Transit Oriented Failure Rant

Java King

Java King

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I had the opportunity to be in Westborough, MA yesterday and I ran across this development:

http://www.boston.com/realestate/news/articles/2006/11/04/when_bigger_is_also_better/

It is a new "lifestyle" or "town center" development in the heart of Westborough. It has a nice mix of upscale retail, nice brick and stone exteriors, reuse of some existing buildings, and some interesting architecture for a retail development.

The Worcester/Framingham Commuter Rail line whizzes right by the front door with a beautiful Richardson style stone train station that is in great shape, although appears to be empty.

After my lunch at the brand spanking new Panera Bread, I tried to find the actual Westborough stop on the Commuter Rail. It's in an industrial area on the edge of town in a development that NOBODY would ever WALK to! It's only a few years old, but it seemed kind of cheap and not very well maintained. It certainly didn't seem very welcoming, and it appeared more like a Target Parking lot than a train station.

I rushed back to research on the Internet about the town development. Surely the developers of the wonderful new town village are planning to restore the old stone train station into a welcoming entrance to their dense development! Nope! Nothing could be found on the station or train line.

What is wrong with the MBTA and development in this state? So many missed opportunities for pedestrian oriented development near transit stations. TOD is becoming so generic! If a development is within a few miles of a rail line, it's considered Transit Oriented Development. In fact, I've heard a new term that better qualifies REAL transit development. It's called Transit Adjacent Development. It implies you can walk from a rail station to retail, office, or housing.

The Hingham Station is nowhere near the downtown area of Hingham even though there is a wonderful town center WITH PARKING!! Cohasset also has a cute village center, but the train stops near busy Route 3A with acres of parking. Parking is important, but it shouldn't be the ONLY reason to locate a train station in the middle of nowhere. I'm hopeful that North Scituate Village and Greenbush station can create a vibrant mixed use area of retail, office, and housing. At least there is a foundation near those stations to build upon. Plus the town of Scituate rezoned the area to create denser development with retail on the first level and housing above.

I'm so disappointed that so many great opportunities seem to be missed by current planners. The thinking seems to be that people ONLY use the train for their morning and evening commutes TO Boston. We MUST provide ample opportunity for these SUV surburban people working in Boston to park!! Well, what about creating opportunity for BOTH pedestrians and cars on either end of the system? Bostonians might enjoy a day out in Westborough, Hingham, or Scituate if there was something NEAR the stations they could enjoy!!

European cities seem to do a much better job of this. However, their infrastructure was there long before the automobile. A good example in the Boston area is Concord. It has a nice train station that has retail, and it's walkable to the shops in the center. It seems to me that communities should start looking at their transportation centers as a welcoming asset to the town rather than as a necessary evil.

OK........that's my rant. I was just so disappointed yesterday to see a really nice developement with such missed opportunity.

When the weather gets better, I'll do a TOD update on the Greenbush line with pictures.
 
There's some good proposals for Westwood Station, and Assembly Square. The problem is that communities have to want TOD'S and give developers incentives to upgrade the mbta station, etc by allowing more housing units, and comercial space.
 
^^ I don't think you're the only one who feels that way. I haven't been to Westborough, but it's a shame if they don't plan on using the existing train station for the commuter rail.

I have to agree that this is a problem. You mention that part of the reason Europe is better off is because they have the existing infrastructure, but so do we. Many New England towns (ESPECIALLY the Industrial ones like Lowell, Lawrence, Fall River, Brockton, New Bedford, Taunton, Haverhill, Gardener, etc etc etc) have tracks that are either in, or right near existing town centers. These should be utilized better.

Part of the Problem is that many of these older towns with existing track (either in use or out of service track) are now wealthier suburbs. If you want to increase rail service in an area, you're going to face FIERCE opposition (look at Hingham, or hell, even blue-collar Easton). No one wants the train noise (which really isn't bad) or the automotive traffic it'll bring to their quiet suburban streets... therefore, the stations get pushed out of town near highways, industrial parks, unused land, etc.

I look at a station like the Middleborough/ Lakeville stop which is about a mile from the quite cute Middleborough Center area and wonder why it isn't closer? the track runs about 4 blocks from the center of town with some abandoned rail depots on either side, and open space behind it (which is now an MBTA holdover area) which could have been used for a nice little station. Instead, it's behind some local banks and buried in the center of a vast parking lot further South West from the town center.

Sure, a developer has decided to turn it into a TOD, which is not a bad thing, but this station could have brought more vitality to the existing town center which really is quite nice. Instead, the new TOD will provide business and residences even more reasons to avoid the town center. This is the case in a lot of other places throughout the state (Westborough and Hingham being other examples), and is a big problem.

However, I think people are seeing this problem and working on correcting it in the future. I know New Bedford is working on planning a TOD right at their proposed commuter rail stop which abuts the downtown area, as is Fall River, Taunton, etc.

That doesn't mean parking should be eliminated from commuter rail stations, however. It should just be done in smarter, more compact ways (i.e. garages, or satellite lots away from the stop with shuttles if there is no room for parking) Certain stops along the way and ESPECIALLY terminus stops should have ample parking for those who are not within walking distance to the line. Even with smart development, it's impossible to have a rail line reach everywhere, and the places it doesn't reach should be able to access it anyway. Still, vast, surface lots around remote stations are not and never will be the answer to good commuter rail service.

I'm a firm believer that with some smart investments, the MBTA commuter rail lines can be among the best in the country. I even believe that if done right, the commuter rail can serve not only the commuters to Boston, but the residents of Boston looking for work or recreation outside the city as well.
 
Not to get into a semantical argument (because I holeheartedly agree with what you're saying) but I'm pretty sure that in the academic literature the term Transit Adjacent Development is generally used to describe what you're complaining about, that just being adjacent to transit isn't the same as being oriented to it.
 
Great Post Lrfox. I agree with everything you said!

Yes, even the Plymouth station is disappointing. The line ends a few miles from the center and harbor where all the tourists would like to go. It's a desolate factory parking lot with a few industrial type buildings. I wonder how many tourists make the disappointing trip from South Station to meet a taxi or shuttle bus for the extra few miles.

I agree with your last paragraph, however it seems the MBTA seems more focused on getting the office worker to and from Boston as a "commuter" rail rather than a true "regional" rail system. Heck, I think with just better marketing and flashier maps in tourist books, they could really improve reverse ridership out to many excellent destinations.

I remember when I first moved to Boston 20 years ago. I tried to walk from Quincy Adams to South Shore Plaza because it looked close on a map. I was living in Somerville and wanted a large shopping mall. I remember walking along the tracks trying to find this "so called shopping mecca." As you can imagine, I turned around and went home.

I don't know, my friends think I'm crazy. Maybe I'm the only one that wants to walk anywhere anymore.

Long live the Lexus.
 
underground: Yes, you are correct. I mixed up TOD and TAD. Thanks.

This may have been posted before. This from the Brookings Institute:

Walkable cities
A Brookings Institution survey ranks the 30 biggest metropolitan areas according to the number of ?walkable urban places? relative to the area?s population:

1. Washington
2. Boston
3. San Francisco
4. Denver
5. Portland, Ore.
6. Seattle
7. Chicago
8. Miami
9. Pittsburgh
10. New York
11. San Diego
12. Los Angeles
13. Philadelphia
14. Atlanta
15. Baltimore
16. St. Louis
17. Minneapolis
18. Detroit
19. Columbus, Ohio
20. Las Vegas
21. Houston
22. San Antonio
23. Kansas City, Mo.
24. Orlando, Fla.
25. Dallas
26. Phoenix
27. Sacramento, Calif.
28. Cincinnati
29. Cleveland
30. Tampa, Fla.
 
Newburyport is another example. In this case, the problem is that there is no place in downtown Newburyport to store 4 or 5 train sets overnight, and also the bridge over Low Street had been removed. If the line is ever re-extended to Portsmouth, perhaps they can restore the old downtown stop.
 
^Why Can't they store the train sets slightly further south? looking at the area in google earth it seems like they could have had the station closer to the town center and the holding yard where the existing station is. Middleborough is the same way... the actual holding yard is where the station should be (closer to town) and the station is in a worse location. Middleboro/Lakeville's holding yard is actually closer to Boston (further up the route) than the station is.

What's done is done, and there's probably reasoning behind it that I don't know about, but it just seems that there were other [better] options in many of these scenarios that were ignored. There's plenty of room just outside Newburyport for a holding area for these trains so there's no reason the station should be so far from the center of town... same with Westborough, Middleborough, Hingham, etc.
 
I think reversing trains that far causes logistical problems, and they would have had to replace the Low Street bridge. When service last ran to Newburyport, there was only one round-trip a day, so storage was not an issue.

Before that, trains continued beyond Newburyport to Portsmouth -- over a moveable Merrimack River bridge that needs substantial repair or total replacement before it can ever be used again.
 
I think the way things have happened is because of bad planning and VERY strong town-rule in Massachusetts. I know that Hingham and Cohasset didn't want a station in their downtown area because of a fear of traffic issues. Probably the same in Westborough. Although, a HUGE grocery store and dozens and dozens of stores seems to be OK in that particular case. Believe it or not, some people are afraid of people from the big city walking around their picture perfect little villages. If the station is in a horrible inaccesable place, the only people that will use it are the good folk of that particular Hamburg. No need to worry about people from Boston walking around our huge parking lot, in an industrial area, on the edge of town. On a related note, I read the village area of Cohasset was having a hard time keeping and sustaining business. (No surprise) In addition, a large retail and condo project is planned near the NEW Cohasset train station on 3A at the edge of town. So instead of moving the station to the town center, the town center will be moved to the new station. Incomprehensible!!

I think the state needs a stronger Regional Wide planning organization that can trump the small town politics for the greater regional good. The State or the MBTA should have forced Westborough, Hingham, Cohasset, Newburyport, Plymouth, Middleborough and others for WALKABLE transit near town centers. I'm thinking of the 3 wonderful commuter rail stops in Wellesley. If they weren't already there, would the good people of Wellesley petition the MBTA for a station near 128 away from town centers? I bet money they would.
 
While I'm ranting........let's highlight the positive.

I've certainly not been to every station on every line. However in no particular order, this is my list of positive MBTA Commuter Rail Stations with good access for a nice walk to shops, cafes, and recreational areas.

Wellesley Hills
Wellesley Square
Natick
Belmont
Waltham
Concord
West Concord
South Acton
Ayer
Lowell
Winchester Center
Malden
Melrose
Salem
Lynn
Rockport
Needham Heights line in general (pretty urban)
Providence
Quincy Center
Haverhill
Newtonville
West Newton
Wakefield
Norwood Central
North Scituate
 
That makes sense Ron, looking again it seems as if not only would they have had to replace the Low street bridge, it would have meant upgrading a longer length of rail, creating a new at grade street crossing (Washington St.) and tight quarters for the new platform wherever it would be. That being said, although I obviously don't have any real data, I would assume that the benefits of a downtown station would outweigh the costs of improvements needed. Of course, the MBTA tends not to work that way.

Does the MBTA have any proposal or desire to extend into Portsmouth, NH? I'd assume that if Maine can't find a way to fund the Down Easter' past January 2009 (when service is scheduled to end as of now), Interest in extending the CR into Southern NH would grow, but as of now I'm unaware of anything.

I'd say finances and monies allotted to the transportation budget are part of the problem as well and lead to the bad planning that you mention. Without the money to adjust the height of the Low Street bridge and others like it in the state, projects will continue to come short of their potential. Fortunately, it seems that some people are starting to get it and we should start seeing progress in the near future.

*EDIT*
I'd add Brockton and Quincy Center to that list. I know those aren't everyone's two favorite places in the world, but they do provide easy access to the center of their respective towns.
 
The Low Street bridge doesn't need its height adjusted. It needs to be rebuilt at all. It just isn't there anymore. (It carried the railroad over the street, not the other way round.) I haven't been there in a while, but I believe there would be (and formerly were) other grade crossings, most notably at Parker Street.

Extending this line beyond Newburyport really depends on funding from New Hampshire, which would be the main beneficiary. And repairing or replacing that Merrimack River bridge is going to cost lots of money.

I'd add Waverley to the list of well-located commuter rail stations. And Porter Square, of course. West Medford, too.

Lowell's location is rather mediocre, being in town but a long walk (or short bus ride) from the town center where anything of interest is located.

Gloucester is OK. Manchester-by-the-Sea is excellent; not only is it in the commercial center, but you can walk to the beach.
 
Lrfox said:
Part of the Problem is that many of these older towns with existing track (either in use or out of service track) are now wealthier suburbs. If you want to increase rail service in an area, you're going to face FIERCE opposition (look at Hingham, or hell, even blue-collar Easton). No one wants the train noise (which really isn't bad) or the automotive traffic it'll bring to their quiet suburban streets... therefore, the stations get pushed out of town near highways, industrial parks, unused land, etc. .
Click to expand...

Winchester is the definition of a wealthy suburb, and yet their train station is in fact the center of the city. If you havent been there, the station is over a rotary which is the definition of center. Shops and libraries and such are around it.
 
Belmont, Wellesley, Ipswich, and Manchester-by-the-Sea are like that too -- rich towns with a train station right in the civic and commercial center. Probably true for Melrose and Wakefield as well, but I'm less familiar with them.
 
^Thats the way it should be. I'm not familiar with Winchester at all, but that sounds like an ideal set up. When was the station set up in relation to the town center? I'm assuming that the town center existed long before the commuter rail was extended their way. If it's the other way around (station first, center second) then it's an ideal TOD.

But assuming that Winchester town center existed before the the commuter rail was extended that way, how did the station end up in the center of town? Looking at the setup on google's streetview, it looks well done (but again, I've never seen it first hand). I'm curious as to how the community felt about the location of the station and whether or not it faced much opposition. Considering that the Winchester area is more densely settled than Hingham and some of the other white collar suburbs outside the 128 belt, were there any other viable locations?

I'm only asking because it's easy for a town to say, "keep it away from the center of town" if there are open lands, industrial parks, or strip malls a mile or two away from the center. given Winchester's proximity to Boston and the development around it, I'm guessing there weren't too many other potential sites. In anycase, it looks like it's worked out well there.

This practice has the potential to hurt small town centers, even though the residents thinks it's helping to preserve them. If you have an open area with a busy train station and a nice TOD goes up on that site (like what's happening in Middleboro and elsewhere), it could make it more difficult for the old town center, a mile or two away, to sustain business in a time where small town centers and "Main Streets" everywhere are struggling to survive anyway. But hey, anything to keep the quiet, right?

*Edit*
It's good to see that commuter rail stations exist in even some of the wealthier suburbs' town centers. hopefully this continues with the commuter rail expansions. Manchester-by-the-Sea's station is in a prime location, and I know some students who have taken the CR to there from Boston on warm fall and spring days.
 
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I think the railroad tracks in Winchester were put on an elevated right-of-way some time in the 1950s; before that, they ran through the town center at grade. This was probably done to reduce traffic congestion on surface streets.

Keep in mind that this is one of the oldest railroad lines in the US, dating back to the 1830s. Winchester was a tiny little village back then, and not even an independent town; it was still part of Woburn.
 
Some local historians say Billerica was hurt by not having the railroad run thru the center of town because the New England Village that it saved was later destroyed by the automobile. Though they once had a narrow gauge railroad that ran thru town to Bedford and a trolley line that ran up Boston Road as well as the Middlesex Canal to Charlestown.
 
Billerica Center is a sad little place, I'm sorry to say. It depresses me whenever I ride through there.
 
Winchester is an excellent example of transit done right. However, as Ron states, I believe it was constructed in the 1950's. The stone and steel elevated structure looks to be right out of an English Village Picture Book, in my opinion.

Is there a good example of a "new" train station within the last 10 or 15 years constructed in a town center? Maybe Brockton, but I'm not too familiar with that location.

The new "Anderson Regional Transit" station in Woburn is a very nice building, but not a very walkable area.

Waltham has a good location, but the station is just a weed infested strip of concrete. It could really be a wonderful entrance to the town if a nice building and landscaping was constructed along the Charles River.

I think the Needham line was done pretty well when it was reconstructed in the late 80's. Hopefully, the Fairmont line will produce nice stations and walkable locations.

I think the Greater Boston area does have some wonderful and walkable transit stations. However my point is that planning within the last 10-15 years has seemed to emphasize the automobile with large parking lots around stations rather than walkable amenities. I'm just advocating for a change to this policy.


I forgot to add that the new "North Scituate" station is done pretty well. The parking lot is not too large and it's broken into several smaller spaces. The simple station has high-level platforms and some nice iron decorative fencing. They built a small "pocket" park near the station with some benches, a bell, and an outdoor clock. You walk from the station over a little brook to this new park. The park is abutting some old buildings with nice character. One contains a locally owned coffee shop called "Java Junction." There are a few "art" type stores, a local pharmacy, and other business services. The "old" historic North Scituate train station is a few hundred feet from the new station. I've heard they are trying to restore and save the existing train canopy. The building now houses some stores and a spa. The town also created brick-banded sidewalks and decorative street lights for the village area. So, they seem to have done a pretty good job. I think in a few years it could be very vibrant. The local shops organized a "train" day last fall, and I think they are doing it again in May. So, this seems to be a pretty good example of parking, shopping, walkable amenities, and transit done right.
 
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