Jamaica Plain Centre/South streets redesign

^ Kerry, the Kennedy family and others gave Obama significant support during his campaign; plus, he went to school here. If playing cards w/Reagan did it for Tip O'niel...what should plagiarism get Deval?
 
Deval and Obama didn't plagiarize each other, they shared some of the same speechwriters.

Any mention of smart meters for this project? Given the rates of parking turnover on Boylston and Newbury, I wouldn't be surprised if meter income had doubled or tripled from time not being left on meters thanks to the electronic stickies. Dynamic rates and not leaving time on meters would be a boon for meter income in JP.
 
I'm definitely unsure of any money coming to Boston, or going anywhere at all...but Boston would definitely make worth of the money more than Reno or Winston-Salem, even with the corruption. I hope none of it comes here, they already voted down an added tax to give money to the Metro System (bus, light elevated rail). They don't deserve infrastructure money.
 
If it were Kerry, Kennedy, and Patrick lobbying the Clintons I wouldn't worry, but Obama seems to like to go out of his way to point out that he's not playing favorites. And I'm not sure the three years he spent living in a basement apartment in Somerville really endeared him to the state all that much.

Besides, he's much more closely tied to his Chicago gang.
 
vanshnookenraggen said:
More will be turned away by not driving through or being able to park on the street and run in.
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Having lived on Centre St in JP, I can tell you this is a myth (at least for this area). Most people who currently frequent the businesses in downtown JP either already walk to the businesses or could do so very easily with a little psychological "nudge".

Blocking off non-commericial traffic through Centre St in JP would do wonders for the neighborhood. Centre St currently sits as an unofficial chasm between the rich and the not so rich. Reintegrating the two sides of the neighborhood could, at least in part, be accomplished by tearing down the "traffic barrier" between the two.

- anthonyx26
 
Ron Newman said:
Car traffic should be entirely removed from these streets, allowing the Green Line trolley to return. Move all of the car traffic to the Jamaicaway and/or Lamartine Street.
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Mr Newman is dead on in this post. I think with the exception of commercial and emergency vehicles, this can and should be done. While they're at it, level the street by removing the sidewalks or bringing the streets up to the same level as the current sidewalks thereby eliminating the old barrier between car and human. Create designated bike lanes to minimize potential safety issues with pedestrians and the restored Arborway tracks.

JP would be thrust to the forefront of liveable Boston neighborhoods, amongst whom it is uniquely laid out to allow for such a transformation. And IMHO, all could be done with minimal impact on local businesses. See last part about RATP business monitoring:

http://torontoist.com/2008/09/you_can_live_without_the_car.php

- anthonyx26
 
jass said:
You should take a look at some of the proposed tunnels for the green line extension. Even with cut and cover, tunnels rack up the billions very quickly
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Very true...all the more reason to shut non-commercial traffic out of Centre St and restore the trolley.

- anthonyx26
 
You guys are dreaming. JP is basically an extension of Brookline/Newton suburbia, and we all know how stiffly Brookline and Newton rejected the Green Lin...oh right. I guess that makes JP even more suburban.

Blocking off non-commericial traffic through Centre St in JP would do wonders for the neighborhood. Centre St currently sits as an unofficial chasm between the rich and the not so rich. Reintegrating the two sides of the neighborhood could, at least in part, be accomplished by tearing down the "traffic barrier" between the two.
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It will reunite the neighborhood alright. The eastern half will become just as gentrified as the west.
 
czsz said:
You guys are dreaming. JP is basically an extension of Brookline/Newton suburbia, and we all know how stiffly Brookline and Newton rejected the Green Lin...oh right. I guess that makes JP even more suburban.
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apples and oranges.... and speaking of oranges, JP accepted the orange line with open arms, a transit line operating in a rail ROW (like, say, the D line in brookline and newton), not sharing one lane of traffic with cars.
 
czsz said:
You guys are dreaming. JP is basically an extension of Brookline/Newton suburbia, and we all know how stiffly Brookline and Newton rejected the Green Lin...oh right. I guess that makes JP even more suburban.
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JP has its own distinct flavor and I think most people from the neighboorhood would not want to be confused with people living in Brookline or Newton (neither of which are in Boston proper). The _people_ of JP would have gladly accepted the Green Line over the route 39 bus, it was more a matter of a few skittish businesses and not to mention a very skittish MBTA who didn't want the project.

- anthonyx26
 
greenlinetobrooklyn, that article has so many flaws in it's logic, it's laughable. Just as taking away cars doesn't mean people will come, putting them back doesn't mean it's going to make things any better. Aside from the fact that DTX is anything BUT car-free right now, the fact that there are vacant stores and a giant hole in the ground isn't helping anything. The city recently had a public meeting about how they are planning to actually enforce the regulations (more physical barriers and more enforcement) and make it a functional pedestrian zone as it was originally designed to be. They showed some photos from 1975 just before the pedestrian zone was created. It was total chaos and gridlock. Cars were backed up through the whole area and people had to squeeze between them to get anywhere.

(See the Downtown Crossing thread, where we've pretty much beat this topic to death.)
 
anthonyx26 said:
JP has its own distinct flavor and I think most people from the neighboorhood would not want to be confused with people living in Brookline or Newton (neither of which are in Boston proper). The _people_ of JP would have gladly accepted the Green Line over the route 39 bus, it was more a matter of a few skittish businesses and not to mention a very skittish MBTA who didn't want the project.

- anthonyx26
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For some reason it seems like the majority of business owners in the city seem to think most of their customers drive to shop, even those who are directly on a T line or are in places where there is a ton of pedestrian traffic. Their opposition to anything that may possibly take away any on-street parking or potentially make it a little harder to drive I feel actually hurts their cause. There will never be enough physical space for all their customers to drive there. If they want to get the most customers, they should be DEMANDING better T access, better walking conditions, and better bike access. THAT's how you get more customers in the city!
 
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