Results tagged “thembta”

In his appearance last week on Radio Boston, Dan Grabauskas didn't discuss the issue of violence on the T. No one else asked him about it, either. But he has a lot to do now that a 15-year-old named Tiara Amarante documented the perils of riding the 23 bus. People riding the 23 are living in fear of thugs who pack heat, fight and intimidate riders on a daily basis.

. They did it on purpose to save money, effectively punking riders who are told a bus or train will come at a certain time, only to wait for a ride that will never arrive.

Ever "Written to the Top" to complain to the MBTA that a bus or train you expected never arrived? And maybe, just maybe, they wrote back in apology?

--The MBTA put out its most recent crime statistics. The good news is that "Part I" crimes (homicide, rape, robbery, larceny) are down by 10%, and the most violent crimes are down 18.5%. "Part II" crimes (simple assault, vandalism, and the grab-bag that is "Disorderly Conduct") are up by 12%. Larceny is the most common "Part I" crime, while fraud is the most common "Part II" crime. [Full presentation at MBTA Police]

--Facts of Life plus puns doesn't seem like it would be that funny. Oh, but it is! [Derspatchel]

Update to the Update: Green C is back to normal. (12:30 pm)

--Alexander Pring Wilson, who was convicted of manslaughter for the 2003 stabbing of Michael Colono in Cambridge and then tried again, has pled guilty to involuntary manslaughter. He will serve two years and one day. [Boston Globe]

Bus schedule improvements? Mattapan high-speed? New Blue Line trains? Oooh, Santa Charlie isn't finished with us yet!

A fire broke out last night at about 7:45 at Charles/MGH. A fire department spokesman told the Globe that "some trash landed on the power lines at the MBTA station and sparked a fire."

The MBTA is making like Santa Claus, increasing the number of times the 111 and 15 buses run and boosting the Silver Line for the holidays. Now they've announced that the trolley between the Ashmont and Mattapan stops is back in business.

Snow emergencies have been declared in Boston, Cambridge, and Somerville. Here's the dirt on parking and getting around:

If you dare to venture out that way--and you may not want to after this morning and the storm that is coming in--Green Line Service is back up. Or, in the lingo of the T alert system: "Green Line service is running with residual delays as a result of an earlier medical emergency at Boylston station." If you hadn't already heard, Trolleys Collide, Closing Green Line This Morning A side note: A commenter let us...

The MBTA has renewed its contract with the MBCR. Statistics confirmed what everyone knew—that commuter rail in Massachusetts needs a major overhaul, yet the Massachusetts Bay Commuter Rail Company will get three more years to do whatever it is that they do. So, when you're stuck on the train or waiting for the train, you know who to thank. For some background, Bostonist Noah Bierman's Globe piece on the history between the MBTA and MBCR....

Did you know the MBTA has a "Civil Disturbance Unit" on wheels that is designed to restrain and transport public-transit perps? We didn't, either. David Abel of the Globe describes the MBTA's ride, which has been in use since May: The large, jet-black bus has four surveillance cameras on its roof trained in every direction, and looks like the kind of tool an authoritarian regime might use to scare or scoop up dissidents and other...

Update: We spoke to a patient MBTA customer-service rep who said that she didn't know how long Park Street Station would be closed. She said that the decision to reopen it was entirely up to the fire department. Update to the Update: A tipper going from downtown to Cambridge let us know that a red line train actually made it through, and the doors opened at Park Street, so the T appears to be functional...

A warning to everyone who likes to occasionally sneak a subtle nose-pick, crotch-adjustment or stabbing on the T: Charlie Cam is watching you! The MBTA has released a surveillance video of a heavy, bald (but well-dressed and not entirely unattractive) man breaking through the fare gates at Science Park Station. It’s posted on thebostonchannel.com. At the start of the video, Big Guy looks around. He unsuccessfully tries to force the gates apart with this...

WHDH Channel 7 reports that a bus slammed into a bunch of parked cars at Sullivan Station in Charlestown yesterday afternoon. Luckily, the cars were empty. Unfortunately, the bus was not.

This from WBZ: A two-alarm fire that started at about 8:20 pm shut down the Longfellow Bridge. Trains were stopped, traffic was diverted, and heavy smoke forced the Charles-MGH station to shut down. The MBTA has posted the alert on its website and offered a few terse details: "A homeless man started a fire underneath the Longfellow Bridge. As a result the Boston Fire Department has stopped all traffic. Subway Red Line service is being...

The MBTA opened up the new Charles/MGH stop last weekend. Among the changes to the station the most notable is pedestrian and handicapped access to the station. Escalators and elevators will take passengers to the platform from ground level, a welcome change for, uh, the stop named for a hospital. The reconfigured station will allow pedestrians to avoid a bit more of the traffic mess that is Charles Circle.

Attorney General Martha Coakley announced today that the Boston area cut a deal with Turner Broadcasting and Interference, Inc., the brains behind the marketing campaign for Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theatres that made life in Boston a little nutty last week. Boston will receive $2 million dollars for its trouble. In return, Turner Broadcasting and Interference won't face charges. Here's the basic breakdown - $1 million goes to reimbursing state and...

MBTA officer Danny Vieira stopped a suicidal man from touching the third rail and pulled him out of the way of an oncoming train.

More standing room "seats" at Fenway are a fitting addition after the 2006 season. In 2004 the curse was broken. The oldest and smallest MLB park was outfitted with a new drainage system. In 2005 when the boys failed to repeat the 2004 feat the season was followed by a overhaul of the .406 club creating the open air posh seating now called the EMC club for a corporate sponsor (rather than to honor Ted...

A horrible incident occurred on the commuter rail system yesterday afternoon when a train slammed into a work crew replacing railroad ties in Woburn. According to the Globe report, two workers died, and one was critically injured. The crew and the train were on a collision course: MBTA officials said investigators are trying to determine why a track switching device was improperly positioned. The switch should have directed the commuter train on a track...

The emphasis on First Night has been as much on what you can't do as much as what you can do. So let's get what you can't do out of the way right now. Don't drive. Take public transportation. No excuses because the T will be free after 8 pm. The MBTA provides more details about the New Year's schedule here. And, as far as the law is concerned, the message is try not to...

Bars, clubs, and restaurants will be taking on a premium for celebrating the coming of the New Year with them. There is, however, a free ride available to get you home. The MBTA has announced that again this year the T will be free for riders from 8 pm to 2 am on New Years Eve and into the early morning of New Year's Day. We could go on for hours about how we miss...

Update: The MBTA redesign lives again. The site is again live, we'll see how long this one lasts.

MBTA employees are getting their surly on, perhaps because a handful of them got busted for having affairs and running side businesses on company time. It's fine if they're in a crabby mood, but it's not fine if their negligence causes someone to get hurt. Via Universal Hub, Jenny reports a disturbing incident on the Red Line that could have had a terrible ending were it not for some quick-thinking riders. She describes what happened...

A major fire at One Broadway resulted in injuries, one of them critical. Universal Hub moved fast and posted a report from a woman who works in the building and saw the impact of the smoke inhalation firsthand. They also have a report from someone who was on the Kendall T stop platform and saw lights "flicker and flash and eventually [go] out." CBS4 has video of people describing the smoke, and they also...

The MBTA made a bold marketing move in branding the new fare cards. Bold, but perhaps brilliant. Before the CharlieCard, before the CharlieTicket, all passengers have is the MBTA to blame. Now riders simply raise their fists and curse Charlie (think Shatner screaming "Khaaan!") the MBTA isn't scapegoat - it's the new cartooned mascot. A mascot who was taken from the verse of a song about a guy who was stuck on the T because...

The MBTA released the wrath of Charlie on the system for real today. December 4 marked the release of the long-promised plastic cards embedded with a chip to allow you to tap and go, rather than feed, wait, retreat with the paper CharlieTicket. They've got boxes full of zero-value CharlieCards to distribute, reportedly about a million before the end of the year, and are starting the effort with a full on blitz in T stations all week. T employees will be handing out the cards to riders at all the T stops and a small selection of bus hubs over the next week. We're still trying to figure out where the T will be sending the CharlieTruck. We grabbed a card underground this morning and dropped $5 on it. The process took 47 seconds – and that's with verification the funds transferred to the card. Just as fast as holding up four fingers and passing a five under the glass at a token booth. Oh, and just in case you thought it was all good news – one of CharlieVendingMachines was being serviced. Hopefully they'll be in better repair than the escalators on the T.