Seriously MBTA

Train on the Fitchburg line courtesy of mbta.com

Ok The T does a pretty good job considering what they are dealing with.  However, there are certain things that  just make me shake my head in wonder.
One would think that if shuttle service were running every weekend for 2 months it would be helpful for that information to be on the MBTA website and for it to be easy to find.  One would be very wrong.  I can sure as heck find out about elevator repairs but shuttle service which cause delays? nope nothing. (Try to find any information on this delay here, I dare you!)

I knew the weekend service on the Fitchburg line was suspended and shuttles running from all outlying stations to the South Acton station for continued rail service into Boston from an article I think on Universal Hub.  This was more than a month ago so I didn't remember the details.  When my girlfriend asked me about the shuttle service I thought it was still running but seemed to remember they were running trains as normal over Memorial Day weekend.

The reason for this is good, they are double tracking the line from South Acton all the way to the end to help speed up service and reduce/eliminate congestion.

I ended up being right, but it took two Google searches, plus fumbling around the MBTA site to find it.  Needless to say it was not on the T site but instead I found an article from Wicked Local Acton (division of the Boston Globe focused on communities) that talked about the closure and sure enough they were running trains as normal this weekend.

This service change was not just for one month, it was from April to June.  How can the MBTA in good faith not make this information available easily to riders.  It is not on the alert section for the rail line, all I get is Porter Square elevator work (important but not useful to me).

One of a myriad of examples of the T not doing the outreach and providing the information for train users that it very easily could be.  If folks show up to the station expecting a train at a certain time, and they don't see the signs for buses or shuttle what are they to think?  What if it was their first time using commuter rail?  Do you think they will try again?  No not likely.  Now the T just lost a customer all because of poor outreach and communication of major work closures.

To be fair this is an issue for the MBCR and not the MBTA proper but either way SOMEBODY should make sure the info is easy to find.  I shouldn't have to search so hard for it, at least I knew what I was looking for.

Lets do better MBTA.

Discussion on how I am a "fucking moron"

Ok I apologize for profanity in the post title but let me explain.  I suppose I should consider myself lucky in the first place.  I have not really had any problems bicycling around Boston/Cambridge except an almost dooring about a block from my apartment and the interaction today.  To set the stage:  I don't run red lights (sometimes yellow but rarely) I don't run over pedestrians, I don't travel at a high rate of speed, I have brakes and gears and I try not to act like an idiot, I am just going (or coming) from work leave me alone.

Apparently my interpretation of right-of-way laws must be out of date.  Apparently you are always suppose to yield to the man compensating for something by driving a large pickup truck and turning left at an intersection.  No matter what, you yield to the pickup driver.  I must have missed this in driver ed/bike training.  Needless to say I did not yield to the large truck who was trying to make a left turn at the intersection of Harvard and Brighton Ave..  I was going straight on with the green and he was turning across my path from the other direction.  I was clearly being uppity wanting  the right-of-way; clearly.

He stops and creeps forward, I slow down presuming he will be turning in front of me, no he does not.  He clearly sighs and waves me through, yelling out his window to my back as I clear the intersection that I am a "fucking moron."  My pathetic response "right-of-way buddy, come on" I am sure was lost in all the V-8 power rush rush I delayed him 6 seconds macho truck he was driving.

It is good practice to not play chicken with a pickup or a truck of any kind and usually a good idea to let them do their thing and hold back.  However, in this case I presumed there was a car moving straight that was to my left in the auto lane, I was not looking in my mirrors but I did hear a car back there.  I was not sure if he would yield or gun it across, which is why I slowed down.

Oh well, I was never in any danger we stopped maybe 30 feet from each other with a clear sight-line.  I guess I will continue to watch out for large pickups which are clearly at the top of the yielding hierarchy, meaning everybody and grandma better yield to them or else.

In other news I saw a pedestrian almost get creamed by a Mercedes driver moving way too fast in central square while the pedestrian was crossing in the cross walk.  The car came within a couple inches and the younger man in a suit smacked the trunk of the car a couple times before he continued on his way home (presumably).  The driver did stop for a minute or two but then proceeded on.  I am sure the driver was shaken up and likely not paying attention, but come on its central square.  If you think you can do anything but look at where you are biking/driving/walking you really have another thing coming because that is just asking for trouble.  The pedestrian did not have a helmet on, so clearly he was at fault.  (No earphones either, nor was he on the phone/texting!  Ok I take it back, clearly not a Cambridge pedestrian, must have been a foreigner)

MBTA Budget Calc! Not just for Boston residents

MBTA Green Line D-train Credit Adam E. Moreira Wikipedia Commons

For those of you who follow this blog in the Boston Metropolitan area (ok like maybe one of you, hi dear! (dear being my wonderful girlfriend))  This is of worthy note.

Actually now that I think about it, even if you don't follow in the Boston area this is of note.  Many transit agencies around the country are dealing with budget issues, many have suggested all-or-nothing far increases and service cuts which will impact thousands of those cities workers, poor disabled, students, not to mention tourists etc.

In that light, I present the recently released (as of this morning) MBTA Budget-O-Matic (thanks Universal Hub for the title)

Fix The T Budget Tool from MAPC

Fill it out!  Each option has a small description of what it means and you get to choose any combination of possibilities to help fix the issues with the T (many of which will help fix the longer term funding issue as well)  You can easily submit your proposal into the database at the end with an email address.  At which point you can see what choices every body else has been making.

I suggested something similar to my contact at the MBTA and MAPC(Metropolitan Area Planning Commission) in my position with the City of Cambridge.  I also passed my suggestion around the office.

 This was based on something I noted on some blog (maybe Bikeportland.org?) which showcased a tool used by Portland's TriMet agency (now closed but you can see the suggestions) to allow citizens deal with its budget issues.  The issues at TriMet were very different but the idea is the same. I would like to think that a very small part of the creation of this was as a result of my forwarding on the tool they used. (I can dream right?)

If your transit agency is dealing with issues (be you in Germany, Canada, US etc) pass this information along, get a local newspaper, popular blog, planning agency, or city to take up the issue and put together a tool like this that allows folks to make changes, rather than just complaining at a meeting.

Commuting with an Umbrella

It was raining today, quite heavily in fact. In an urban environment that provides very little consideration for folks using bicycles it is not a pleasant experience, especially if it is anything more than a light spring rain.

Mostly this is due to the road curving to the edges, where the bicycle lanes are. This is to help drain water off during especially heavy storms to make it safer for drivers. That is the key, drivers, for cyclists traveling along the curb water collects, pools and covers up the potholes that were already there. Combine this with poor roads that are barely ride-able when it is dry, cars speeding past and hopefully not splashing you, low visibility in general, and loss of braking/maneuverability, you have a very unpleasant environment.

What does riding with an umbrella have to do with it? Citizen cyclists (I believe Copenhagenize has popularized the term) should be able to ride safely while carrying an umbrella if they choose to do so.

This gets to the problem with most of the built infrastructure for bicycling in the USA. It is not designed so that it is if not pleasant, at least tolerable, to ride in the rain or any other weather condition, or any time when it is not 75 degrees in the middle of the day with little traffic and a bit of sun in May.

I might argue that even with the typical built infrastructure today, it is mainly presumed that folks using it will do something else when it rains, or are really out to enjoy the ride and not actually get anywhere safely and comfortably, or are too die-hard for rain and puddles to stop them.

All of that being said, with a little coordination and picking the right streets one can ride with an umbrella even in the crazy road environment of Cambridge/Allston. My route earlier today is below, with the parts I used my umbrella in blue and the rest in light red.

click through for the full map

As you can see of my approximately 3.5 mile urban route I can use an umbrella safely about 60% of the time (around 2.2 miles) However that is just me, I am pretty comfortable and secure with my bicycle, I have good breaks and good control. For somebody who does not use a bike often, if they tried to bike with an umbrella there is only one section where they could. A .6mi section from Western Ave to the overpass of the highway. This is so little that it is not even worth it, unless you lived along here and were going to the bank or a friends house nearby.

The reason that would even be possible is that this is a traffic calmed road designed to be so narrow two cars can not pass each other but two bikes and a single car driving carefully can.

View Larger Map
Yes this is actually two way! This design means very limited auto traffic and what traffic there is is usually driving very carefully and slowly and typically won't even pass a bike going in the same direction, although there is room to do so safely.

In general these issues are why we need to really look at how we are designing bicycle infrastructure. No we can't design around the best rain protection possible (covered elevated paths etc.) but we should start looking at how we build roads and side-paths that can allow folks on bikes, or wheelchairs, or on foot to better enjoy getting to where they need to go even when it is raining out, or snowing, or hot or cold.

More thoughts on weather cycling and what other countries are doing (notably not the US) some point soon.

First Ride in Boston

So brought my bike down on the Downeaster from Dover today, yes you can do that with a full bike, but not technically ;) It helps to be a monthly pass holder and know the conductors.

Anyway got off at north station, answered a woman's question about bikes on commuter rail, informed her I used Amtrak but that reverse commutes during rush hour allowed bikes, and it is just a short period in the morning and evening that don't and that weekends are good.

I rode on the sidewalk for the longest distance I can remember since a child. I don't normally use the sidewalk, but when the alternative is to do battle with 5 lanes of traffic on what is effectively a high speed highway with traffic lights that connects North Station over into East Cambridge, I will choose the sidewalk every time even if there are sharrows on the road.

I was not the only one, although there were a number of brave soles on the road itself as well.

Ride to First and down the pre-painted bike lanes to Broadway and into the City Hall Annex of Cambridge (my current work)

Bike is living overnight in the bike room as I start my full move tomorrow.

Welcome to MassBike

Today I started my first internship with MassBike right in downtown Boston. I will post links and other useful information as they come up. I will also talk about, where able, the various projects I am working on.

I will also be doing blog and press updates for the MassBike website.

for now, I hope you have had a great bike to work week, and enjoy the rest of bike month!.