The traffic situation on Commercial Street continues to be chaotic after the cycle track construction narrowed the vehicle lanes. Tour buses and trolleys are blocking intersections, seemingly confused as to where to let off passengers. Double parking is rampant with Langone Park and Puopolo Field in full swing for little league and bocce season. The situation is worst at rush hour and when the Eliot School lets out in mid-afternoon. Readers sent in these photos with some examples.
Below, Dave M. shares cycle track-related drainage issues at Lewis Wharf where there was at least two feet of standing water on Tuesday, June 6th. He adds, “Note how the construction barriers force the tourist trolley to block both the traffic lane and parking lot driveway in order to pick up passengers. Where are the loading zones that were requested by residents prior to construction? What a mess!”
An example of double parking on the southbound side is shown below which forces traffic into the northbound lanes. Jodi P. shares this one:
Bicyclists also seem to be confused about the 2-way cycle track, because they are still using the vehicle lane going southbound. Photo by Jodi P.
See also: Video: Cars Brave Oncoming Traffic on Commercial Street.
BTD TARGETS RESIDENTS WHILE GOVING COMMERCIAL VEHICALES FREE PASSES AND OUR ELECTED OFFICALS KNOW IT AND DO NOTHING.
Last week to get to MGH during morning rush hour it was total gridlock on Commercial Street with a line of cars, including on the side streets.
I guess all those people in the cars agree with the President and global warning isn’t really an issue or at least not contributed to by their vehicles. Bike lane, not so busy. I expected to see Marty Walsh riding by…
Unfortunately, not everyone can get to where they need to go by bike.
Because we need more bike lanes.
Or perhaps because people don’t know how to ride a bike. Or have physical impairments that prevent them from riding one.
yeah. we need more bike lanes. so lets inconvenience 600,000 excise tax paying drivers so that 4000 impatient bikers can have they’re own roads.
Who ever designed this and had to get approval from someone at city hall are idiots. Why would you cut down a lane of traffic, where there was traffic for two lanes ? It’s a mess beyond messes. Why ? just simply why ?
60% of Americans are considered obese. Time to consider alternatives to the Suv. Time to crack down on the double parking and getting the tow trucks going.
t.Mobile: are you serious? Alternative to SUVs. Tell that to families. Tow trucks? Noise, pollution, serious fines and costs to drivers. Double parking? Yes, on Hanover Street……tow them apples.
Unfortunately City Hall (aka Marty) isn’t going to realize this is an issue til some idiot cross the double yellow (happens all of the times around the curves) and slams head on to an oncoming car- then it will be a “senseless tragedy”
t.mobile- The city cracks down and tows residents while actually turning and walking away from double parked commercial vehicles- BOSTON IS FOR SALE (though not to residents)
The tour buses are problematic. The school buses are not present for very long — we wanted the school , right? I try to find the downside of all this, but then remember that Commercial Street is not a highway. It is perhaps our longest stretch of road in the NE so there’s the perception that we can whiz ride through. The speed limit is now 25 mph. As for the hold up at the 4 corners….we have been dealing with that for a long time. The lights are timed….four-way traffic….there’s the frustration, not the bike lane.
The bike lane is too big, bikes are not big like a car. The designer obviously did not know what they were doing. What a mess and now because of someone who didn’t know or didn’t care what they were doing there will be accidents and innocent people getting hurt either by a car or bike and still nothing will be done about it. Shame! Shame!
But we’ll just deal with this so people can ride bikes….
You know what was cool? When the bike people held a ‘rally’ to protest Marty Walsh suggesting that they keep their eyes open and be aware….you know, so they dont get hurt. Snowflakes.
Give the bike lane a rest!
We live on it and love it.
I’m 80 years old and can now walk on the sidewalk without fear of a fall.
Give it a rest, as you say, Bernhard. I agree. I drive in Cambridge and it all works there. I’ve never heard such an uproar over such a short stretch of street over such a truly non-problematic issue, as far as a small neighborhood goes. We are a small, tight neighborhood and when something doesn’t flow right, it becomes a major issue.
Commercial Street is just that…a commercial street. No problem for many people.
Walkers are using the cycle track because the sidewalk is too narrow and the bikes are still using the waterfront sidewalk Still don’t understand why the NE needed the track. Seaport doesn’t have a designated cycle track, but they will have a grocery store and their waterfront mowed and kept clean. Not like the NE behind the skating rink and school. SHAME!!!!
This project is a complete disaster. The City should be ashamed of itself for allowing this to be pushed through with zero input from the taxpayers. The City should just admit this is a colossal disaster and pave over the entire track and give us the street back. There was nothing wrong with the painted bike lanes. The cost and inconvenience of this project is an embarrassment. All we have to show for this project is:
1. A loss of dozens of resident spots;
2. A cycle track that is being used primarily by pedestrians and Segways;
3. Street drainage issues;
4. Unsafe driving/parking conditions.
I urge residents to keep this failed project, along with many other issues affecting our neighborhood that continue to go unaddressed (filthy streets, privatization of public parking spaces for Enterprise/Zipcar, etc.) when heading to the polls on November 7th. We need a change or these types of problems won’t go away.
Also I’d love to add that the city is so flush with cash with absolutely no budget issues (I am sure the teacher’s union agrees) that BTD will actually sit on the wall at Slyde Park and watch the games going on while there are dozens of cars double parked on commercial st.
Parking tickets=$
Parking in garages=$
Targeting residents while turning a blind eye to deliberate parking violations by NON RESIDENTS= $hameful
This is what happens when the city officials allowed all of these ridiculous apartment/condo buildings to go up and take away the open parking lots. People have to jockey for spaces on the street, which causes more grid-lock. As one who loves the city, I rarely venture in due to the traffic and few, if any, open parking lots to use. Shame on BTD and the city officials to make these changes without looking ahead to what could happen. These changes are effecting the merchants. This is not New York City
It’s a growing economy. More people drive as the mass transit gets more expensive and degenerates. Going to get worse until the next ressession.
How about a residents only parking lot? Has that ever been proposed? I realize this is controversial, just curious. I dont know how this could work with loss of tourist tax dollars and so on but the city could fund something in exchange for taking a way the spots they have used up to create this.
Corner of Fulton and Cross. Get on the waiting list.
I never knew that, interesting. There does seem to be empty spaces in that lot quite often.
Has anyone even been to Fleet/Commerical by Anthony’s and Billy Tse’s???
You can barely get in the building and all the outdoor space is gone. They have to be losing so much money, but how can you even eat there with all the construction going on outside. So much for helping local businesses…
If someone is going to the meetings to voice their opinion on how big of a boondoggle this is, can you add that the contractor p gioioso has no respect for residents. They take away spots and park wherever the hell they want.
Today when I was about to pull out of a spot on hanover st (my car was in reverse), one of their a-hole employees pulls right next to me and double parks so I’m blocked inane then runs into the bank (while also blocking parking on hanover st).
When he left, he wasn’t happy with the traffic on Hanover st so he crossed the double yellow and drove in the other side of the street for most of the block between Quattro and the greenway.
Earlier this year one of their trucks was parked in a resident spot with the driver in the vehicle on the phone and foot in the break.
He saw me pull up (we made eye contact on his side mirror) and he sat there.
I waited over 2 minutes (I let 3 minutes pass on the clock) and then pulled up and asked if he was leaving.
He said no- I parked around the corner and started lugging my stuff back to where he was parked and he was gone.
Fortunately j was able to swing the car Aron’s and get the spot so I could unload the rest of my stuff as i had that nasty 24 hour bug that was going around and had to repack latest that night and leave.
Why are our tax dollars going to a boondoggle of a project and the contractor can’t control it’s own employees using company pick up trucks.
SHAMEFUL
NER, Mass requires a police detail at each constructioon site along a thoroughfare. It’s added into the cost of the project. If the detail was at the appointed site, you should be able to report this to the on-site officer. If you couldn’t find him try Mike’s or Starbucks.