MBTA Route 71 October 5 at 6:30pm

The following comes from the MBTA to announce a Bus Route 71 Community Meeting on October 5 at 6:30pm.

Dear MBTA Riders and Interested Parties,

The MBTA is hosting a follow-up meeting on Bus Route 71 as part of the Key Bus Route Improvement Program. Based on community feedback, preliminary recommendations have been refined to the following types of improvements: bus stop consolidation, new bus shelters, benches and trash receptacles. Bus stop consolidation will result in changes to the location of some bus stops. Bus stops may be relocated and/or eliminated. Passengers on non-Key Bus Routes will benefit from improvements, and be affected by changes made, at Key Bus Route stops.

 Bus Route 71 operates between Harvard Square and Watertown Square via Mt Auburn Street. This route also provides high frequency service to important destinations such as Harvard University, Mount Auburn Hospital and the Tufts Health Plan Building.  This route provides connections to the Red Line as well as many bus routes including Key Bus Routes 1, 57, 66, 73 and 77 and the following local routes –  52, 59, 68, 69, 70/70A, 72, 74, 75, 78, 86, 96, 502, 504, and 554.

The following meeting will discuss potential improvements to Bus Route 71:

Wednesday, October 5, 2011
6:30 PM - 8:00 PM
Mount Auburn Hospital Auditorium
330 Mount Auburn Street, Cambridge

Mount Auburn Hospital can be reached by Bus Routes 71 and 73.

All are invited to attend this meeting.  Project handouts will be available for viewing shortly before the meeting.  Please join us to share your ideas.  Your input will help create a better bus service for your community!

If you have a disability or need an accommodation to fully participate in the meeting, American Sign Language interpreters, assistive listening devices, handouts in alternate formats, etc. will be provided upon request.  Please contact Jamie Simchik, Regina Villa Associates, at (617) 357-5772 ext.17 or at jsimchik@reginavilla.com no later than September 28.  For detailed project information, please visit www.mbta.com/keybusroutes.

Please forward this email to anyone you think may be interested in this project.

Wednesday September 28 Ribbon Cutting

This is a follow-up to a previous post from last week.  It has been confirmed by Greg McGowan of MassDOT that the ribbon cutting ceremony for Phase 1 of the Watertown Greenway (the paved path between School Street and Arlington St constructed during the past year) will be a 10:00am.  The early-morning time was selected for the convenience of local elected officials.  

Representatives of the Watertown Bicycle and Pedestrian Committee will be in attendance.  We are extremely grateful that work on Phase I is complete and we look forward to pushing for Phase II between Arlington Street and Fresh Pond during the upcoming year.

More Bike Parking Coming for Watertown Parks

Through a grant program run by the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) a total of 134 addition bicycle parking spots are coming to Watertown during the next few months.  The Watertown Recreation Department (many thanks to Peter Centola), Planning Department (credit to Danielle Evans and Gideon Schreiber), and Department of Public Works are responsible for making this possible.  The new racks will be installed at the following parks in town during the Fall.

1. Arsenal Park (14 [u])
2. Bemis Park (6)
3. Browne School Park (10)
4. Casey Park (10)
5. Cuniff School (6)
6. Filippello Park (14)
7. Hosmer School (O'Connell Park) (14)
8. Howe Park (6)
9. Lowell School (6)
10. Moxley Park (10)
11. Saltonstall Park (6 [u])
12. Sullivan Park (8)
13. Victory Field (16)

The number in parenthesis is a preliminary count of the number of bikes that can be parked at new racks after the installations are complete.  The [u] symbol indicates where older racks are scheduled to be retired from service.  More information of the town's parks can be found here.

Executive Director of MassBike October 3 at 7:30pm

The Watertown Bicycle and Pedestrian Committee would like to announce that on October 3rd, Dave Watson (Executive Director of MassBike) will meet with us to discuss a number of key topics!  All are invited to attend to enjoy the opportunity to hear from an influential member of the Massachusetts cycling community.  Read on for details. 

 

Who: Dave Watson, Executive Director of MassBike

When: Monday October 3 @ 7:30pm

Where: Watertown City Hall (map)

            149 Main St. Watertown, MA 02472 

            (in the Lower Hearing Room - basement level)

Cost: Free!

The following topics are on tap for discussion:

• How MassBike is working with the Registry and DOT... goals and accomplishments.
• Same Roads, Same Rules campaign... goals, enforcement, road design, and accommodating cyclists.
• The Reasonable Distance proposed law.  What's the proposal and what's happening in the Legislature?
• Redesign of the Charles River bridges... latest status.
• Coordination with other local/ town committees.  How does MassBike work with other local groups?  How can we exchange information better?  One particular topic pertinent to WBPC is bike parking ordinances and master plans.

 Hope you'll be available so you can attend!

Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony Sept 28

 The following post comes from Greg McGowan of MassDOT:

 

MassDOT Government Affairs would like to invite you to a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Watertown bike path. The event is scheduled to take place on Wednesday, September 28th and run for approximately 30 minutes on the section of the path located behind the Watertown RMV (see map). The exact time of the event is still being organized but an estimate of 10:00am is anticipated.  Once a time is confirmed, it will be communicated.

 

The event will be led by Highway Administrator Frank DePaola on behalf of Secretary Davey.

 

We look forward to your response and hope that you are able to attend. Please do not hesitate to email or call Greg at gregory.s.mcgowan@dot.state.ma.us or 617-248-2993. He would be happy to speak with you. 

Walking Companion(s) Wanted

Today's post is an invitation from a Watertown Bicycle and Pedestrian Supporter who we'll call Ms. PH.  If you'd like to respond to Ms. PH's invitation, you are encouraged to contact the WBPC at watertown.bikeped@gmail.com and we'll put you in touch with her.

Watertown to Cambridge Commuters

Please consider leaving your car in the driveway and getting off the bus to join me one or more days a week in the morning for walking commutes from Watertown Square to Harvard Square, Cambridge. 

This walk of about 3.5 miles takes about 1 hour, 15 minutes.  Starting time is 7:30 AM for an arrival time about 8:45 AM in Harvard Square via Mt. Auburn Street and Brattle Street. This is a great way to start each day and I plan to continue into the cold weather until the sidewalks become icy.

Thank you for your consideration.

Ms. PH

Happy Pedestrian Commutes!

Sept 15 Lecture by NYC DOT Commissioner

Roadmap to Sustainable Infrastructure & Green Cities with Janette Sadik-Khan, NYC DOT Commissioner, Co-Sponsored by LivableStreets Alliance

When  Thursday, September 15 at 06:30pm - 07:30pm 

Where Piper Auditorium, Gund Hall, 48 Quincy Street, Cambridge, MA

Audience Free and open to the public

Event Description

Janette Sadik-Khan, Commissioner of the New York City Department of Transportation Introduced by Aaron Naparstek, Founder, Streetsblog.org
LivableStreets Alliance is the Local Community Sponsor for this keynote lecture
 

Sponsor

Organized by the Zofnass Program for Sustainable Infrastructure at Harvard GSD.
Co-sponsored by LivableStreets Alliance

Contact  infrastructure@gsd.harvard.edu