On
Friday, June 24, 2011, Rep. Carlos Henriquez and MBTA General Manager
Richard Davey walked through a section of North Dorchester for well
over an
hour.
Their goals? Discuss transit related issues raised by
constituents and
engage in a visioning process.
- How to take care of the "green" and security/safety
around the Fairmount corridor tracks along Alexander Street
- Transit changes that will support economic
development on Quincy Street
Joining them were Pablo Calderon, MBTA Communication and
Coordination Specialist, Stephanie
Neal-Johnson, MBTA Director of Public Affairs and Community Relations,
Danielson
Tavares, aide to Rep. Henriquez, Erika Guerra from Dorchester Bay and
Nancy Conrad from
Upham's
Corner News .
Starting at DSNI on Dudley St, the group walked over to the
commuter rail line, down Alexander Street along the Fairmount corridor
tracks, then onto Quincy St and over to Blue Hill Avenue.
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Funds from ARRA (American Recovery
and Reinvestment Act) have been used
to provide a substantial upgrade to what is referred to as "street
furniture." These are the benches and related items (trash
barrels) placed at transit
stops. The latest rollout consists of high quality metal benches
and
matching waste barrels.
In Upham's Corner benches have been placed at Humphreys & Dudley,
and at many locations on Hancock Street. Note that if the sidewalk is
narrow, benches may be prohibited as the space remaining must be ADA
compliant. 
Meetings are planned for Upham's Corner to garner support and identify
unintended consequences.
Richard Davey: "We want to try to find
places such as schools, hospitals, health centers where clientele or
customers could really use this type of seat." Currently, none of
the
bus stops within the Upham's Corner business district have the new
furniture installed including the following stops:
- Dudley and Monadnock
- Dudley and Columbia at the Check Cashers
- Dudley and Belden
- Dudley and Columbia at Payless
- Columbia in front of Bank of America
Everyone agreed that the new street furniture being put out by the MBTA
adds a lot to the overall appearance of the business district.
Request:
Schedule street
furniture meetings soon
as the other benches in Upham's Corner have been in place for about a
year. |
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Rep. Henriquez:
"Residents are concerned about safety - lighting at
night and blindspots."
Here's the problem: To access the Inbound platform, you have to
travel down a narrow corridor that is isolated on two sides - the
station on one side and the Leon building on the other side.
- For
handicapped users, the path is the full length of the corridor
- For walkers, the stairs are half the distance back
In both cases, you
cannot see if there is a "hazard" lurking on the stairs/ramp until you
are
already "trapped" in the corridor. By comparison the other side of the
platform -
outbound - is open to full view (and safe).
Richard Davey: "For security, cameras are the
better way to go. We
are adding cameras to the new stations on the corridor. At this
point
there are no cameras at the Upham's Corner stop of the Fairmont
line.
The MBTA is a tier one system as defined by the Department of Homeland
Security. MBTA transit system is a potential target. So cameras
are
being set up as part of the safeguard. At the present time we
have
1000 cameras out installed."
Mr. Davey also explained that the MBTA is capable of real-time
monitoring. That is how they managed the crowds for the Bruins
parade. They were able to determine when the tracks would be
overloaded and when additional trains were needed at Park Street, just
to name a few examples.
Request:
Install safety
enhancements at this commuter rail station -
lights, mirrors, cameras - whatever is sufficient to guarantee safe
passage and use of this station. |
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Murals have been painted on the
station platform supports starting at ground level, both on the Kroc
Center
side of the station and underneath the tracks on both sides of Dudley
Street.
Richard
Davey: "I love the murals painted at the Fairmont
station. The murals
create a sense of community ownership."
We pointed out that the mural on the Kroc side of the platform has
deteriorated primarily because the concrete underneath is beginning to
deface.
On East side of the tracks are what appear to be "planters."
While the
hanging ivy is aesthetic, the plants at the ground surface level appear
to be overgrown
with weeds.
Leon Building (not a T issue)
Many people have asked that this ugly building be taken down. The
owner has been holding out for years for the "right price," the most
valuable offer. Even so, the building has not useful
infrastructure
and needs to be gutted before any work can be done.
Rep. Henriquez suggests a different approach: Move all the
businesses into the building and create an Upham's Corner mall.
Requests:
- Repair the deteriorating concrete and repaint
(as appropriate) the mural.
- Plant foliage that helps keep out the weeds.
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The MBTA property line follows the
commuter rail and establishes the
property line within our community. The "Mayor of Alexander
Street,"
Franco, who lives at 117 Alexander Street is a strong advocate for the
neighborhood and comments frequently about the condition of the
commuter line corridor.
The group walked down Alexander Street along the tracks and identified
the following:
- Sections along the tracks clearly visible from Dudley
St overgrown with brush
- Foliage spilling out through, and over the fence
partially or fully blocking the sidewalk
- A set of large chain-link gates, with a gap at the
bottom large enough to allow human access to the tracks
Emphasis was placed on the importance of keeping the sidewalks
clear.
Forcing pedestrians to walk in the street because of overgrown trees
and bushes is creating a safety hazard.
Richard Davey: The MBTA workers are required
to be out on the tracks
three times a week using a high rail vehicle which is a truck designed
to travel tracks. They look for issues with the tracks but we can
also
ask them to make note of other problems such as high brush and cut
fences.
Note: Cleaning up the brush can be complicated by the different areas
of
ownership - MBTA, MBCR (Mass Bay Commuter Rail) and City of
Boston.
Requests:
- Cut the brush back even with the fence
- Repair the chain-link gates to prevent access
to the tracks
- Cut the foliage close to the tracks at Dudley
Street and other such visible locations
- Inspect the fences regularly to make sure there
is no access to the tracks
- Have the high rail units inspect for conditions
along the corridor more than just track conditions
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It
is difficult to travel "diagonally", say for example, from Egleston to
Upham's Corner without having to use two buses/trains. Between
Franklin Park and Dudley there are no buses that travel
East/West. It would be nice to be able to travel along Quincy
Street to Warrent Street.
Dorchester Bay is doing work along Quincy Street, improving both the
business and residential areas. As a result they
expect an increase in the number of people commuting.
Request:
Consider adding a bus route
along Quincy Street that connects to Warren St. |
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Rep. Henriquez: "Would it be
helpful to look at where the bus stops are
and if changes in the locations would be beneficial to both the MBTA
and the riders? Do the residents feel like there are too many
stops so
that it slows the bus down when you're trying to get to work or get
home from work?"
Richard Davey: "You've hit the nail on the
head. We are going to be having some
public meetings with the #15. Generally, we like stops spaced 700
to 1200 feet apart. In some areas we have stops 200 feet apart so
that
for the bus, it is a lot of stop and go. Like politics, all stops
are
local. No matter where you move the stop, someone is not going to
be
happy. But what if you only have to walk another minute or 90
seconds? And how will such a change impact travel time and
traffic?
The MBTA system has 8000 bus stops. Rather than changing bus
stops ad
hoc, we (MBTA) plan to use a community process. For example
putting a
stop at a school or church or hospital or community health center would
seem to make sense.
Request:
Schedule community meetings
to talk about bus stops but
give the community plenty of lead time since we want to encourage
feedback via e-mail, phone calls and community meetings.
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Because of the commuter rail tracks,
there is no way to access
Columbia Road from Alexander Street until you get to Quincy
Street. The Bird Street Bridge provides a
way for pedestrians to cross over the commuter rail tracks. It
connects the Columbia Road side of Bird Street to Alexander Street.
The group walked up the stairs of the Bird Street bridge. It felt
stable but the underpinnings were clearly rusted. The group also
discussed safety lighting. Apparently installation of lights is
not so simple
because of inadequate power source.
Richard Davey: "The Bird Street Bridge appears
to be in
relatively good shape. It certainly will not be eliminated.
We will inspect it
to determine what needs to be done - things like priming and safety
issues." The group weighed in on the color blue that was used on
the
Quincy Brdge that you can see from the top of the Bird Street
Bridge. If
appropriate, we can get the neighborhood involved."
Requests:
- Inspect the bridge for safety and
deterioration.
- Paint (prim) the bridge
- If possible, install safety lights
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Small Businesses
Richard Davey: Ortega Furniture is a small
hardware and furniture
store on Quincy Street. When we did the Columbia Road bridge and the
Quincy bridge, we used Ortega furniture to provide us with small
supplies. Any time the MBTA is doing a project, we look for the
businesses that are close to the worksite. It's a matter of
efficiency. Rather than driving a mile to a larger facility, you
travel quickly to the local site. We always make sure we identify
the
local business. That way they get a little piece of the project
also.
Closing Comments
Richard Davey: "We are a cash strapped
organization like everyone else but there are
things we should be able to do without a problem that can make a
big difference in the neighborhood."
Project Accountability
Pablo Calderon, MBTA Communication and
Coordination Specialist,
has been given responsibility for coordinating the issues identified
during the walk. He and Rep. Henriquez are in the process of
agreeing to the project scope, parties responsible and time frames.
Upham's Corner News will work with this group to keep the community
informed about progress.
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At the Fairmount Upham's Corner station
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For the Inbound platform, the access ramp
is narrow, deep and isolated.
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Walking down Alexander Street
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Foliage overhanging the fence along the rail corridor
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Old gate with a gap that allows
human access to the tracks
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Newer gate a little further down -
tight and secure
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Foliage at Alexander and Quincy
fully blocking the sidewalk
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Tall grass and weeds at Ceylon and Quincy
adjacent to the tracks and visible from the street.
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Approaching the Bird Street Bridge
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Climbing the stairs
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Cross walk over the tracks
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Looking out from the cross walk
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And from the other side
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Time to turn around
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Looking down from the top
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