Friday, January 18, 2013
The board of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation released its 21st Century Transportation Plan, which outlines the state’s budgetary needs over the course of the next 10 years and beyond.
With infrastructure in need of repairs and the major city transit system steeped in billions of dollars of debt, the state may need to increase revenue from car registrations, license renewals, taxes and tolls. The Board of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation released its 21st Century Transportation Plan Monday, which calls for a $13 billion overall investment in state transportations systems over the next decade. The breakdown is as follows, according to a statement associated with the plan released by Transportation Secretary and CEO Richard A. Davey: To raise the necessary funds these recommendations will include an increase in the gas tax, payroll tax, sales tax or income tax; a new green fee on vehicle registrations; a …
Thursday, December 27, 2012
According to figures released Wednesday, MBTA ridership increased for the 20th time in 22 months, with specific increases on subway lines.
People continue to use the MBTA despite mid-year fare hikes. According to figures released by Beverly Scott, general manager of the MBTA, monthly ridership increased for the 20th time in the last 22 months in November. Daily ridership for November increased by 1.3 percent over November 2011, and averaged 1.329 million passenger trips per weekday, according to an accompanying MBTA statement Wednesday. The increase “continued the MBTA’s trend of modest ridership growth despite the fare increase implemented in July,” Scott said in the statement. There was marked growth on the Red, Orange and Blue subway lines, which grew 5.6 percent in November. Originally, MBTA officials projected subway ridership to drop of 5.3 percent, the statement said. …
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
All northbound lanes of the highway will be shut down for maintenance starting 11 p.m. Tuesday and ending Wednesday at 5:30 a.m.
If you've got late night travel plans up I-93, be ready for delays or take a different route instead. The state will close all lanes of I-93 northbound from 11 p.m. Tuesday to 5:30 a.m. Wednesday. Work they'll be doing includes tunnel wall and sign washing, drain cleaning and maintenance, plus maintenance of electrical and communications systems. Here are the specific detours that will be in place while the work is underway: I-93 Northbound traffic will be detoured off the highway at Exit 16 (Southampton Street Exit) to Frontage Road Northbound. Ramps from Frontage Road Northbound allow traffic to get to I-90 Eastbound (Logan Airport) and I-90 Westbound. I-93 Northbound traffic will continue on Atlantic Avenue and re-enter I-93 Northbound …
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
Do you agree or disagree?
- THE NEIGHBORHOOD FILES
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Tuesday, October 9, 2012
Last week, Melrose Patch asked you to tell us where in the city is it most likely to experience or encounter road rage. However, the couple of readers who replied to our question said that they rarely came across it at all, anywhere in Melrose. Tina DeSelm, who said she has only experienced road rage once, attributed that to the fact that she normally walks around town. "Now if you want to talk about 93 on my commute home, I've got some stories," she added in the comments section. Justin H also said he doesn't see road rage that much in Melrose. But "The Pond St/Ravine Rd "experiment" has definitely tested the patience of commuters in the evening rush," he said. Is road rage as uncommon as these readers' say it is? Tell us in the …
Friday, October 5, 2012
Let us know by posting a comment below.
Whether you're commuting, running errands or cruising around town, we're sure you've experienced it or witnessed it at some point — road rage. It's often in police logs, and you've probably had a few choice words yourself when you've been cut off or seen someone on the cell phone. With this in mind, we'd like to know: Which Melrose area community has the worst road rage problem? Where are the worst spots when it comes to driving? Let us know by posting a comment in the comments. [Editor's note: Remember to keep it clean. If you violate our terms of use (check it out here) your comment will be deleted and your account may be suspended. If you have the urge to use profanity, using asterisks (*) will not suffice. Please find another way to …
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
"Fundamentally, long-term, it's us," one reader said.
- OPINION
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Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Last week, Melrose Patch asked for your opinion on the cause for the recent spike in the cost of gasoline. Readers Josh Chace and Percy both blamed consumers for the $0.16 increase from last month to now in gas prices. "Being so dependant on fossil fuels, driving completely inefficient cars, and wanton disregard for options to take mass transit, carpool, or just using our gas more efficiently allows OPEC and other conglomerates in charge of distribution to charge whatever amount they want and we have no choice but to pay it," Chase wrote in the comments. "Fundamentally, long-term, it's us," Percy added. Other readers, like Ted Hunt, had a different take. "I would like to hold Congressman Markey responsible," Hunt wrote, "because of his…
Thursday, September 13, 2012
Ask 10 different people and you might get 10 different answers as to why gas prices have spiked sharply in September.
The facts are indisputable. According to AAA, the average price for a gallon of gas in Massachusetts is presently $3.88. That's a whopping 16 cents higher than it was just one month ago. The price has actually soared to over $4 a gallon at some Middlesex County self-serve stations. For a list of the gas stations in Tewksbury selling the least expensive fuel, click here for our Commute Page. Ask 10 different people to explain the cause of the off-season spike and you might get 10 different answers. Some have blamed OPEC, while others have blamed big oil companies. A recent rash of severe weather has been seen as a cause by some people, as have the energy polices and proposals of one political party or another. Still other people have blamed…
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
Patch examines why some professionals are willing to travel hundreds of miles every week for work. Do you have a lengthy commute during the work week? Tell us about your commute in the comments section below.
At 5 a.m. three days a week, Mark Schofield wakes up in his home in Washington, D.C. to prepare for his commute—to Philadelphia. By 6:15 a.m., he grabs a cup of coffee from the Starbucks in Washington’s Union Station. “The coffee there is stronger” than on Amtrak train No. 130, he says. It’s no wonder he needs a potent blast of caffeine: Schofield spends more than 15 hours riding each week to Philadelphia’s 30th Street Station. From there he catches a local train to his job at Haverford College in Delaware County. The commute adds roughly two and a half hours and 140 miles onto both ends of a 9-to-5 workday. His three-day commute, roundtrip, totals 840 miles—roughly the distance between Washington and Orlando, FL. For Schofield, and …
Mark Ouellette
11:48 am on Friday, October 5, 2012
Hi Justin, The six-month trial at Ravine Road is expected to run through Nov. 5. After that date, the Stoneham Board of Selectmen will be reviewing the data before deciding how they plan to proceed. more ›