Hall of Shame (CHOOSE 3)

[datadyne007]

One Beacon, MEEI, BUMC

 

[vanshnookenraggen]

It's terrifying to think but Melnea Cass Blvd is what the Rose Kennedy Greenway could have ended up as. The Greenway is actually and improvement.

 

[Matthew]

Melnea Cass Blvd actually has fewer travel lanes than the Greenway surface artery, FWIW.

 

[Coyote137]

Just out of curiosity, I'd be interested (for this topic more than any other) to hear more reasoning behind people's votes.

 

[HenryAlan]

Just out of curiosity, I'd be interested (for this topic more than any other) to hear more reasoning behind people's votes.

I voted for Melnea Cass because it's an ugly scar cutting through what was once a vital neighborhood and is now a wasteland. It's a cautionary tale in what can go wrong with urban redevelopment efforts in a way that is far more visible than any single element of the East End disaster.

 

[Ron Newman]

What was the East End disaster?

 

[Coyote137]

West End disaster?

 

[HenryAlan]

What was the East End disaster?

Meant West End, as Coyote guessed.

 

[Matthew]

On the topic of Melnea Cass Blvd, apparently the geniuses at MassDOT have dreamt up a way to make things worse:

http://www.mysouthend.com/index.php?ch=opinion&sc=guest_opinion&sc2=news&sc3=&id=142092

On Wednesday March 6, 2013 an important public meeting will be held by the Boston Transportation Department to discuss its plan to widen Melnea Cass Boulevard (MCB), an ill-conceived project that will be detrimental to Lower Roxbury. The project would widen MCB by about 40 feet to add bus lanes, providing little public benefit because there are currently no plans to augment existing MBTA bus routes. The proposed project is at best a knee-jerk response to the availability of federal monies designated for such planning, which might be withdrawn if not used in the near future.

 

[datadyne007]

On the topic of Melnea Cass Blvd, apparently the geniuses at MassDOT have dreamt up a way to make things worse:

http://www.mysouthend.com/index.php?ch=opinion&sc=guest_opinion&sc2=news&sc3=&id=142092

Oh my dear GOD. WIDEN?!?! Worst Proposal 2013. Maybe even worst proposal 2010-2020...

 

[kz1000ps]

I know this will never go over well on this board, but I think it's worth it for the time being. If the area was primed for some fantastic growth I'd say no way, but that's not reality at this time.

The land for expanding onto is already there, currently occupied by pointless vegetative "buffer" zones while the road offers just two travel lanes for each direction, and every time I drive on it (which is semi-regularly) I wonder why they went through all that effort to give us a dink road with no breakdown or turn lanes and dozens of ill-timed lights.

But I know I know...the car's always the bad guy. You may commence flaming me now.

 

[datadyne007]

I know this will never go over well on this board, but I think it's worth it for the time being. If the area was primed for some fantastic growth I'd say no way, but that's not reality at this time.

The land for expanding onto is already there, currently occupied by pointless vegetative "buffer" zones while the road offers just two travel lanes for each direction; every time I drive on it (which is semi-regularly) I wonder why they went through all that effort to just give us a dink road with no breakdown or turn lanes and dozens of ill-timed lights.

Then you might as well just build the damn Inner Belt/I-695 connector and officially nail the coffin on Roxbury because with this widening, it will never be primed for development.

 

[kz1000ps]

We're talking about 40 feet that is sitting there highly underutilized right now. There's nothing saying that 25 years from now when this area is ready for its comeback you can't squish the road down, which we've all watched become a popular option for roadways all over the country.

 

[datadyne007]

We're talking about 40 feet that is sitting there highly underutilized right now. There's nothing saying that 25 years from now when this area is ready for its comeback you can't squish the road down, which we've all watched become a popular option for roadways all over the country.

Having done research on this during my final studio, most Roxbury residents consider the Tremont St corridor to be too wide, which is what is hindering development even though it has impeccable access to rapid transit (Ruggles and Roxbury Crossing). This would widen the MCB to the size of Tremont St and set the potential for development back even further. It would become even more of a wasteland than what is there now and more so than the Tremont St corridor. If they don't want to build there now, why would anyone want to build something 30 years from now with an even wider road separating two neighborhoods that used to be one? The only way this widening could ever be justified is if it was to add a light rail ROW to the median, which I would fully support and advocate for.

 

[Matthew]

It's ready for its comeback any day the state allows it. Widening the road is irreversible for all intents and purposes. Do you see Cambridge Street in the West End being narrowed back to its original width ever?

They claim it will be "bus lanes" but I guarantee you that the "empty lanes attack" will be in full force the moment they would open. And 40 feet for 2 lanes? Wow.

It's not about the "car being the bad guy" or anything like that. We won't get that land back once it is paved. And MCB will be even more miserable a place to be than it is now. It's as simple as that.

 

[Matthew]

BTD posted their presentation: http://www.cityofboston.gov/Images_Documents/3-6-13 Draft Presentation_tcm3-36251.pdf

 

[BostonUrbEx]

HOLD THE PHONE.

This is the same project I posted about from the Urban Ring Advisory Committee meeting. There seems to be some serious misrepresentation here. They seem to be adding up the median space which will be eaten up the busway with the slight broadening of the actual roadway displaced by said busway to come up with some bogus 40' figure. Also, this will be used by four bus lines, without any MBTA changes. But the plan is to use this corridor for the Urban Ring, both in it's bus phase, and then in its light rail phase later on.

This is just NIMBY sensationalism, TBH.

 

[Matthew]

Yeah I'm trying to figure it out too.

 

[Matthew]

Looks like the new right-of-way cross section is 120' wide. From what I can tell, the existing right-of-way is largely already this wide, counting the bike path, except near Hampden St where it is about 95' wide.

They are intending to add 24' more width of pavement and will have to cut down trees to do so, and probably take a little property, looks like mostly just parking lots though.

The sample intersection diagrams look quite scary, honestly. With the left-turn lane you have to cross SEVEN lanes of traffic to get across MCB, at every intersection. That's approximately the same as crossing MCB at Tremont Street today. Not pleasant.

I think the center-running dedicated bus lanes are a fine thing. But I don't think widening the pavement to achieve this is a good idea. If BTD really wants to show its commitment to "BRT" then take two of the existing lanes and dedicate them to buses.

Correction: looks like no property takings are necessary, the city already owns that land and is leasing it currently

 

[BostonUrbEx]

Re: trees

MassDOT expressed commitment to maximizing the number of old trees they preserve and will replant at least one new one for each tree taken down. Complete non-issue, IMO.

The only problem is pedestrian interaction, which I can't really tell whether it will improve things (can't be too hard given current state?) or keep it terrifying.