Brendan2k5's Blog

For those of you who will be in Boston this Saturday (August 23), this is for you. Quite a few streets will be closed to traffic at different times of the morning and afternoon. I'll go through them in order. If things change between now and Friday at 9:59PM (The Festivities unofficially start at Midnight!) I'll post about it here. Before I start, unless you live off or on the parade route, the effected streets will be closed to traffic (except foot traffic, of course).

 

Oh, one more thing: Consult the MBTA website to find out where  buses on the effected streets will be going. Buses will run on a Sunday Schedule so plan accordingly.

 

-To begin, Blue Hill Avenue from Mattapan Square to the intersection of Warren Street and Washington Street (where across from Walgreens and the Dialysis Center) will be CLOSED starting at midnight on Friday.

 
-Seaver Street (from the intersection of Seaver and Blue Hill) to Humboldt will be closed as it is a secondary route in the event something happens with the originally planned route.

-Talbot Ave is an Access Route to Blue Hill for pedestrians and performers but it will be open, though you may be asked by Police to use Bowdoin Ave (which is also an Access Route to Blue Hill) to get away from the parade route.

-Washington Street (Codman Square to Grove Hall) is a Secondary/Access Route as well. Columbia Road will be closed past the intersection of Columbia Road and Washington Street, as (of course) Blue Hill will Ave. is the main parade route.

 

-Glenway Street (which I lived on three years ago) will be open but it, too is an access route for Foot traffic and performers. Police will direct you down side streets to avoid Blue Hill Avenue.

-Let's see...I think I covered them all...wait! I remembered one more. Humboldt Ave will be open though it has been set aside as a secondary route if need be.

 

Oh, and of course the organizers have all the necessary permits to do all this! For one day, the streets of Dorchester, Roxbury and Mattapan will be flooded with over 500,000 people of all backgrounds for a day of music and excitement. There will be Boston and State Police out in full force to keep the peace and direct traffic.

 

A friend I know on the force has informed me that officers from all precincts in Dorchester, Mattapan and Roxbury (even Headquarters) will be on location with officers in Jamaica Plain, South Boston and the South End of standby if need be. They'll not stand for any kind of foolishness, I tell you! I have no idea why I just added this paragraph. The idea is to lessen fears people may have of the atmosphere so I hope it isn't taken the wrong way.
 

I'm saying this with that corrupt fare collector in mind. For those who are OK with this (which I'm sure very few of you are--more so if you're a longtime T user or recently started using the T due to rising Gas Prices) give me 5 GOOD IMMEDIATE things that'll happen as a result. Remember--I said positive.

For the rest of you, listen up. Protest the idea. Protest it to death and back. YOU HAVE RIGHTS and the T has NO RIGHT to violate them on an almost monthly basis. The MBTA is NOT a Private Business so you DO have a say. The current General Manager of the T needs to step down or be fired. I don't care which but he needs to be replaced. Every idea he comes up with either isn't properly planned out, costs too much or isn't really needed.

I am sick and tired of people whining about the fare increases and not doing anything to stop it. Remember: it was the T who said they don't want people ot boycott them. Well, guess what: Most of their bus drivers, Inner City Train operators and Maintenance Staff aren't too pleased with them either. Maybe a regionwide boycott is what needs to happen for the MA and RI Governors (along with Amtrak, which technically owns the T) to step in and do something..

This isn't just about fare hikes. It's also about the subpar service, late buses and trains and disrespect towards their vehicle operators and maintenance workers. I would like to see the following changes happen over the next 18 months:

1. Fare REDUCED. Bus to 85 cents and the Train to $1.00. This was the only fare increase that was still within reason and affordable out of the 5 or so increases over the last 10 years.

2. Make the T 24 Hours. This is the ONLY WAY to justify another fare hike. If they don't want to do that then they shouldn't raise the fares.

3. Expand on the proposed Charge Card idea with Charlie Cards. I remember when they were first unveiled that the T was looking into expanding on the touch technology (which is already being used in Japan) to allow folks to buy stuff at select stores and restaurants using their Charlie Cards. This would actually bring in more money and encourage people to get a Charlie Card knowing they can use it to buy things.

4. Increased bus routes. I walked to work during most of the last school year. If I see signs of that in September I'm going to buy a bike with my first paycheck.

5. More Employee Rights and Benefits. I know quite a number of people who work for the MBTA and they can tell you some stories. Hands-down they don't get paid ENOUGH for what they do day in and day out without thanks, etc. The Majority of T employees love what they do but hate the people they work for.


That's about it for now. After seeing some of what I wrote in my first two T-related blog actually happen I know someone from the T is reading this. READ IT. APPLY IT. Failure to do so may result in my organizing the largest Public Transit Boycott in American History.


That's not a threat. Merely a promise. We "general public" are the folks who keep much of this country running, after all.

I logged onto MyFoxBoston before I left the Boston School I work at and saw the annoucement. I work and live on a major bus route (23) and live 20 minutes (on foot) from where I work. I left my school at 4:00PM today and walked to Four Corners to catch the 23. I look in both directions and see little to no signs of traffic, let alone busses. Since I had my laptop computer on Standby and I had it with me, I didn't want to spend too much time standing there collecting snow.

I walk from the intersection of Washington Street and Bowdoin Street to Washington and Columbia Road (23, 19 and 16), looking back every now and then. The entire time I walked there were NO BUSES IN EITHER DIRECTION!

I walked further to Grove Hall (Major Transfer Point) and guess what? NO BUSES! I ended up getting home in the same time it would've taken me by bus with no snow. The real kick in the teeth is knowing we, the riders are going to be punished because the T refuses to stick to any of their commitments. More Fare Hikes and Delays are on the Horizon and it's deplorable.

I'm home now but I'm just mad the T more or less lied to myself and the hundreds of people still out there wondering where the promised extra service is.

Nothing irks me more than discourtesy from Adults when I use the T. It doesn't bother me from children half as much since I'm a Elementary school teacher and the children I work with (K2) usually don't know any better. The same can't be said for ADULTS, and I mean those that are 21 plus.

 

First, here's a follow up on the 1/16/07 Blog I made. For starters, I've noticed the school kids who use the T are more attentive to their surroundings when on the bus and train, some even offering their seat if the see someone in need get on the bus/train. Thanks to the increased visibility of MBTA and Boston Police, I've seen less rowdiness in and around MBTA property. I'll assume the spike in violence has made alot of kids realize how fragile life is. It's a tough way to learn but hey, it works for me.

"Travel is made even more dangerous by people and strollers that block the isles and the rear door of the bus.

I take the bus to and from the school I work at everyday and have made it a habit to not board a bus that looks crowded and has a stroller in the isle. I have nothing against them on buses but so far most, if not all of them are either blocking the rear door or take up the majority of the main isle between the front and rear doors.

There's nothing more annoying than trying to get by a large stroller while the bus is in motion while hoping the bus doesn't make a sudden stop, throwing you off balance and possibly into the lap of an innocent fellow passenger. In the event of an emergency, one would have a difficult time getting by a parked stroller to exit the bus quickly in general becomes a factor in delays."

 

I want to go back to this because of one discourteous woman with a stroller who got on the bus I was on two weeks ago. The bus was already crowded and she got on the back of the bus--with a double stroller. Unlike regular large strollers, the one she had is built for side-by-side seating. As soon as she got on, the rear door became unusable. Mind you, I got on the bus (#23 going to Ruggles from Ashmont, Bus #2163) at Seaver St. and Humboldt Ave. and the woman got on at Egleston Square.

 
To add injury to insult, she refused to let ANYONE get by her to get off the bus, meaning--you guessed it--anyone at the back of the bus had to squeeze through the bus to the front and get off. Not only is this rude and discourteous to those not even half as agile as me but it is also a SERIOUS Safety Problem in the event of an  emergency and she flat-out didn't care.

 
Luckily for her, none of the other passengers she got angry glares from tried to shove her out of the way to get off because I saw a few who looked ready to do that--more so since she was making fun of people she refused to let through the back door. I was trying to get to the Dudley Library to set up a time for an interview I'm going to tomorrow and if not for her I would've gotten then with 10 minutes to spare. Because of that woman, I ended up getting off at Dudley and to run to the Library just before the Branch Manager left for the day.

 
I tell you, something seriously needs to be done about this before the next election. It's inconsiderate, a waste of time, money, resources and of course, CAUSES FURTHER DELAYS.

The children of Boston are at least making an effort to improve their portrayed image of uncouth and lackluster. I'd say Adults need to start doing the same. Obviously, I shared with you all the Bus's Serial Number (2163) for a reason. That is one of the ways you can get things done when you have a problem with a particular bus since knowing the Route Number isn't enough. You'll easily spot it in four places stenciled on a bus:  the front oof the bus under the left (your left window pane, next to the front door, above the right (your right) window pane when on the bus and on the back of the bus (interior and exterior).

 

"A bus would reach capacity within the first five stops departing from high-volume stations including Dudley, Ruggles, Forest Hills, North Station, Jackson Square, Ashmont, Fields Corner, Mattapan, New England Medical Center, Downtown Crossing and South Station."

 

Overall, my request for increased bus service still stands--more since since this is the first full week of school in Boston. Many of the 1500 students who go to and from the O'Bryant and Madison Park High Schools (located on Malcolm X Boulevard between Roxbury Crossing and Dudley Station) depend on the T and increased service would be beneficial.

I'm going to bring this to the MBTA in a few weeks but one of the things I am proposing is the addition of three new crosstown bus routes to help ease high-volume areas in Dorchester, Roxbury, Mattapan and Jamaica Plain.

One would go from Ashmont to Forest Hills via Mattapan Square Station and Blue Hill Avenue. Only the #21 goes between Ashmont and Forest Hills and this would help ease congestion for alot of people without interfering with the other bus routes.

The second Bus would go from Roslindale Village to Massachusetts Ave Station via Blue Hill Ave. and Cummins Highway. The #14 is the ONLY Bus that passes this way and I can remember getting to the Haley and Russell Schools late when I was in City Year 3 years ago. This would hopefully remedy the lack of NEEDED service here.

 The Third Bus would go from North Station to JFK/UMASS via Andrew Station, South Bay Plaza and Back Bay Station. This would essentially connect Downtown Boston with the largest Shopping District outside Downtown and Back Bay while not interfering with the other buses that pass through and at the same time give UMASS Students a secondary means of quickly getting to North Station.

I don't know if this idea has ever come to fruition but in my opinion, there should always be a secondary means of getting from point A to Point B in case of the unforeseeable. UNLIKE New York's 24/7 MTA, we could simply increase service/routes to problem spots. You'll see complaints decrease and the T would have a boost in revenue at the same time.

See? it's Win-Win for everyone ^_^

For those of you who will be in Boston this Saturday (August 25), this is for you. Quite a few streets will be closed to traffic at different times of the morning and afternoon. I'll go through them in order. If things change between now and Friday at 9:59PM (The Festivities unofficially start at Midnight!) I'll post about it here. Before I start, unless you live off/on the parade route, the effected streets will be closed to traffic (except foot traffic, of course).

 

Oh, one more thing: Consult the MBTA website to find out where  buses on the effected streets will be going. Buses will run on a Sunday Schedule so plan accordingly.

 

 To begin, Blue Hill Avenue from the Mattapan Square to Grove Hall (Intersection of Blue Hill and Washington Street) will be CLOSED starting at midnight on Friday.

 
Seaver Street (from the intersection of Seaver and Blue Hill) to Humboldt will be closed as it is a secondary route in the event something happens with the originally planned route.

 Talbot Ave is an Access Route to Blue Hill for pedestrians and performers but it will be open, though you may be asked by Police to use Bowdoin Ave (which is also an Access Route to Blue Hill) to get away from the parade route.

Washington Street (Codman Square to Grove Hall) is a Secondary/Access Route as well. Columbia Road will be closed past the intersection of Columbia Road and Washington Street, as (of course) Blue Hill will is the main parade route.

 

Glenway Street (which I lived on two years ago) will be open but it, too is an access route for Foot traffic and performers. Police will direct you down side streets to avoid Blue Hill Avenue. 

Let's see...I think I covered them all...wait! I remembered one more. Humboldt Ave will be open though it has been set aside as an secondary route if need be.

 

Oh, and of course the organizers have all the necessary permits to do all this! For one day, the streets of Dorchester, Roxbury and Mattapan will be flooded with over 500,000 people of all backgrounds for a day of music and excitement. There will be Boston and State Police out in full force to keep the peace and direct traffic.

 

A friend I know on the force has informed me that officers from all precincts in Dorchester, Mattapan and Roxbury (even Headquarters) will be on location with officers in Jamaica Plain, South Boston and the South End of standby if need be. They'll not stand for any kind of foolishness, I tell you! I have no idea why I just added this paragraph. The idea is to lessen fears people may have of the atmosphere so I hope it isn't taken the wrong way.
 

 

I take the T everywhere I go but when there's signs missing it's hard to know where and when to get off. The Bus stop in Egleston Square (going away from Jackson and Ruggles) has a few signs missing and the Bus Stop sign Codman Square opposite the new bank on Talbot Avenue is missing as well.

 I know the T is always changing but I think knowing where the Bus Stop Signs are helps not only Passengers but also the Drivers as well--they don't always stop for you if they don't see any sort of marker indicating a Bus Stop. In case anyone from the MBTA reads this, a few other places off the top of my head tha also have missing signs are:

 The Final Stop for the #45 Bus Route at Franklyn Park
The #22 and #29 Bus Stop at the Interesection of Seaver Street and Humbolt Ave going to Ashmont Station. The same can be said for the Bus Stops on the same Route at Seaver and Walnut Ave and Seaver and Elm Hill, same side.

The #14 Bus Stop across from the Haley Elementary School and the one on the same as the Home for Little Wanderers (same Route) is also missing.

With the third fare hike in almost ten years across the board many people are digging deeper and deeper to come up with the approprite amount of money. The introduction of the Charlie Card (or Charlie Ticket for those who make use of them) eliminated tokens and the need to carry spare change whilst getting around Boston.

One would think that with the new and more effective means of accruing money from T Riders the MBTA would at some point come up with a means of dealing with overcrowding on buses. The advent of Compressed Natural Gas (or CNG) Buses meant better ADA-compliant buses and more enivonmentally friendly buses but MUCH less standing room and LESS seating as well.

Due to many T Denizens still adjusting to the new fare collection system busses are anything but on time and more often than not full. It's a problem that will be at its worst during freezing cold winter days and sweltering hot summer days.

A bus would reach capacity within the first five stops departing from high-volume stations including Dudley, Ruggles, Forest Hills, North Station, Ruggles, Jackson Square, Ashmont, Fields Corner, Mattapan, New England Medical Center, Downtown Crossing and South Station.

Travel is made even more dangerous by people and strollers that block the isles and the rear door of the bus. It's one thing to stand by the rear door when you're traveling a short distance or all the seats are taken but it's another to stand there just to take up room on the bues for no reason.

I take the bus to and from the school I work at everyday and have made it a habit to not board a bus that looks crowded and has a stroller in the isle. I have nothing against them on buses but so far most, if not all of them are either blocking the rear door or take up the majority of the main isle between the front and rear doors.

There's nothing more annoying than trying to get by a large stroller while the bus is in motion while hoping the bus doesn't make a sudden stop, throwing you off balance and possibly into the lap of an innocent fellow passenger. In the event of an emergency, one would have a difficult time getting by a parked stroller to exit the bus quickly in general becomes a factor in delays.

The solution is rather simple: Either double up on bus service or bar strollers from the front of the bus. The majority of a bus's standing room is between the front and rear door of the bus and deserves to remain as such.