A Cure for Belmont Traffic Congestion

 Air Quality, Environment, July 2017, Traffic, Transit  Comments Off on A Cure for Belmont Traffic Congestion
Jul 102017
 
A Cure for Belmont Traffic Congestion

Could Congestion Pricing Work Here? by Sumner Brown Nothing spoils Belmont’s small town atmosphere as much as our traffic. Residents complain it is terrible, getting worse, and they feel they can’t do anything about it. In fact, anger about traffic congestion dominated recent Planning Board meetings on Belmont Day School’s request to add a new driveway off Concord Avenue. In the future, perhaps in my lifetime, there is hope in technology-enabled solutions. Consider congestion pricing, made possible by technology such as Fast Lane. It’s working in London and other European cities. There is no fundamental reason why congestion pricing could [READ MORE]

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Belmont Citizens Forum July-August 2017 Newsletter

 Air Quality, Bicycles and bike paths, Bike Paths, donations, Environment, July 2017, Newsletter, Parking, Plants, Staycation, Stormwater, Traffic, Water Quality  Comments Off on Belmont Citizens Forum July-August 2017 Newsletter
Jul 102017
 

View or download the July-August 2017 16-page issue here as a color PDF.  . Articles in this issue: The Future of the Incinerator Site A Cure for Belmont Traffic Congestion New Lilac Planted On Town Green Fix the Stormwater System; It’s The Law Environmental Events  

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Belmont Citizens Forum May-June 2017 Newsletter

 Air Quality, Bicycles and bike paths, Bike Paths, Construction and Housing, donations, Environment, Historic Preservation, Lone Tree Hill, May-June 2017, Newsletter, Open Space, Parking, Plants, Recycling, Stormwater, Traffic, Transit, Volunteer, Water Quality  Comments Off on Belmont Citizens Forum May-June 2017 Newsletter
May 122017
 

View or download the May-June 2017 20-page issue here as a color PDF.

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Engineers Win Award for Trapelo Road Upgrade

 Bicycles and bike paths, Construction and Housing, May-June 2017, Newsletter, Traffic, Transit  Comments Off on Engineers Win Award for Trapelo Road Upgrade
May 122017
 
Engineers Win Award for Trapelo Road Upgrade

Belmont’s “Main Street” Gets A Facelift by Sue Bass How does a municipal project get done, in Belmont or anywhere? What’s the spark? The redesigned and newly paved Belmont Street/Trapelo Road stretch through Belmont—from the Waltham line to the Cambridge line—recently won an award from the American Council of Engineering Companies of Massachusetts for the BSC Group, the town’s longtime engineering consultant. “Incorporating bicycle lanes, pedestrian accessibility, and traffic calming measures, the $17.1 million roadway reconstruction project was one of the first designed in conformance with the MassDOT Highway Design Guidebook,” the citation reads. “Distinguishing project features include coordination with [READ MORE]

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Cushing Village: New Name, Design Tweaks

 Construction and Housing, May-June 2017, Newsletter, Parking, Traffic  Comments Off on Cushing Village: New Name, Design Tweaks
May 122017
 
Cushing Village: New Name, Design Tweaks

It’s Now “The Bradford” by John DiCocco At an April 27 meeting in the Town Hall art gallery, Toll Brothers Apartment Living   representatives updated the community on construction and design plans for Cushing Square in the upcoming weeks and months. The developer has changed the project name from “Cushing Village” to “The Bradford.” The Cushing Square Neighborhood Association has been pressing Toll Brothers for more timely and informative input on the project’s progress and planning, particularly in regard to environmental concerns. There is a significant amount of contaminated soil to be removed (from spills by Tops Cleaners years ago), [READ MORE]

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Waltham Trail RFP Update

 Bicycles and bike paths, Bike Paths, Newsletter, Traffic  Comments Off on Waltham Trail RFP Update
May 122017
 
Waltham Trail RFP Update

Still Awaiting Beaver Street Right of Way by John Dieckmann Late in March, the city of Waltham released the request for proposals (RFP) for the detailed design of the Waltham segment of the Wayside (aka Mass Central) Rail Trail. I attended the bidders’ meeting, which was held at Waltham City Hall on April 13. It was well attended by about a dozen engineering and design firms, along with two Waltham city councilors, the executive director of the Waltham Land Trust and two board members, and the chairman of the Waltham Conservation Commission. Design firms asked a variety of questions, primarily [READ MORE]

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Community Path Route Alternatives Viewed

 Bicycles and bike paths, Bike Paths, Environment, May-June 2017, Newsletter, Open Space, Traffic, Transit  Comments Off on Community Path Route Alternatives Viewed
May 122017
 
Community Path Route Alternatives Viewed

Happy Trail to You by John Dieckmann On April 26, the Community Path Implementation Advisory Committee (CPIAC) and Pare Engineering, the Community Path Feasibility Study contractor, held a public meeting to present their final evaluation of route alternatives for the path, construction cost estimates, and potential funding sources. From west to east, the end-to-end route that ranks highest in the evaluation methodology consists of the following segments: • At the Waltham city line, the path would be on the north side of the commuter rail tracks, then as it approaches Waverley Square it rises to street level and crosses Lexington [READ MORE]

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Belmont Citizens Forum March-April 2017 Newsletter PDF

 Air Quality, Bicycles and bike paths, Construction and Housing, donations, Environment, Historic Preservation, March 2017, Newsletter, Open Space, Parking, Recycling, Solar Power, Stormwater, Traffic, Transit, Water Quality  Comments Off on Belmont Citizens Forum March-April 2017 Newsletter PDF
Apr 242017
 

View or download the March-April 2017 20-page issue here  as a color PDF. View or download the March-April 2017 20-page issue here as a black-and-white PDF.

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Mugar Wetlands Project Stalled—For Now

 Air Quality, Bicycles and bike paths, Construction and Housing, Environment, Historic Preservation, March 2017, Newsletter, Open Space, Parking, Stormwater, Traffic, Water Quality  Comments Off on Mugar Wetlands Project Stalled—For Now
Mar 152017
 
Mugar Wetlands Project Stalled—For Now

Neighborhood Fears Water Displacement by John DiCocco The Mugar Wetlands in East Arlington is a triangular parcel that borders Route 2 westbound, adjacent to the Thorndike Park playing fields, and just across Route 2 from the Vox on Two apartments and Lanes & Games Bowling. The Mugar family, owners for more than 50 years, wants to develop it with townhouses and an apartment building. Residents in the town of Arlington, led by the Coalition to Save the Mugar Wetlands (CSMW) are opposed. In dispute is whether the land can handle the water displacement, whether the neighborhood can handle more people, [READ MORE]

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Belmont Citizens Forum’s Questions to Candidates for Selectman

 Air Quality, Bicycles and bike paths, Construction and Housing, Environment, Historic Preservation, March 2017, Newsletter, Open Space, Parking, Solar Power, Traffic  Comments Off on Belmont Citizens Forum’s Questions to Candidates for Selectman
Mar 152017
 
Belmont Citizens Forum’s Questions to Candidates for Selectman

Election for Belmont Selectman and Others: Tuesday, April 4 Compiled by John DiCocco Each year we ask candidates for selectman about issues they will likely face in the next three years. This year Guy Carbone and Adam Dash are running for the seat of Sami Baghdady, who retired after three terms as selectman. They were allotted 1,000 words each to distribute as they saw fit. Belmont Citizens Forum: Now that development pressure is growing again, how can Belmont improve its planning process Guy Carbone: Belmont is a neighborhood of residences. Town committees should consider the opinions of Belmont residents concerning [READ MORE]

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Update: The MCRT Rail Trail

 Bicycles and bike paths, Environment, March 2017, Newsletter, Traffic, Transit  Comments Off on Update: The MCRT Rail Trail
Mar 152017
 

DCR Pays for Paving According to Larry Kiernan of the Friends of the MCRT (Mass Central Rail Trail), the state Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) plans to pave the rail trail for the entire length of the Eversource access road, from the Wayland Library to the bridge at the far end of Weston, with a plan for completion in 2017. Including the town center piece (completed already in stone dust) there will be almost five miles of a bike and pedestrian-friendly path between Wayland and Weston. DCR, Eversource, and the towns are still discussing amenities, additional landscaping, and more, [READ MORE]

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Mass Central Rail Trail’s Westward Progress

 Air Quality, Bicycles and bike paths, Bike Paths, Environment, January 2017, Newsletter, Traffic  Comments Off on Mass Central Rail Trail’s Westward Progress
Jan 192017
 
Mass Central Rail Trail's Westward Progress

Go West, Young Rider by John Dieckmann When completed, the Mass Central Rail Trail (MCRT) will stretch 104 miles, from North Point Park (opposite the Museum of Science at the Boston-Cambridge line), all the way to Northampton. The Belmont Community Path would eventually be a segment of the MCRT. As the community path feasibility study moves forward here in Belmont, several towns to our immediate west are making ongoing progress developing segments of the trail. The epicenter of trail progress today is Wayland, which is likely to be first to complete the projects listed below. We’ll describe the plans town-by-town [READ MORE]

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Waltham Solicits Bids for Design of Rail Trail

 Bike Paths, Environment, Newsletter, November-December 2016, Traffic, Transit  Comments Off on Waltham Solicits Bids for Design of Rail Trail
Nov 032016
 
Waltham Solicits Bids for Design of Rail Trail

Will Belmont Follow Suit? By Vince Stanton Jr. In September, the city of Waltham issued a request for proposal (RFP) for 100% design of a community path extending approximately three miles from the Waltham-Belmont border (about 1,000 feet west of Waverley Square) to the Weston border (about 1,500 feet west of Route 128, just south of Main Street). (“100% design” refers to a fully specified set of construction drawings.) Proposals were due on October 20. At a bidder’s conference on October 5, city officials expressed the hope that design work could be completed this winter, allowing construction to begin in [READ MORE]

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Belmont Community Path Orientation Walk

 Bike Paths, Environment, November-December 2016, Traffic  Comments Off on Belmont Community Path Orientation Walk
Nov 032016
 
Belmont Community Path Orientation Walk

Photos by David Chase On Saturday, October 15, members of the Community Path Implementation Advisory Committee and consultants led a walk of about two dozen citizens to educate them about route possibilities for the western end of the community path in Belmont. Above, the group stops on Olmsted Drive, uphill from Pleasant Street. Behind the police station, the group examines grades and pinch points. The path could follow the Fitchburg commuter rail line at several locations. Above is near Cityside Subaru on Pleasant Street. The path may continue north of the railroad tracks off Pleasant Street, near Snake Hill Road. [READ MORE]

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Zoning: Re-drawing Between the Lines

 Newsletter, Parking, Traffic  Comments Off on Zoning: Re-drawing Between the Lines
Jul 202016
 
Zoning: Re-drawing Between the Lines

Housing Availability Affects Business Climate By Vincent Stanton Jr. Last month the Massachusetts Senate, for the first time in over two decades, passed legislation that would significantly alter state zoning law. The proposed legislation (which will not become law this year as there is not yet a corresponding bill in the House) would superimpose on local zoning a new set of rules designed to encourage greater housing density, particularly near jobs and mass transit. The new law would reduce the considerable freedom that cities and towns currently have to formulate their own zoning laws in three ways. One is providing [READ MORE]

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Getting Smarter About Light in Belmont

 Environment, Newsletter, Traffic  Comments Off on Getting Smarter About Light in Belmont
Jul 192016
 
Getting Smarter About Light in Belmont

Pilot Project Tests LED Streetlights by Anne-Marie Lambert Can you see me now? The Belmont Light Department is working to improve the efficiency of our streetlights. A grant from the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources funded the replacement of 100 of today’s 2,400 high-pressure sodium bulbs with LED (light-emitting diode) bulbs. This pilot project replaces 98 100-watt bulbs and two 250-watt bulbs with a variety of LED products. The pilot project alone is expected to save 26 megawatt hours (MWh) per year, with a payback period of just over four years. In the coming year, Belmont Light will evaluate the [READ MORE]

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Bicycles on Public Transit

 Air Quality, Bike Paths, Environment, Newsletter, Traffic, Transit  Comments Off on Bicycles on Public Transit
Jul 182016
 
Bicycles on Public Transit

Ride More, See More by Jeff Roth Choosing public transit over driving makes ecological sense. When you combine bicycling and transit, you’re helping the environment and getting a bonus of fun and healthy activity. Bringing your bicycle on public transit opens many green options for getting around Boston and beyond. You can use transit to cover long distances and then have your bike at your destination to explore less traveled roads. In my experience, biking and transit excursions, either with your family or solo, are healthy, fun, and green, and won’t get you stuck in car traffic. Start here. Go [READ MORE]

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Update on the Belmont Community Path

 Bike Paths, Historic Preservation, Newsletter, Traffic, Transit  Comments Off on Update on the Belmont Community Path
May 202016
 

by John Dieckmann As reported previously, the town of Belmont has set aside $100,000 from its capital budget, and the state of Massachusetts has also allocated $100,000 for an in-depth engineering feasibility study of the routes outlined in the report from the Community Path Advisory Committee (CPAC). This is a key step in construction of a bicycle and pedestrian path through Belmont, from Brighton Street to Waltham, as part of the Mass Central Rail Trail from Boston to Northampton. In essence there are two primary route alternatives, one on each side of the commuter rail tracks. On the south side [READ MORE]

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Electric Vehicles: What You Need To Know

 Air Quality, Environment, May 2016, Traffic, Transit  Comments Off on Electric Vehicles: What You Need To Know
May 202016
 
Electric Vehicles: What You Need To Know

by Kim Slack At a recent meeting of Sustainable Belmont, Kim Slack was part of a panel discussing the benefits of electric vehicles (EVs). The following is his summary of that discussion. Of the many reasons to consider an all-electric car, two key factors are low operating costs and the health of the planet. Low operating costs. Electric vehicles (EVs) are more energy-efficient than gas-powered automobiles. Electric cars can travel up to 115 miles on the energy contained in a gallon of gas, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) miles-per-gallon-equivalent measure (MPGe), which is the average distance traveled per unit [READ MORE]

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