to Grant Their Wish List
by Tanya Snyder
Bike and pedestrian funding got slashed. Federal assistance for transit operations was rejected. Even the performance measures – arguably the high point of the recently passed federal transportation bill – are too weak to be very meaningful. For Americans who want federal policy to support safe streets, sustainable transportation, and livable neighborhoods, there were few bright spots in the transportation bill Congress passed last month.
AASHTO Director John Horsley is thrilled with the new transportation bill, which gave state DOTs just about everything they wanted. Photo: International Transport Forum
But state transportation departments are celebrating. They scored victory after victory, getting a bigger share of federal funding with fewer rules and regulations attached.
In the Senate, advocates were able to work some reforms into the bill and mobilize grassroots support for amendments like the Cardin-Cochran provision, which put funds for street safety projects in the hands of local governments, not state DOTs. But the House never managed to pass a bill of its own, and the opaque conference committee process was an exercise in horse-trading that advocates found difficult to penetrate
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The shift from Transportation Enhancements to Transportation Alternatives — and all the changes made to the program — wasn’t AASHTO’s idea, Horsley said, but they’ll go along with it. He said AASHTO’s “official position was to support the enhancement program” and they never suggested changing it. “We were happy to have managed the entire program for the last 20 years,” he said. “Now that Congress has directed us to deliver 50 percent of the program through MPOs, cities, counties, local governments – that’s fine; we can work that out.” If he thought states should have been left in charge of the entire amount for Transportation Alternatives, he didn’t say so.
But Horsley did say states have a “pretty impressive” legacy of investing $6.2 billion in bike and pedestrian paths over the last ten years. (States also rescinded back to the federal government $580 million in funding for these projects in 2010 alone [PDF].)
Horsley indicated he’s as confused as anybody as to why Transportation Enhancements got portrayed as a frivolous “beautification” program in this debate. “Congressional leaders like Nick Rahall from West Virginia – he has found the enhancement program to be extremely popular with the communities and the citizens that he represents,” Horsley said. “His staff has told me that when you have the dedication of a bike trail, you’ll have 200 to 2,000 people come out for the dedication. And if you have a major highway improvement, maybe 50 people come out.”
Part 9, on why LivableStreets is working to create safe and better streets for all.
- Ray LaHood, Secretary, U.S Department of Transportation, July 23
Support the organization agitating locally for biking, walking, and public transit by becoming a member today.
Big Dig costs pegged at $24.3B, lawmakers told
Though the Big Dig — the nation’s costliest highway project — was essentially completed years ago, the state still owes about $9.3 billion in principal and interest on the Big Dig and related projects with payments scheduled to continue through 2038, according to a summary presented to the House Post Audit and Oversight Committee.
Annual debt service was pegged at roughly $550 million, including debt owed by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority on public transit improvements that were mandated as part of the original approval process for the Big Dig.
Recent cost estimates of $15 billion did not account for the more than $8 billion in interest already paid or currently owed, which officials said provides a truer picture of the project’s overall cost.
The federal government contributed about $7 billion toward the Big Dig, which was plagued by cost overruns and shoddy construction.
The nearly $24.3 billion price tag presented on Tuesday does not include Big Dig-related projects still awaiting completion, including a $1.3 billion extension of the MBTA’s Green Line, which would likely require additional borrowing, officials said.
The MBTA raised fares an average 23 percent on July 1 to help close a deficit resulting in part from its $1.6 billion share of the Big Dig debt. Officials have warned of another deficit and the need for more fare hikes and service cuts next year without a long-term fix.
Also not included in the Big Dig cost analysis were maintenance expenses for the highway system, much of which is paid for through tolls collected on the Massachusetts Turnpike, Boston Harbor tunnels and Tobin Bridge, Levenson noted.
The tolls have long been a bone of contention for turnpike users who live west of the city and have complained of paying tolls to support the I-93 project, which largely serves daily commuters from north and south of the city.
The Metro West Daily News
Framingham inviting public input on aqueduct trail plan
By Danielle Ameden, Daily News Staff
July 13, 2012
FRAMINGHAM – The public is invited to learn more and provide feedback on plans to open a section of the Weston Aqueduct as a walking path.
The Parks and Recreation Department hopes to hear from residents during a meeting on July 25 at 7 p.m. at Cameron Middle School, 215 Elm St.
“We’ll tell them what we know and what our expectations are,” Recreation Supervisor Elaine Intze said yesterday. “We want to know what their expectations are and what their concerns are.”
Notices have gone out to the more than 100 residents of a 1-mile stretch from Potter Road at Water Street in Nobscot to Elm Street.
The Massachusetts Water Resources Authority in May announced that it would open sections of the trail along inactive aqueducts for public use.
“We want to hear from the public,” Intze said, adding, “Nothing’s been decided yet.”
Consultants and representatives from the MWRA plan to attend the meeting.
The town’s Open Space Committee will discuss how the property relates to previous open space plans.
State Rep. Chris Walsh, D-Framingham, who advocated strongly for the MWRA policy change, also plans to attend, Intze said.
Analysis of the New Transportation Bill, MAP-21
Here is America Bikes' analysis of the new transportation bill, Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century.
Click here to download this analysis as a PDF.
Table of Contents
Programs
Funding and State Opt-Out
Eligible Uses
Program Mechanics: Grant Program
Program Mechanics Flow Chart
Mandatory Sidepath Clause
Frequently Asked Questions
The Worcester Telegram & Gazette
Rail trail spans river crossing
Bridge dedication marks progress
By Brian Lee, Telegram & Gazette
July 17, 2012
SOUTHBRIDGE – Southbridge and Dudley are making headway on the Quinebaug Valley Rail Trail.
The short-term plan, according to officials, is to connect the recreational trail from East Main Street in Southbridge to a portion of the trail that is being built in Dudley. The long-range goal is to have a continuous 11-mile trail through Southbridge, Dudley and Thompson, then back into Dudley and Webster.
In Southbridge yesterday, dignitaries held a dedication to celebrate the trail's progress
Town Manager Christopher Clark said the project was a long time coming, with a $200,000 state earmark probably five or six years old. It took a town effort, and help from the Southbridge Trail Committee, to get the work under way, he said.
The dedication was held near a 56-foot bridge over the Quinebaug River, which essentially opens an approximately 2-mile stretch of gravel trail near Golden Greek Restaurant on East Main Street (Route 131) to the Dudley line.
It's one of two bridges Southbridge is building, saving tens of thousands of dollars by doing it locally, Mr. Clark said.
Public Works Director Thomas E. Daley designed the bridges, with the only expense $3,000 for structural oversight by a consultant. DPW workers have been building the two bridges for about $22,000.
Instead of spending about $75,000 for engineering and construction, the town will have spent $25,000, Mr. Daley said during an interview.
During the event, Mr. Daley said he remembered that when he interviewed for his job, Mr. Clark told him he wanted him to build the bridges on the trail. But because he had never built one, Mr. Daley said, “that concerned me a little bit — but at the same time it interested me.”
For the larger bridge, the one dedicated yesterday, workers reused the100-plus-year-old, 30-inch girders underneath it, Mr. Daley said.
Mr. Daley said the town still has to pull out about 1,000 feet of rail and build the smaller, 12-foot bridge, which should be done in a few weeks. That will complete Southbridge's work from East Main Street to the Dudley line. The town would then direct work in the other direction, toward the rotary near the police station.
The rails will be stockpiled in the towns' highway garages, said state Sen. Richard T. Moore, D-Uxbridge. The state Department of Transportation will allow some of the rails to be resold, he said, with the proceeds to be used for the trail project. Scrap steel is selling pretty well these days, allowing for a “reasonable amount of money to continue the project,” the lawmaker said.
The senator said he hoped the public would help police the trail for vandalism, and would respect the natural habitats. He said he hoped markers would be installed to point out the trail's history, distances for walkers and runners, and details about shrubs, trees and animals.
State Rep. Peter J. Durant, R-Spencer, said rail trails are powerful economic drivers. Mr. Durant said he and his wife, on a weekly basis, look for trails throughout New England to ride their bikes or hike on.
Meanwhile, Dudley has two miles of open trail, according to Kenneth Butkiewicz of the Dudley Trail and Greenway Network, and a member of Mr. Moore's Quinebaug Valley Rail Trail committee.
Mr. Butkiewicz said Dudley built a parking lot off Mill Road from which trail users can hike .3 miles to the Thompson line and back.
Heading north toward Southbridge, a hiker can travel two miles, but is stopped by the Quinebaug River as a new bridge is being built. Scheduled for completion later this year, it will have sidewalks on both the upstream and downstream side.
Once that's done, hikers can cross West Dudley Road, which has a kayak and canoe launch, and continue north and link up with the Southbridge trail. All told, the Dudley stretch will be nearly four miles, he said.
Mr. Butkiewicz said his group has been working with a Thompson trail group. The state of Connecticut has not bought the right of way into Thompson.
The last 500 feet of rail is in Webster, whose officials have requested that that work not be considered at this time.
The abandoned Providence and Worcester Railroad rail bed was acquired by the state in 2004 for developing a recreation trail. The last train was in 1982; the bed has not been used since, according to project supporters.
When the Bad Guys Ride Bikes
It’s hard to know if collisions between walkers and cyclists are truly increasing and who’s to blame. They’re certainly generating more attention lately, along with vitriol toward two-wheelers.
Crashes have ignited controversies in New York, Toronto,and London. In Philadelphia, bicycle/pedestrian collisions killed two pedestrians and left another with a fractured skull in 2009. This spring, a San Francisco biker struck a 71-year old pedestrian as he crossed the street. The man died a few days later.
The death revived the argument between cyclist defenders and critics.
Cyclists flout the rules, say detractors. They ignore red lights and signs. They ride against traffic. They pedal on sidewalks where pedestrians aren’t expecting them. And they accelerate to death-defying speeds – as in Zuckerman Bernstein’s case, she says – making quick halts impossible. Police need to ticket cyclists more, say critics, and cities should try to educate bikers on road rules.
NYPD: 15 Pedestrians, One Cyclist Killed in New York City Traffic in May (372 cyclists involved in reported accidents in one month)
by Brad Aaron
Image: NYPD
Sixteen vulnerable users were killed on city streets in May, according to the latest NYPD crash data report [PDF].
City-wide, 15 pedestrians and one cyclist were fatally struck by drivers: seven pedestrians in Manhattan; five pedestrians in Brooklyn; and three pedestrians and one cyclist in Queens.
The Boston Globe
Public hearings to open aqueduct trails next Wednesday
By Ellen Ishkanian, GLOBE CORRESPONDENT
JULY 19, 2012
Wiqan Ang for the Boston Globe/File 2005
Bike riders may soon be officially allowed on 40 miles of trails atop old MWRA aqueducts in several area communities.
The first public hearing on plans to officially allow the use of 40 miles of hiking, biking, and walking trails atop old aqueducts in Boston and 13 western suburbs is planned for next Wednesday (7/25) in Framingham.
In addition, the Metropolitan Area Planning Council has dedicated $25,000 of staff time over the next year for regional planning and to help communities implement the plan, according to Joel Barrera, the council’s deputy director and a member of the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority’s board of directors. The money is from a federal Community Transformation Grants program.
State officials announced plans in May to begin the process of opening to the public the land atop the closed aqueducts in communities that formally enter an agreement to share the property with the MWRA.
The agreement would require the host municipalities to keep the trails clean, and provide animal-control, security, and emergency-response services, but the MWRA would continue to mow and maintain the properties, according to officials.
Because the land would be open to the public free of charge, it would fall under the state’s recreational use statute, making the communities immune from liability should someone get hurt on the trails, according to Barrera.
The area communities in which the former aqueducts are located are Berlin, Framingham, Marlborough, Natick, Needham, Newton, Northborough, Sherborn, Southborough, Wayland, Wellesley, and Weston. The trails also extend into Clinton and Boston.
For years people have been using the paths, which are mostly grass or dirt and are no more than 100 yards wide, but they are on private property with gates and no-trespassing signs.
“It’s really just decriminalizing the walking on the trails,’’ said state Representative Chris Walsh, a Framingham Democrat. “Is it better to let people use the paths, or to let them sneak on? This is such a win/win for everyone.”
In Framingham, which is taking the lead on tackling the proposed MWRA agreement, the Board of Selectmen has taken a preliminary vote to move forward, with the town’s Parks and Recreation Department director, Robert L. Merusi, serving as the point person.
The public discussion on the proposal Wednesday is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Cameron Middle School, 215 Elm St.
Merusi said the town has identified an approximately 1-mile section of an aqueduct, by Potter Road and stretching between Elm and Water streets, as the place to start.
The owners of nearby properties will be notified of another required public hearing, which is being lined up for late this month, although Merusi said he does not yet have a firm date.
“We’re taking this one step at a time,” Merusi said. “We’re going to see what we can learn at this hearing and go from there.”
Officials are looking at this first hearing as a sort of pilot program that, if successful, could be used by other communities as a model for moving through the process.
“The hearings are very, very important, those can’t be sidestepped,” said Walsh. “We’re going to let abutters get used to the idea and hear what residents have to say.”
He is optimistic the process in many communities can be completed within a few months, however.
“I fully believe that by fall we’re going to be stomping along those trails,” he said.
With plans for the no-trespassing signs and barriers to be taken down along the aqueducts, all 14 cities and towns have expressed interest in entering an agreement with MWRA, according to Krista Selmi, a spokeswoman for the state’s Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs.
The Conservation Commission in Natick unanimously agreed to move forward with the process, a meeting with Newton city officials is scheduled for the coming weeks, and officials in Weston have agreed to start the process, according to the regional planning council’s Barrera.
In Marlborough, conservation officer Priscilla Ryder said that the aqueducts only touch “tiny corners” of her city, “but from a linear, long-range planning perspective, we’re ecstatic.”
Officials hope the first public hearing will move things forward.
But, as Southborough Planning Board member Kathleen Bartolini said, “it’s summer in New England and things slow down.
“We’re so close to the finish line,” she said. “But from my experience once you get to the local level, people are going to have a lot of questions, and that takes time.”
Cameras Act as ‘Black Boxes’ When Cars and Cyclists Collide
Evan Wilder recorded an accident with a video camera strapped to his head.
By NICK WINGFIELD
Published: July 20, 2012
WASHINGTON — When Evan Wilder went flying onto the pavement during his bicycle commute one morning here, he didn’t have time to notice the license plate of the blue pickup truck that had sideswiped him after its driver hurled a curse at him. Nor did a witness driving another car.
Multimedia
But the video camera Mr. Wilder had strapped to his head caught the whole episode. After watching a recording of the incident later, Mr. Wilder gave the license plate number to the police and a suspect was eventually charged with leaving the scene of an accident.
“Without the video, we wouldn’t know who did it,” said Mr. Wilder, 33, who was bruised and scraped in the crash.
[BostonAreaCycling] Smartphone app automatically detects and reports pothole locations to Boston city officials - The Washington Post
Here's an IPhone Boston pothole reporting app noted today by the
Washington Post. I wonder how it would work on bicycles. Does
anyone with an IPhone want to give it a try?
-Jessica
http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/technology/smartphone-app-automatically-detects-and-reports-pothole-locations-to-boston-city-officials/2012/07/20/gJQAl2sLxW_story.html?wpisrc=nl_tech
