Results tagged “masstransit”

Oh, mighty T. Your monolithic ebon cross-and-circle looming totemic on every square and on every corner. Please hear our furtive pleas at the annual Capital Investment Program meetings coming up this and next week. Hosannah, all praise the robot voice, our transit salvation is now approaching, etc. more ›

Those living across the Charles in Cambridge and Somerville might want to think twice about any brunch plans within Boston proper. We're not seeing a service alert on the MBTA website, but Bostonist had a fun time of it making the trip into the city around 8 a.m. today. Track problems between Kendall and Charles/MGH prompted that good ol' shuttle service, and things were a mess. In related news, the website lists snow-prompted delays on the SL2 Silver Line and the 78, 99, 112 and 24 bus lines. So before you head out into the winter wonderland (of terror and aggravation), be advised. more ›

Texas is thawing, the Northeast is freezing, and a sort of natural order seems almost restored to the Ist-A-Verse. Almost. Londonist HQ—that is to say, the city of London—was battered by heavy winds, making it a bad time to be a twelve-meter (nearly forty-foot) tall snowman. Still, not everyone decided to keep warmly covered. Meanwhile, back indoors, the Big Brother racism is now causing all kinds of headaches for international diplomats, and Londonist got into... more ›

As 2006 ends and 2007 begins, the -ists look back not at the past week, but at the past year. So here it is, your Best of 2006 Spectacular. And from all of us at the -ists, happy New Year! Austinist was all about controversy as new construction to increase urban density ran rampant in 2006, as did threats to the city's image from gigantic corporations looking to set up shop in town, leading... more ›

With police officers accused of pilfering Oxycontin from the BPD drug warehouse and the MBTA not taking credit but still charging riders' credit cards, December hasn't been a good month for city services. And it's not going to get any better now that six MBTA supervisors have been fired for extracurricular activities during the job - including having a love affair while on the clock. more ›

For our years in academia and a continuing commitment to understanding social and economic policy, we’ve heard that ecological friendly initiatives won’t be widely popular unless economic incentive is the driving force. We thought the whole emissions trading market would help out our ambitions for green, before a certain someone backed out of the Kyoto Protocol. Recently, with gas going for over $3 a gallon (still way less per ounce than a Dunkie’s large regular), we were sure that the hybrid cars would make way for pure electrics or at least heavy reliance on mass transit systems. Maybe that’s happening. Slowly. Take your stance on the MBTA’s most recent proposal for a fare hike and it’s ecological and social merits. It may be the housing market's building boom that moves to green first. Transportation may follow. more ›

This post was written by Seattlest editor Dan Gonsiorowski. "The Week in -ist" will run every week, typically on the weekend, but we're just getting the kinks worked out of this East-coast/West-coast thing. more ›

The Globe reports that state environmental officials are giving the nod to the Green Line extension (to Union Square in Somerville and West Medford); more stops on the Fairmount commuter line in Mattapan, Dorchester, and Hyde Park; and more parking spots all around the area. Mass transit advocates are, understandably, dissatisfied, as JP is getting the short end of the stick, the Silver Line continues to be the stupidest "train" ever, and the Blue and... more ›

OK, we're a little behind the curve on this one, but better late than never. Some enterprising fellow in New York has created a site where you can download T maps for your iPod photo for free. Bostonist thinks this is awesome, although we'd urge discrete use: carrying an iPod on the train has already been shown to be a good way to get said iPod stolen. Add to that the fact that using a... more ›

We first got irritated about this when we made the mistake of signing up for the cheapest health plan at work, only to find out that there were no doctors anywhere near us. When we got on the phone and asked for a general practitioner in or near Somerville, the customer service lady paused a moment, did some clickety-clacking on her computer, and said, "Oh sure. I have someone in War-cester." Considering that Worcester is wicked fah from Somerville, her mispronunciation just added insult to injury. Then yesterday evening, a pollster called to ask Bostonist questions about local politics, which we love. But this guy couldn't pronounce the names of any of the Somerville politicos he was asking us about (or, for that matter, the name of Desmond Tutu), and that made us bullshit. (Also, the poll was obviously designed to get us to say that the campaign to divest local assets from Israel was a terrorist plot designed by communists who kick puppies, and we hate being manipulated so inexpertly that we realize we're being manipulated.) Now we learn, via Universal Hub, that even the MBTA can't get its automated bus announcements to sound regionally accurate (Reading is announced as "REEding"). What's up with that? If Bostonist finds out that the T is announcing Quincy with a soft "s" sound, we will be forced to raise our mass transit annoyance-alert level to wicked ripshit. more ›

Even if (as is our dream) Bostonist were the scriptwriter for an absurdist political sit-com, we could not have come close to crafting the amusing scene that unfolded around Mitt Romney as he actually rode the T yesterday to prove to all of us that orange-plus ain't that bad. First, he couldn't say how much a subway ride costs. Then he was harangued by a man (unnamed and homeless, according to the Globe) about his... more ›

The Mass. House of Representatives has passed a bill that, if approved by the Senate, would raise fines for Fenway parking lot operators who jack up their prices on game days. Bostonist can't really argue with this move, but we wonder how much a $1,000 fine (as opposed to the current $300) will deter people who are making upwards of $50 per car. We imagine their business philosophy is much like our parking philosophy: We never ever pay for parking, preferring to park illegally (or walk a little farther) instead. Most times, the fine we might have to pay if we get a ticket doesn't cost much more than the money we will definitely pay if we put the car in a lot, and we frequently don't get a ticket at all (but we are careful to avoid tow zones). Bostonist is not alone in concluding that statistically, risking the fine beats following the rules. (Best of all, of course, is to ride one's bicycle to the park, as we usually do.) more ›