Silver Line Backup

My commute on the P508 was fine today, we were at South Station for 8:22 a.m. However, the commute wasn't drama free. A weird thing happened on the Silver Line. There was a backup on the platform and the first bus that came through was a SL1 for Logan Airport. So a bunch of us get on the bus, then a MBTA manager starts yelling at us that "the bus is too crowded and it is only going to Logan, so anyone not going to Logan had to get off." Hardly anyone moved and then the bus stopped at the Courthouse and the World Trade Center. The whole Silver Line bus thing has been effed up lately in the morning.

Today's Boston Metro ran an interview with MASSPIRG regarding Massachusetts' transportation infrastructure. MASSPIRG, which published a study about the Bay State's transportation infrastructure back in the fall, released a press release yesterday praising Governor Deval Patrick's administration for wanting to use $233 million of a requested $783 million recovery package to repair and rehabilitate existing roads. Here's a snippet from the press release:

But Massachusetts looks the best compared to other state requests. According to the MASSPIRG report, the Executive Office of Transportation has presented a good balance of public transportation improvements, bike and pedestrian projects, money for ports and aviation, and road and highway maintenance.

“Governor Patrick and his state agencies have put forward the most comprehensive request, with more than half of the proposal dedicated to modes of transportation that encourage people to get out of their cars,” said Bourassa.

Massachusetts is also the only state requesting its entire road and highway funds for repair and maintenance, with no new roadways funded under the plan

Our roads desperately need some repairs. Commute-a-holic relayed a story yesterday about travels on the Pike between Worcester and Springfield this past Sunday. Commute has never seen potholes on the Pike as large as the ones encountered during Sunday's drive. Some of the potholes could literally swallow a car.

Yesterday's Boston.com The Green Blog ran two different yet interesting posts. One was about why there are so many announcements on MBTA trains. This was a pick-up of the Boston Metro's weekly Q&A with our favorite GM, Dan Grabauskas.

Also posted yesterday to The Green Blog, information about a new $20 per month reimbursement available to bicyclists who commute. This new program launched January 1st and it is available to bicyclists either as a cash reimbursement or a pre-tax deduction if their employer participates.

The Bicycle Commuter Act

There was a post in the Green Inc. blog published by The New York Times about the bailout bill. Sec. 211 of the bailout bill provides a fringe benefit to commuters who bicycle. Of course, as the blog article notes, it may be quite difficult to prove and it is only a $20 benefit, if employers actually make an effort to let their employees bike to work.

Biking to Work, LA Style

For the second time this week, The Wall Street Journal (subscription required) published a commuting-related story on its front page. This time, they focused on commuters who bike to work in LA, America's most car-centric city. Biking to work can be trying in a lot of areas, but in as the Journal describes it:

But in Los Angeles, it takes a special kind of road warrior to hop on a bike in the name of saving the planet and a little money.

Take suburban sprawl plus add aggressive drivers and that's what biking to work is like in the City of Angels. Some bikers have a mixed-vehicle commute: they'll use public transportation to get closer to the city and then bike to their office.

Things are so rough that Angelinos can take classes to learn how to be a defensive biker!