You Ask, Patch Answers

MBTA: Oak Grove Bike Cage Expected to Open in April

With the majority of work done at the Oak Grove “Pedal & Park” site, the bike cage is expected to open this spring, according to a MBTA spokeswoman.

A reader recently submitted a "You Ask Patch Answers" question about when the Oak Grove bike cage would be opening. So, we found out where things currently stand with the project. With the majority of work done at the Oak Grove “Pedal & Park” site, the bike cage is expected to open this spring, according to a MBTA spokeswoman. "The Oak Grove 'Pedal & Park' construction is substantially complete," wrote Kelly Smith, spokeswoman for the MBTA, in an email to Melrose Patch. "However, we are awaiting final approval from the state building inspector before it can be officially opened to the public. We expect to be able to open the facility in April." The most recent improvement made at the site include minor electrical work completed in January …

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Buses Replace Evening Orange Line Trains Beginning July 8

The bus replacement service between Sullivan Square and Oak Grove allows the MBTA to build the new Orange Line station at Assembly Square.

Beginning July 8, and going until Dec. 28, buses will replace evening Orange Line trains between Oak Grove and Sullivan Square every Sunday through Thursday, according to the MBTA. On the effected nights, bus replacement service will begin at 9 p.m. and run until the T closes. The bus replacements will allow the MBTA to shut down Orange Line tracks in order to build the new Orange Line station in Assembly Square. This change in service is part of a wider series of bus diversions that will take place until 2014.

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Bus Replaces Orange Line Oak Grove to Sullivan Square This Weekend

Track work all weekend, Saturday and Sunday, June 9-10, means it'll be a bus trip between Oak Grove and Sullivan Square for the next two days.

Buses will replace Orange Line service from Oak Grove Station to Sullivan Square Station all weekend, Saturday and Sunday, June 9-10, according to an advisory on the MBTA website. The buses will make stops at all stations between Oak Grove and Sullivan Square. All shuttle bus stops are accessible for persons with disabilities. This service change, according to the MBTA, is in place in order for necessary Orange Line track work. Melrose Patch reported last month that construction on the new Assembly Square Orange Line stop in Somerville, which has already begun, will lead to periodic bus diversions on the subway line beginning in June and lasting until the station is complete in fall of 2014. For more information, contact the MBTA Customer …

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You Ask, Patch Answers

When Will The Oak Grove Bike Cage Be Complete?

The MBTA is constructing a new, gated bike cage at the Oak Grove Orange Line station that will hold approximately 132 bikes under video camera surveillance.

You Ask, Patch Answers is a new weekly column for Melrosians who have questions about something they've spotted around the city or wondered about. Submit your question to danield@patch.com. Patrick emailed asking for an update on the new bike cage the MBTA is building at the Orange Line Oak Grove station. "Work started in November/December last year but seem to have completely stalled," he wrote a week ago, adding in a follow-up email that "the work has resumed as of May 1." MBTA spokesman Joe Pesaturo explained the stall in construction in an email, saying, "The cage construction involves multiple contractors. The steel contractor experienced delays in getting materials to the site. Work is now underway." The bike cage costs approximately…

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POLL: Should the T Crack Down on Fare Evaders?

Herald reports that plainclothes cops are being used to nab "piggybackers."

The Boston Herald reports today the MBTA police are cracking down on fare evaders. Plainclothes and uniformed police are being sent to stations around the MBTA's subway system to issue citations for violators, the Herald reports, and trolley and bus operators are being instructed to keep their rear doors sealed during boarding. So far this year, issued citations are up over 80 percent, the Herald said. Have you spotted fare evaders—or MBTA police catching them—at Oak Grove Station? Is this a significant problem? What do you think? Tell us in the comments and take our poll.

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Hot Off the T: Bones, Games and Laughs

Five things to do in Boston this weekend.

What do you do when you plan a “Snow Day” event and it never snows? Hold a “No Snow Day” event. Take advantage of the warm winter weather and ride out to Spectacle Island for hiking, campfires, kids activities and more. The boats to the island leave at 10 a.m.. Tickets start at $14. Take the Orange Line to State Street and walk 10 minutes to Long Wharf. If you’re more inclined to stay indoors, check out the Massachusetts Historical Society’s Clover Adams photo exhibit. Adams lived in Boston during the late nineteenth century and routinely took photos of the North Shore area. The society’s free exhibit of her work opens at 10 a.m.. Take the Orange Line to Mass Ave. and walk 12 minutes to the Massachusetts Historical Society. Among the many …

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Nearly 400 Turn Out Against MBTA Cuts in Malden

Seniors, students and commuters all came out to make their voices heard.

No protesters interrupted the MBTA's 20th public meeting on proposed cuts for next year's budget, though transportation officials still got an earful from angry commuters Thursday night. During the meeting, 137 speakers took to the podium on behalf of students, seniors, the handicapped, the ill and more, with a common message to MBTA General Manager Jonathan Davis: these proposals are unacceptable. Officials say a mixture of service cuts and fare hikes are necessary to close a $161 million deficit in next year's operating budget, with one proposed scenario eliminating all bus routes in Melrose. “I don't know what the answer is to the MBTA deficit, but I know in my heart it's not what's being proposed tonight,” Malden Mayor Gary Christenson…

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New Proposal Would Avoid Service Cuts on MBTA

The MBTA Advisory Board proposed a plan that would raise fares by 25 percent, shift some costs to other state agencies and institute some thought-provoking fees and changes.

The MBTA Advisory Board, which provides public oversight of the MBTA, has presented a new plan—some might call it a third option—for dealing with the MBTA's $161 million budget shortfall in fiscal year 2013. The plan comes amid public outcry over two proposals put forth by the MBTA that would substantially raise fares and cut service on Boston's public transportation network. In recent weeks, thousands of angry T riders have attended public hearings around the Boston area to protest those proposals. The closest hearing to Melrose will be held tonight at 6 p.m. in the Malden City Council Chambers, 200 Pleasant St. Under the advisory board's plan, there would be no service cuts, and the fare increase would be less than with the MBTA's two …

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Your Turn: Cut All MBTA Bus Service to Melrose, Weekend Commuter Rail?

The MBTA unveiled two possible approaches to handling the agency's $161 million deficit, and under one scenario, the five bus routes that have stops in Melrose would all be eliminated, along with weekend commuter rail service.

Melrose could face the elimination of all five MBTA bus routes that the stop in the city and weekend commuter rail service, along with higher fares and increased Oak Grove station parking rates, under proposals unveiled by the MBTA this week. Facing a $161 million deficit and fares that have not been increased since Jan. 1, 2007, the MBTA released two scenarios along with an impact analysis that details the specific impact of each scenario. The first scenario would stave off the most severe service cuts, but require steeper fare increases. Under this scenario, bus 136 would eliminate Saturday and Sunday routes, while bus 137 would eliminate Sunday routes. Both buses have stops in Melrose. The second scenario would have less severe fare …

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Bob Bell

9:01 am on Tuesday, January 10, 2012

It is axiomatic that the intellectual innovation spawned by the Boston area universities, which are global leaders, distinguishes the Boston area from most other metro-US cities. Retention of graduates is our key to success. Transportation convenience and costs are key factors in residential decision making. The state supports "smart growth" and transportation oriented development. Decimating our…   more ›