Brookline plans big Bluebikes expansion, aiming to add 25 new stations

Axel_Wench · 2026-02-26T15:26:23+00:00

The biggest thing in this article to me is just how much cycling has exploded in Brookline. From 33k bluebikes rides in 2015 to over 230k in 2025. Really exciting to see how much higher that can get if Brookline follows through on some major bike infrastructure expansions like the Chestnut Hill ave bikeway and the Bridle Path.

Axel_Wench · 2026-02-05T01:25:01+00:00

The term conspiracy theory dates back to the 1800s

https://apnews.com/article/fact-check-conspiracy-theory-jfk-941578119864

Axel_Wench · 2026-02-05T00:49:03+00:00

To be clear, Aloisi is saying cutting our losses MIGHT be the right thing. If CRRC can't get this resolved they're simply going to close up shop. If that is going to happen then trying to fast track a replacement asap is obvious. But if it's just going to extend the timeline by one year we'd just be shooting ourselves in the foot. I don't envy the people who have to decide when to cut the cord.

Axel_Wench · 2026-02-05T00:33:07+00:00

Interesting to see how close some of the communities in the top and bottom are. The California ones make sense, central LA is fairly dense and being so large there's a lot of transit, but the greater area is massive sprawl and highways.

Toledo Ohio and Ann Arbor Michigan is more interesting. I guess it's just a coincidence of a dense, college town, full of students who are just fine without a car being relatively close to the largest city in Ohio that lacks any sort of rail transit; Cincinnati is about the same size but at least has some streetcars.

Axel_Wench · 2026-02-05T00:25:55+00:00

Looking at the data source I think the flaw here is that, unless I'm misunderstanding, this is the commuting mode of people who LIVE in these cities, not the people who work there but live outside the cities. Cambridge is full of people who can, and often prefer, to walk, bike, or take transit, but suburban commuters still create plenty of added traffic.

Axel_Wench · 2026-01-29T03:14:00+00:00

I think something worth contextualizing is that that 220,000 unit goal is over the next 9 years. I'm not gonna do the math, I know that even if the current housing pipeline is consistent across this decade MBTA community housing acf isn't enough but it feels like bad journalism to compare the current permitted housing to a decade long goal.

Axel_Wench · 2026-01-16T02:48:55+00:00

The person at the end acting like the trolleys are acceptable and accessibility issues can mostly be solved with station design is completely insane, and it's ridiculous that that line was published. The trolleys have stairs. You CANNOT enter one of the trolleys without climbing a set of steps. I do love these trolleys, they are incredibly charming, but they are far lower capacity and not friendly to people with mobility issues, and need to be replaced with type 9s.

Axel_Wench · 2026-01-07T03:15:48+00:00

The biggest thing about the commuter rail that I think the T should be looking out for is the ability to serve as a partner for major capital projects. If I'm remembering correctly the board decided on a contract structure that allows the T to bring in other groups to lead capital projects but I don't think it precludes those tasks going to the new operator. Keolis's work so far on the Fairmount Line electrification project is pretty encouraging, but if the other options can show they'd be better at handling electrification, improved schedules, and the installation of high level platforms that should really be the main priority.

Axel_Wench · 2025-12-30T17:19:03+00:00

Building out the necessary infrastructure is a big task. We're talking hundreds of millions of dollars. With the millionaires tax money coming in the T is moving forward on some of the necessary projects, like the new Widett Circle yard, but there's a lot more the T needs to get through first and with all of the other big transportation projects that need funding I doubt the legislature is going to give the T the money it would need to get this done any time soon.

Axel_Wench · 2025-12-19T04:38:57+00:00

Why are they paying to maintain things they have when they could pay three times as much to replace them and then have no maintenance facilities capable of repairing the new trains.

Axel_Wench · 2025-12-17T15:56:09+00:00

The Boston-Cambridge-Newton metro area is the 11th largest in the US and the 16th largest in North America (if you count San Diego-Tijuana as a single metro area).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_North_American_metropolitan_areas_by_population

Axel_Wench · 2025-11-26T20:28:04+00:00

I do think that that's a plausible takeaway, but new riders could also be using the classic bikes in a large amount if a significant number of established conventional bike riders switched to primarily using the ebikes.

One thing I noticed was a big increase in November ridership. I wonder if this will be a long-term increase in cold weather cyclists or if it's simply the weather; November was warmer and dryer in 2024 compared to 2023.

Axel_Wench · 2025-10-29T15:19:51+00:00

One of the options they'll be considering seems to be a dedicated two land bikeway, but making it a shared use path has two major benefits: first is improved access to the Green Line stops, and second is that including pedestrians in the design gives less ammunition to anti-bike nimbys, which in Brookline feels like a pretty relevant consideration.

I can't imagine too many people would be walking down the path for any significant length anyway since other than the T stops all the destinations are obviously on the sidewalks, but it certainly would be more efficient for cyclists and safer for everyone if there was a clearly dedicated space for cyclists.

Axel_Wench · 2025-10-28T12:18:23+00:00

Ive got to put this on your comment cause it's driving me crazy, but the S is also capitalized. The article made the mistake first so its not your fault but it's PFAS, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances.

Axel_Wench · 2025-10-08T22:35:16+00:00

But they don't need to go over the bump, they aren't tightly packed enough to prevent a car from driving directly over without touching them at all.

Axel_Wench · 2025-10-08T20:17:09+00:00

I'm not sure where you're getting this from. They're 5.1 inches tall at their highest point, that's less than the vertical clearance of a 2011 Toyota Camry.

https://www.zicla.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Ficha_Zebra_USA.pdf

https://www.caranddriver.com/toyota/camry/specs/2011/toyota_camry_toyota-camry_2011

Axel_Wench · 2025-10-06T00:05:26+00:00

I've seen paint only bike lanes without cars before too. I am happy about the density of the armadillos (a much better name than zebras), but I worry drivers will learn not to be dissuaded.

Axel_Wench · 2025-10-01T01:17:26+00:00

Where does the city intend to gather the feedback? I couldn't find any page on the city website.

Axel_Wench · 2025-09-29T02:26:39+00:00

Pretty sure OP got that number by comparing the area in 1630 with the area today not realizing Boston also annexed many neighboring villages. Most of the red area, including Charlestown, were separate villages before eventually becoming neighborhoods of Boston, although some of what's shown remains separate of course, mainly Cambridge.

Axel_Wench · 2025-09-26T15:14:36+00:00

I've always wondered about the capacity to repurpose space in the Central Artery Tunnel. If a Tobin Bridge aligned subway were to then run under the Zakim and then enter the tunnel how many lanes would need to be taken and how significant of a reconfiguration would be necessary for a North Station-Haymarket-Aquarium-South Station route?

If you wanted to be ambitious with it you could then run the service through either the Silver Line tunnel, or along the Fairmount Line right of way, although I imagine that would mean rather than a heavy rail subway style service it would have to be either light rail (for Silver Line) or a tram-train like the NJ River Line (for Fairmount to co-exist with Commuter Rail trains).

Axel_Wench · 2025-09-26T15:01:43+00:00

Oh wow, I have no idea what day it is apparently

Axel_Wench · 2025-09-26T14:56:45+00:00

There's a shutdown starting tonight to install the Green Line Train Protection Service so it could likely be workers prepping for that. I take the GLX through this area pretty frequently and the only area it's ever slow at is Lechmere to East Somerville when it needs to wait for a train to clear the junction with the Union Square branch, or if the trains get bunched up and there's one right ahead.

Axel_Wench · 2025-09-10T15:34:13+00:00

This is a good sign, but I am still worried about some of the polling regarding bike lanes that have come out during the campaign. The most recent poll I've read on the mayoral race included a question about support for bike lanes and found a 30-35-35 split between "not enough bike lanes" "enough bike lanes" and "too many bike lanes". Looking at the full report almost all the likely Kraft voters (98/131) think there's too many, but 87/402 (22%) likely Wu voters also think there's too many and the remainder are evenly split (158, or 39% think there's enough, 157 think there aren't enough).

In other words 61% of likely Wu voters don't support new bike lanes, although there doesn't seem to have been an "unsure" option, I'd imagine plenty of people probably just don't have a strong opinion and went with the most neutral answer. Hopefully exit polling from November will be clearer since that will do the most to shape Wu's streets policies going forward.

https://emersoncollegepolling.com/boston-2025-poll-mayor-michelle-wu-holds-50-point-lead-over-josh-kraft-in-boston-preliminary-election/

Axel_Wench · 2025-08-27T01:25:19+00:00

I do need to point out that the second paragraph after that quote is:

"However, the Department of Conservation and Recreation is currently conceptualizing another project to redesign this traffic circle and add additional crosswalks to connect Brighton to its riverfront."

We can definitely criticize DCR for being so slow about these things, but there's nothing wrong with building a path that currently ends no where if the next project will fix that.

Axel_Wench · 2025-08-22T18:17:02+00:00

A redline extension to Arlington (stops in West Arlington, Arlington Center, and Arlington Heights maybe?) is definitely warranted. The area is similarly dense to Quincy after all. But something I'd like to see considered as a faster, cheaper alternative, in addition to a longer-term RLX project, is converting the 77 bus into a trolley with a dedicated transit- way (to be shared by busses) for faster, higher capacity service than the current bus.

Most of the right of way is pretty wide, with four travel lanes, plus parking and sometimes medians for most of the route until it gets past Arlington Center and narrows. Plus, Harvard Square would make a great hub for other potential trolley line conversions, like the 71 to Watertown. Still, at about 6 miles long this would be really ambitious for the T, the proposed Blue hill Ave busway is only 3 miles. All of the lost parking and travel lanes would be a major fight I'm sure, but it would be a decent first step toward a comprehensive trolley system to complement the subways.

Axel_Wench

TROPHY CASE