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

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On Thursday, the Senate passed legislation to provide funding to continue current transportation-related projects through Fiscal Year 2013. The Chapter 90 funds appropriated by this bill for local projects, including roadway and bridge  repairs, will support the infrastructure of the Commonwealth’s cities and towns.  This appropriation of $200 million (equivalent to last year’s appropriation) represents [...]

MassDOT is looking for input on transportation investment priorities.

Will Congratulations!  Best of luck and strength and inspiration, in all your efforts and collaborations Just a quick note regarding two current legislative initiatives. “3 Strikes”- I can’t tell you how glad I am that you’re resisting this effort.  It’s a blunt weapon that often disregards any sense of respective circumstances of individuals, and doesn’t [...]

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 [...]

The Boston Metropolitan Planning Organization today approved funding for the reconstruction of the Belmont-Trapelo Corridor in Fiscal 2012.

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 [...]

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 [...]

[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 [...]

The MAPC bikepath study has been released. The next step belongs to the Selectmen to determine what kind of process they would like to undertake before making decisions on the bikepath possibilities.

Proposed changes could streamline this very congested intersection without any expansion into neighboring wetlands. The work is still early in the design phase and construction is 3 to 5 years away.

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 [...]

The Belmont Citizens Forum, in a recent pamphlet distributed to town residents, makes a case for more paths in general and for a particular path route. I appreciate the advocacy for paths in general, but it is important to recognize that the route is so far unsettled.

Important discussions are ongoing about the reconstruction of the Longfellow Bridge. A public hearing will be held on Wednesday, October 6.

I spoke earlier this week with Sue Clippinger, the traffic planner in Cambridge. She said that she was working on getting the application together for a truck ban on Blanchard Road. She said that she had all the necessary data at this stage. She said that she foresaw little objection in Cambridge since most of [...]

Blanchard Road residents have ongoing concerns about traffic congestion, truck traffic and speed.

Residents on Blanchard Road between Concord Avenue and Grove Street (which lies in Cambridge, but on the Belmont line), have expressed an interest in having a ban on truck traffic. The challenge is to identify a non-residential alternative route.

Your recent post about bike paths around Alewife reminded me of something I’ve had wandering in my head for a bit of time now… Bicyclists currently have to abide by the same rules that cars do, but I don’t think this makes sense. Firstly, cyclists don’t represent quite as high a danger as cars/trucks, since [...]