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    General MBTA Topics (Multi Modal, Budget, MassDOT)

    Re: Driven By Customer 'Service' Parte Dos To my knowledge there isn't a single rail line operating like the Green Line does with anywhere near the complex scheduling and reliance on antiquated signaling so I'm not sure what we would compare it to? Washington suspended service on its Red...
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    General MBTA Topics (Multi Modal, Budget, MassDOT)

    Re: Driven By Customer 'Service' Parte Dos NTSB may not have enforcement capabilities, but the vast majority of their recommendations are enacted by whichever is the regulatory agency overseeing the particular transportation sector. If the recommend that the MBTA ought to be restricted from...
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    General MBTA Topics (Multi Modal, Budget, MassDOT)

    Re: Driven By Customer 'Service' Parte Dos They did both Copley and Arlington for a total of $60M or so, if I remember correctly. It doesn't make sense that GC is costing 33% more than those two stations, even if adjusting for the increase in construction costs. The whole thing reeks of...
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    General MBTA Topics (Multi Modal, Budget, MassDOT)

    Re: Driven By Customer 'Service' Parte Dos Here's a thought: let's spend a fraction of the $90M they're proposing for the GC overhaul and use the rest towards initiating Green Line CBTC. Surely the feds would find that an equally worthy - yet infinitely more urgent - need with a positive...
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    General MBTA Topics (Multi Modal, Budget, MassDOT)

    Re: Driven By Customer 'Service' Parte Dos Considering how rare it is to not be crawling through the Central Subway at a snail's pace, I'd say it's probably an operational toss up at this point. ;) Really just a minor detail, but a two-car trainset may in theory hold upwards of 400+ people...
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    MBTA Construction Projects

    Re: T construction news I'm not so sure we can judge how Government Center will go based on Science Park for two reasons: GC is underground while SP is elevated and GC has more than 10x the number of boardings SP has in addition to serving a massive transfer role in the system. Can't be a...
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    MBTA Construction Projects

    Re: T construction news Considering Park/DTX/State are all relatively close so if GC is your origin or destination, it's not such an issue in terms of getting to where you need to be as you can easily walk between any of those and the surrounding areas. What is at least a bit concerning is...
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    MBTA Construction Projects

    Re: T construction news Surprised this hasn't hit here yet: MBTA: Government Center Station to close for 2 years starting in Sept. 2013 for $90 million overhaul Taking one of the four transfer stations completely out of commission? What a nightmare. Hope I'll be all moved somewhere off the...
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    Boston's housing problem

    What makes parking on a suburban street any different from parking on a city one? You don't need parking minimums to incentivize developers to include parking in the suburbs... the fact that they decided to build in a transit wasteland works wonders on its own.
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    The State Highway System Runs a Larger Deficit than the MBTA

    We could have the general fund route in place as of yesterday with zero technology (i.e. transponders, extra meter reading, etc.) required. So easy it'll never happen! :) VMT for truck traffic is also an excellent idea - it's been far too long that trucking companies have received a heavily...
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    128 Widening

    Yes - drove on it a few times over the past week. It is VERY nice right now. Can't help but think, though, that the fourth lane should be an open HOV lane like San Francisco has: HOV-only during rush hours but otherwise open to all traffic.
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    MassPike Allston

    This. I don't see how it can be difficult to comprehend that western MA is subsidized by Greater Boston. Just as MA pays into the federal tax system far more than it receives in return, so to does Boston's population pay into a system that redistributes funding across the state.
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    General MBTA Topics (Multi Modal, Budget, MassDOT)

    Re: Driven By Customer 'Service' Parte Dos A rather simple yet entirely nonstarter of a solution: buy longer articulated trains that can train line and control doors from front, and move to proof of payment. The unions would never endorse either, unfortunately. Also, like Matthew said, the B...
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    MassPike Allston

    Leominster-Worcester doesn't even qualify as low-hanging fruit when we're talking about linking a suburban bedroom community of 40k to a smallish-sized city of 140k that are separated by 20+ miles of mostly undeveloped land. South Coast Rail is likewise a horrific fail of a proposition. But...
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    MassPike Allston

    MA already does this: 2.5% excise tax on the vehicle's list price based on the vehicle's model year and a formula for depreciation.
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    General MBTA Topics (Multi Modal, Budget, MassDOT)

    Re: Driven By Customer 'Service' Parte Dos It is indeed quite alarming. Not sure I see things being better at the MBTA when the issues will be bigger, she has more people to manage, and there's a lot less money to go around in a substantially more expensive metropolitan area. Something just...
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    Logan Airport Flights and Airlines Discussion

    While I agree a 757 is better for BOS-MAD, there's no way BOS-BCN would cut it outside of peak summer season, even with Vueling's BCN network. BCN is just an infinitesimally small market from BOS compared to the connecting opportunities via BA/LHR and IB/MAD. I'd be surprised if they end...
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    southwest expressway...

    ^ We're talking about a city with I-93 a mile or less to the east of those roads, for crying out loud. They don't need to be limited-access and grade-separated. Bottom line: the SWX didn't happen and isn't coming back. So if the argument is what kinds of upgrades should happen to make road...
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    southwest expressway...

    The biggest issue with Boston's southwestern neighborhoods is that they have almost zero transit access. There are several high-capacity roads that crisscross the area in a haphazard way, but by and large there's literally no way to go anywhere without a car. Cramming more lane miles through...
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    Is parking too cheap?

    Street parking in Paris is not remotely close to a parking lot, though. Paris has the density and street level activity from pedestrians and bicyclists that more than makes up for the hideous amount of cars that line its myriad of small streets.

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