Will Brownsberger — State Senator, Democrat, 2d Suffolk and Middlesex District

OK, I will admit it — as everyone probably guessed by now — I’m not a big fan of traffic calming or lane reduction, or anything else that further clogs the cow-paths we call “roads”. Lord knows, I’m not itching  itching for another “Car v. Bike” shouting match, but here’s the latest NMA post re [...]

By John Carr, NMA Massachusetts Activist “One of the things Ford Prefect had always found hardest to understand about humans was their habit of continually stating and repeating the very very obvious.” – Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy “THINK ROAD SAFETY!” the sign commanded. “OBEY SPEED LIMIT,” it added. I saw this [...]

OK, it’s late on a friday, and a hurricane is bearing down on us, and no one wants to hear about traffic safety, but here goes anyway. Who’s already got the safest roads in the world? Guess  what… WE DO! [The original, more confusing graph has been removed (8/28/2011 ..RC] (US State with the lowest [...]

You may have read about the recent Massachusetts legal cases involving parking and traffic ticket defense costs.  The current system imposes onerous charges simply to defend one’s self in court, and the NMA assisted in two cases to challenge the constitutionality of that system. In one of those cases, Vincent Gillespie was required to pay [...]

Hi Will – as an intellectual Property worker (software engineer/designer) married to a consulting artist (Powerpoint/photoshop specialist) I’d like to call to your attention the following article and urge you to support reform of this well-meaning-but-misguided piece of legislation. I’m guessing that a fair amount of your constituents fall into the “independent consultant” definition — this potentially [...]

Hi Will — I will be honest with you, the front page Globe article on the lights in the new central artery/harbor tunnels scared the bejezus out of me. Not so much because of the thousand-pounds of lights hanging precariously over my head every time I go to the airport, but moreso the final comment of the [...]

Hi Will – just a note to let you know that I support the bill, filed by Rep. John Binienda, of Worcester,  that would exempt small brewers from the laws protecting wholesalers in MA. The law was written at a time when there were only two or three brewers in the market. Since that time, [...]

Dear Will – it was nice getting to meet you at Town Day – also great to get a chance to discuss the library. Unfortunately, I’m writing on another topic — like many Belmonters, I commute out to 128 on a daily basis. In my case I head North in the morning and south in [...]

Interesting study – see the original document (quick read, 8 pages, simple-to-understand, good graphics) at: http://www.pewtrusts.org/uploadedFiles/wwwpewtrustsorg/Fact_Sheets/Economic_Policy/drivers_federal_debt_since_2001.pdf How’d the national debt get so huge? In 2001, the Congressional Budget Office forecast that the nation’s publicly-held debt would be eliminated by 2006, and a surplus of $2.3 trillion would have accumulated by now. Instead, the federal government is now [...]

[from the NMA newsletter] This is a tale of two cities and how they approach their traffic safety responsibilities. As the newsletter title intimates, Roseville (California) and Chevy Chase Village (Maryland) represent a contrast of law enforcement philosophies. Let’s start with Roseville. Former Sacramento City Manager Ray Kerridge moved into that same role with Roseville [...]

Not  a current concern, but just some educational feedback from a group I belong to Roundabout Feedback Thanks to all who responded to our informal survey about roundabouts in last week’s e-newsletter. We have received close to 200 opinions, most from drivers who are quite experienced with roundabouts, both in the United States and overseas. Responses [...]

Sorry, not a new topic, nor even a particularly hot one here, but I just saw a great report from Los Angeles on the dangers of Red Light cameras – increased rear-end collisions and significant monetary shortfalls costing the city upwards of $1m per year. It’s hard to explain why LA even continues the program until you [...]

Hi Will – I was up visiting my parents in Nashua and it struck me that Rt 3 is still posted at 55 MPH. According to the studies that were done during construction it’s a 65 MPH road. Several years ago, I remember a GLOBE article abotu this in which  it was indicated that “as [...]

Hi Will – I read with some interest the article in Globe regarding the deaths of several Police Officers on traffic enforcement duty (http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2010/07/18/trooper_struck_during_stop). This illustrates the danger of exceptional conditions on the highway. As long as traffic moves smoothly and everyone follows the rules, things generally work out fine, but anyone who’s ever been [...]

Hi Will – you may remember that the state has been through bad times before and there were lots of creative ways of saving money. I was reminded of one way today in a discussion with a colleague from Canada — it’s quite simple — you can cut upwards of $2mm from the budget by eliminating [...]

As it truely deserves to be?