Green Line Extension to Medford & Union Sq

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Very utilitarian fencing on the bike path. The guardrail also looks like it will be the cause of a number of injuries when folks misjudge passing.
 
RandomWalk said:
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Very utilitarian fencing on the bike path. The guardrail also looks like it will be the cause of a number of injuries when folks misjudge passing.
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I wish they had set the light posts a few feet back so it could be easily widened in the future. The 10ft width of this path means it’s going to be at capacity the day it opens. The Minuteman at 12 feet wide already needs widening.
 
The guardrail seems actively counter productive. It provides a mid-level step allowing people to then reach over the top of the chain link fencing. The 8'H fencing effectively becomes 4'.

Seems like the T is less worried about people climbing/throwing things over the fence than they are vehicles crashing onto the tracks.
 
Also seems mad that they haven't installed any lights between cross st and Washington st.
 
Badusername said:
I wish they had set the light posts a few feet back so it could be easily widened in the future. The 10ft width of this path means it’s going to be at capacity the day it opens. The Minuteman at 12 feet wide already needs widening.
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i think you have it a bit backward, the poles are placed because they light-up the path. But, they decided that the path would be 10'-wide before they placed the poles.
 
While I fully agree that the community path is already showing signs of poor design before it opens, I would stress that it is specifically NOT designed for rapid travel. It will be mobbed with walkers and Green Line takers on day 1.

This already is being addressed, as parallel roads such as McGrath are being designed now for fast bicycle/scooter/ebike travel.
 
Vagabond said:
While I fully agree that the community path is already showing signs of poor design before it opens, I would stress that it is specifically NOT designed for rapid travel. It will be mobbed with walkers and Green Line takers on day 1.

This already is being addressed, as parallel roads such as McGrath are being designed now for fast bicycle/scooter/ebike travel.
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That’s mostly true, but the bridge over the MBTA yard will be most useful for bikes and ebikes. The high incline, lack of sitting areas, and lack of shelter in the middle of the air makes it seem pretty undesirable for pedestrians. From where the community path ends now there aren’t any great parallel options. So the commuter bikes will be on this section of path intermingling with slower traffic. Not much that can be done about it now but it seems like a case where just spending a bit more money even to accommodate future widening would have made the path infinitely more valuable. Otherwise they should have just ended it at McGrath which will be the better route for pedestrians and bikers.
 
The contrast between the new path and the immediately adjacent Cedar to Lowell segment, with all its amenities, is what really rubs people the wrong way.
 
RandomWalk said:
The contrast between the new path and the immediately adjacent Cedar to Lowell segment, with all its amenities, is what really rubs people the wrong way.
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Yup. This contrast is extremely stark in a satellite view. The Cedar to Lowell segment is 20 feet wide, including its nice "shoulders." The new path (bottom right) looks like a service road by comparison.

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They're dealing with a very narrow corridor from right-of-way constraints where fitting fencing and OUC poles between the commuter and light-rail came down to fractions of an inch.
 
The temporary pathway from Somerville Junction Park to Central St is open. That was a pleasant discovery this morning.

Edit: Also they paved the stretch behind the High School.
 
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Just hopped onto a train at Union Square made up of two Type 9’s. This is my first time seeing one up here, I wonder if the D/E switch will be happening soon.
 
Texasian said:
Just hopped onto a train at Union Square made up of two Type 9’s. This is my first time seeing one up here, I wonder if the D/E switch will be happening soon.
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I believe it already has - don't know if it'll last through to the November opening of the Medford branch after the GLX shutdown, but Union was loaded as the D when the E shut down for it's 2 week surge on the 6th.
 
Stlin said:
I believe it already has - don't know if it'll last through to the November opening of the Medford branch after the GLX shutdown, but Union was loaded as the D when the E shut down for it's 2 week surge on the 6th.
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The D starts service to Union Square from Riverside starting September 19.
 
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