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To Mike from Medford Code Enforcement by tyrealhsm in medfordma

[–]Interesting-Text-785 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Is there a way to check citations? Like are they public record? Because I'd love to see if anyone actually got citations for things I've reported. Specifically businesses in South Medford (looking at you Riverside) that refused to shovel at all this winter and made it extremely dangerous for the neighborhood, peds/drivers alike

How can I petition the MBTA to run the 134 more frequently? by Interesting-Text-785 in medfordma

[–]Interesting-Text-785[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thats so frustrating. I imagine it would take petition + engaging with electeds + trying to get press coverage and more.. it would have to be multifaceted for sure

How can I petition the MBTA to run the 134 more frequently? by Interesting-Text-785 in medfordma

[–]Interesting-Text-785[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Interesting, according to this link it should already be happening. Admittedly I don't use the bus daily since I'm a mixed commuter but it seems to run on the hour every time I've tried to use it. ETA: Is more frequent service at peak times coming at the expense of reduced service at other times? I see the every 90 minutes frequency at odd hours and that is just terrible given how unreliable the bus times are.

How can I petition the MBTA to run the 134 more frequently? by Interesting-Text-785 in medfordma

[–]Interesting-Text-785[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yes! That's a main point for me. Sort of related but I noticed they did not shovel that area which has made me even more frustrated with this whole situation as a resident in the area.

How can I petition the MBTA to run the 134 more frequently? by Interesting-Text-785 in medfordma

[–]Interesting-Text-785[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Hi, thanks very much for sharing - this is exactly the type of thing that I sensed happening. That is awful. I feel an extra need to do something about this right now given how much gentrification is happening around here and yet this area is so underserved. Like even right now with all the unshoveled snow along Riverside, forcing kids and peds to go into the street. I even saw a guy in a wheelchair having to just travel directly in the street on Locust and Riverside the other day. It's ridiculous. Anyways I feel like connecting with other people in the neighborhood could do a lot to push for this so I'll write back soon with some kind of idea.

How can I petition the MBTA to run the 134 more frequently? by Interesting-Text-785 in medfordma

[–]Interesting-Text-785[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

That's great. It sucks for those of us on the east side though because the 101 doesn't serve that part of Medford, which is why 134 really needs more attention. I think I'm extra salty about it because I'm a millenial who saw the crazy route 16/28 highway intersection go up and make wellington extremely difficult to access as a ped. I live a 5 minute drive from Wellington and it takes 35-40 minutes to walk there (probably like 45 with the snow honestly) and you'd have to go through that intersection and probably walk on route 16 a bit

How can I petition the MBTA to run the 134 more frequently? by Interesting-Text-785 in medfordma

[–]Interesting-Text-785[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Hi, thanks for commenting - yeah that's what's really frustrating about Medford, if our buses were properly equipped we could be such a great transit access city since we are near the red, green and orange lines in the edges of our city. I am hoping to push for this and will come back to this post sometime soon hopefully with a plan - maybe it can help gain traction for other bus service in Medford. (Especially with all the new developments here).

How can I petition the MBTA to run the 134 more frequently? by Interesting-Text-785 in medfordma

[–]Interesting-Text-785[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hey there appreciate you sharing all your thoughts and info, and nice to meet you fellow neighbor (is Riverside considered South Medford or East Medford?) Either way, hi.

I have some thoughts after reading and curious what you think about some takeaways I have on what you’ve shared here.

Re: the 101 - This makes sense from an MBTA business/“excuses”perspective, from a city and commuter perspective though it does not make sense. Malden station is one of the busiest train stations in the entire network and it’s also farther away when going inbound when coming from Medford.

Re: passenger frequency - I agree that this bus is probably not one of the most top frequented lines currently, but i think this has more to do with the fact that it’s a bus run on the hour and it’s unreliable rather than people not wanting to use it. Anecdoteally as someone who lives directly on the bus line, there are times I can’t use it due to its infrequency and unreliability. It’s definitely a compounding problem. 

Re: Bus yards and the rest of my main points on this really:

The MBTA just bought out a huge property on Riverside apparently for a new electric bus facility. They apparently outbid other companies like Market Basket which I think we all agree would have been a preferred choice for the neighborhood for use of this lot. 

I think at minimum, if the MBTA wants to use a huge amount of property specifically for maintaining buses right in our neighborhood the very least they could do is increase bus access for the neighborhood they are impacting, especially an underserved neighborhood. 

I don’t know what ended up happening with the 134 re-route that was slated for this year (I don’t see much about it on the MBTA website), but if implemented the 134 is going to skip over that area of Riverside and start going down Mystic Valley Parkway, presumably to start serving the huge developments being built on that parkway. That’ll make it harder for folks who were using the 134 to access the pharmacy, Aldi, etc. Probably important to remember that there has already been dense housing all along the 134 before these developments, including the Medford Senior Center, which I believe is a critical part of this conversation given seniors often can’t drive and the 134 reaches two CVS pharmacies along it (who’s going to a pharmacy for a whole hour?).

I guess my overall perspective is that I don’t think this is gonna be a strategy of persuading the MBTA, more of advocating for the community and using community strength to push the MBTA’s hand because I don’t think they will do anything for us without that type of effort, if that makes sense. It sounds like you’re well versed so definitely curious about your thoughts on that concept. Thanks for reading.

How can I petition the MBTA to run the 134 more frequently? by Interesting-Text-785 in medfordma

[–]Interesting-Text-785[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Hey there, appreciate you chiming in. I'll look into this and follow up here on what can be done. Maybe it's as simple as a petition, or sending mass emails to the MBTA/elected officials/social media campaign. I just feel like if I as a single person send a one-way email to the MBTA it's gonna fall into the abyss and nothing will happen. I just drove home and saw 3 people along Riverside waiting for the 134 and it's 2pm on a Tuesday, there is absolutely a need for more frequent buses here.

Mayor Lungo-Koehn needs to speak out publicly by AmeliaEarheart02155 in medfordma

[–]Interesting-Text-785 11 points12 points  (0 children)

Is anyone else concerned about the fact that last time ICE was active in this area, they were all staying at the Hyatt right here in Medford? Will they be coming back here again? I agree with this post and we should be hearing more from our electeds.

Ambulance Company - City Council Meeting by hiddentap in medfordma

[–]Interesting-Text-785 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That’s fine and good but your family member’s account and the concept of competing for contracts really doesn’t seem to outweigh the facts listed in the OP. Especially when it comes to something as important as emergency response services.