A website I maintain, bostononthemove.org, was featured by Bostonist today in a post about the MBTA’s debt. I maintain this site for the Greater Boston Transportation Justice Coalition, of which ACE and TRU are members.
Read Full Post | March 31 2009 | Transportation |
The Big Dig
[Another blog entry I wrote for ACE:]
February 23, 2009
At a press conference on Friday, Governor Patrick announced a broad set of goals for transportation funding and reforms. Although the proposed six cents per gallon of new gas tax revenue dedicated to the MBTA may not be enough pay down the $2.7 million backlog of system maintenance and repair, the Governor’s plan is a step in the right direction. [Read More]
Read Full Post | February 24 2009 | Transportation |
MBTA Buses at Dudley Station
[Another blog entry I wrote for ACE:]
February 20, 2009
At last week’s MBTA Board Meeting the Massachusetts Transportation Secretary James Aloisi, Jr. offered a grim look at where the T is headed. Without both reform and new revenue, the T is destined for “an endless spiral of fare increases and massive service cuts.” State lawmakers must act immediately and decisively to avoid: [Read More]
Read Full Post | February 23 2009 | Environment |
[Another blog entry I wrote for ACE]
November 18, 2008
The Globe’s Green Blog recently highlighted a study touting the health benefits of community green space.
The study suggested that parks, trees, and landscaped areas in a neighborhood can help reduce residents’ risk of heart attack and stroke…[Read more]
Read Full Post | November 20 2008 | Environment |
[Another blog entry I wrote for ACE]
October 22, 2008
Over the course of a month this summer, three pedestrians were struck and injured by cars along Washington Street between Dudley Square and Melnea Cass Blvd. These tragedies are common and indicative of the unsafe conditions that traffic congestion creates in Dudley Square. Pedestrians from nearby parks, schools, stores, and housing must contend with cars and buses, often speeding down Ruggles Street, Washington Street and Shawmut Avenue (which bound ACE’s office at 2181 Washington Street). Read more…
Read Full Post | October 22 2008 | Work |
The T Rider’s Union, a program of ACE which “organizes public transit riders to build a unified voice and movement for better public transportation in Greater Boston,” was featured on NPR’s Morning Edition today. The five and a half minute segment entitled “Riding the Bus” covered MBTA bus ridership and debt. Two of the people I worked with over the summer, John and Lee, discussed the MBTA’s subpar service. Read the story here or listen to it here.
Read Full Post | August 04 2008 | Transportation |
[This is another blog entry I helped write for ACE:]
August 1, 2008
ACE recently received an unsolicited email from Wal-Mart commending our work. It said that “REEP is a wonderful program” and that Wal-Mart appreciates the connections REEP makes between environmental sustainability and education. It’s always rewarding when REEP is recognized, but the praise from Walmart is a bit puzzling as our mission and vision contradict Wal-Mart’s business practices… [Read More]
Read Full Post | August 01 2008 | Environment |
July 17, 2008
Preliminary boring along Boylston Street has started for Silver Line Phase III. Our friends at Switchback have posted an article on some of Phase III’s serious flaws. They summarize,
“What do we get with the current Silver Line scam? Less capacity, less comfort for more money than a rail line. Oh, and a few buildings might be put in danger, as well.”
The proposed tunnel project will cost more than light rail service, require the destruction of historic buildings for tunnel portals, disrupt traffic, and could jeopardize the structural integrity of structures in Chinatown and Downtown Boston. ACE and our partners, including On the Move and the Washington Street Corridor Coalition, are advocating for light rail service that would use existing tunnels leading from Boylston Street. This alternative would cost less and provide service “equal to or better than” the Orange Line Elevated Train, as the MBTA has promised to provide. Read more…
Read Full Post | July 18 2008 | Environment and Transportation |
[youtube]http://youtube.com/watch?v=Cxqx_zu6RBw[/youtube]
Read Full Post | July 18 2008 | Transportation |
July 18, 2008
In its efforts to improve customer service, the T encourages riders to “Write to the Top” to report any service that is not courteous, clean, accessible, or dependable. Yet these customer service improvements have not been adequately focused on bus riders. It took the T until April to start displaying bus operator numbers on buses’ LED information screens, and information to contact bus superintendents is buried in the T’s website. So we put together our own guide to submit complaints (or commendations) for specific bus routes. Click here to view TRU’s Rider’s Rights Guide. Read more…
Read Full Post | July 18 2008 | Transportation |
Yesterday, I went to a Post-Foreclosure Eviction Blockade that was hosted by ACE’s partner City Life/Vida Urbana. We succeeded in forcing Countrywide/Bank of America to back down from evicting a woman who was willing to pay rent. The Boston Globe covered the protest and put together a good video in which you can see some of ACE’s interns and staff.
Read Full Post | July 16 2008 | Local News |
July 3, 2008
On Thursday, Mayor Menino issued an executive order to green City Hall, requiring city departments to use green cleaning contractors, recycle more, and take simple energy conservation measures.
This order came one day after Governor Patrick signed into law the Green Communities Act. The new state law strengthens Massachusetts’ renewable energy standard so that by 2030, utilities will be obligated to generate at least 25 percent of their electricity from renewable sources. It also forces utilities to enter into 10 to 15 year contracts with sustainable electricity developers. This will provide funding for the development of green technology, focusing specifically on Massachusetts-based firms.
The Governor asserted, “This legislation will reduce electric bills, promote the development of renewable energy, and stimulate the clean energy industry that is taking root here in the Commonwealth.”
ACE believes that all communities should share the benefits of this new wave of green legislation. Cleaner energy production and the benefits of new green collar jobs should go to communities that have been overburdened with environmental injustices, not just higher income neighborhoods. Read more…
Read Full Post | July 03 2008 | Environment |
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