Will Brownsberger — State Senator, Democrat, 2d Suffolk and Middlesex District

Will Congratulations!  Best of luck and strength and inspiration, in all your efforts and collaborations Just a quick note regarding two current legislative initiatives. “3 Strikes”- I can’t tell you how glad I am that you’re resisting this effort.  It’s a blunt weapon that often disregards any sense of respective circumstances of individuals, and doesn’t [...]

Anyone witnessing the sea of headlights and taillights at rush hour on the highways must realize that the solution to many transportation and environmental  related problems rests with public transportation.   The decision whether to commute to work in an automobile or public transportation is solely in the impact to the pocketbook.  The MBTA and [...]

The MBTA faces a long-term structural budget deficit. The steep fare increases and service cuts proposed offer only short-term financial relief. In the long run, we need to provide more financial support for the T.

Here it is Black Friday, the malls have been mobbed since midnight, and retailers are saying they want to be allowed to open on Thanksgiving Day too. They argue that consumers should have the choice to shop on Thanksgiving, which state law now prohibits. Rep. Colleen Garry has in fact filed legislation (House Bill 00989; [...]

OK, I will admit it — as everyone probably guessed by now — I’m not a big fan of traffic calming or lane reduction, or anything else that further clogs the cow-paths we call “roads”. Lord knows, I’m not itching  itching for another “Car v. Bike” shouting match, but here’s the latest NMA post re [...]

By John Carr, NMA Massachusetts Activist “One of the things Ford Prefect had always found hardest to understand about humans was their habit of continually stating and repeating the very very obvious.” – Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy “THINK ROAD SAFETY!” the sign commanded. “OBEY SPEED LIMIT,” it added. I saw this [...]

The Boston Metropolitan Planning Organization today approved funding for the reconstruction of the Belmont-Trapelo Corridor in Fiscal 2012.

OK, it’s late on a friday, and a hurricane is bearing down on us, and no one wants to hear about traffic safety, but here goes anyway. Who’s already got the safest roads in the world? Guess  what… WE DO! [The original, more confusing graph has been removed (8/28/2011 ..RC] (US State with the lowest [...]

You may have read about the recent Massachusetts legal cases involving parking and traffic ticket defense costs.  The current system imposes onerous charges simply to defend one’s self in court, and the NMA assisted in two cases to challenge the constitutionality of that system. In one of those cases, Vincent Gillespie was required to pay [...]

A meeting was held on Monday, May 27, 2011 in the State House to review the status of key issues in the Mystic/Alewife area with the management of the Department of Conservation and Recreation.

Dear Will – it was nice getting to meet you at Town Day – also great to get a chance to discuss the library. Unfortunately, I’m writing on another topic — like many Belmonters, I commute out to 128 on a daily basis. In my case I head North in the morning and south in [...]

The MBTA invites you to attend community meetings to introduce the Key Bus Route Improvement Program. The project’s goal is to improve overall quality of service for customers on the Key Bus Routes by providing a more reliable, faster service with enhanced bus stop amenities.

[from the NMA newsletter] This is a tale of two cities and how they approach their traffic safety responsibilities. As the newsletter title intimates, Roseville (California) and Chevy Chase Village (Maryland) represent a contrast of law enforcement philosophies. Let’s start with Roseville. Former Sacramento City Manager Ray Kerridge moved into that same role with Roseville [...]

The MAPC bikepath study has been released. The next step belongs to the Selectmen to determine what kind of process they would like to undertake before making decisions on the bikepath possibilities.

Proposed changes could streamline this very congested intersection without any expansion into neighboring wetlands. The work is still early in the design phase and construction is 3 to 5 years away.

Not  a current concern, but just some educational feedback from a group I belong to Roundabout Feedback Thanks to all who responded to our informal survey about roundabouts in last week’s e-newsletter. We have received close to 200 opinions, most from drivers who are quite experienced with roundabouts, both in the United States and overseas. Responses [...]

Consider the idea of having a Belmont Park and Ride.  What if the building at the corner of Hittinger and Blanchard was purchased by the town for the joint purposes of the electrical substation and also a satellite parking garage for the Alewife train station.  Alewife is a straight shot down the bike trail.  What [...]

Sorry, not a new topic, nor even a particularly hot one here, but I just saw a great report from Los Angeles on the dangers of Red Light cameras – increased rear-end collisions and significant monetary shortfalls costing the city upwards of $1m per year. It’s hard to explain why LA even continues the program until you [...]

The Belmont Citizens Forum, in a recent pamphlet distributed to town residents, makes a case for more paths in general and for a particular path route. I appreciate the advocacy for paths in general, but it is important to recognize that the route is so far unsettled.