Belmont Traffic: Driving In, Out, and Through

 Air Quality, Bicycles and bike paths, Environment, Newsletter, Nov-Dec 2017, Open Space, Parking, Traffic, Transit  Comments Off on Belmont Traffic: Driving In, Out, and Through
Nov 092017
 
Belmont Traffic: Driving In, Out, and Through

Everyone Is Someone Else’s Cut-Through Traffic by Aryan Mehrotra, with Sumner Brown Watching drivers trying to get through the railroad underpass at Belmont Center is unnerving, especially when someone who apparently did not learn to take turns in kindergarten starts swearing. Belmont’s traffic seems to be getting worse. Where does it come from and where is it going? How much traffic cuts through Belmont? On weekday mornings, traffic backs up from Belmont Center to the top of Belmont Hill, snagged by the three places where cars cross or pass under the railroad tracks. Cut-through = Congestion Many people in Belmont [READ MORE]

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An Update On The Bradford

 Air Quality, Construction and Housing, Historic Preservation, Newsletter, Nov-Dec 2017, Parking, Traffic, Transit, Uncategorized  Comments Off on An Update On The Bradford
Nov 092017
 
An Update On The Bradford

Multiple Activities On- and Off-site by John DiCocco Excavation and foundation work continues at the Bradford, the apartment and retail complex in Cushing Square, previously known as Cushing Village. However, the contaminated soil remaining from the demolished Tops Cleaners continues to be a problem and has not yet been treated to a level that allows it to be handled as non-hazardous waste. A new round of tests is pending. A Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) site visit in early October found a new area of potential contamination. Since DEP visits infrequently, and Toll/Nauset Construction (the primary contractor) hadn’t flagged this area [READ MORE]

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Belmont Citizens Forum Sept-Oct 2017 Newsletter

 Belmont Citizens Forum Sept-Oct 2017 Newsletter  Air Quality, Construction and Housing, Environment, Historic Preservation, Lone Tree Hill, Newsletter, Open Space, Parking, Recycling, September 2017, Traffic, Transit  Comments Off on Belmont Citizens Forum Sept-Oct 2017 Newsletter
Sep 162017
 

View or download the September-October 2017 issue as a color PDF here, or read single articles below.  . Articles in this issue: Demolition Delay Could Save Historic Buildings Read more here. Belmont Reviews Trash and Recycling Options Read more here. Iyengar Joins Land Management Committee Read more here. Keeping the Lights On and the Water Flowing Read more here. Tracking Traffic Read more here. What’s the Latest in Cushing Square? Read more here. Letter to the Editor Read more here. Environmental Events Read more here.

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What’s The Latest in Cushing Square?

 Air Quality, Construction and Housing, Environment, Historic Preservation, Newsletter, Parking, September 2017, Stormwater, Traffic, Transit, Water Quality  Comments Off on What’s The Latest in Cushing Square?
Sep 132017
 
What’s The Latest in Cushing Square?

The Project Moves Forward and Continues to Evolve by John DiCocco There’s progress at the Bradford (formerly named Cushing Village), the three-building residential and retail complex in Cushing Square. Since our last article on the development in the May-June 2017 issue, construction is still moving ahead although several issues remain unresolved. Toll Brothers Apartment Living is the developer (through a subsidiary named Belmont Residential LLC), and Nauset Construction is the general contractor. Toll Brothers employs Sage Environmental as their licensed site professional (LSP) and the town has independently contracted with John Thompson, LSP, of Waypoint Environmental, who reports to town [READ MORE]

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Environmental Events Sept-Oct 2017

 Air Quality, Bicycles and bike paths, Environment, Historic Preservation, Newsletter, Open Space, Parking, Plants, Recycling, September 2017, Solar Power, Traffic, Transit, Water Quality  Comments Off on Environmental Events Sept-Oct 2017
Sep 132017
 

Extreme Events and Climate Change Thursday, September 14; 7–8 PM What We Know and What We Can Do Ellen Marie Douglas, Associate Professor of Hydrology, School for the Environment, University of Massachusetts Boston. Douglas will discuss observations of our changing climate, what changes may be in Boston’s future, and some plans for how to adapt to these changes. New England Aquarium, 1 Central Wharf, Boston. Belmont Drives Electric, Ride & Drive Sunday, September 17, 1–4 PM Learn about electric vehicles and test drive Chevy Bolts, Volkswagen Golfs, Nissan Leafs, and other electric vehicles. Meet local owners to get their experience. [READ MORE]

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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 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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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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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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Belmont Drives Electric Campaign Continues

 Air Quality, Environment, January 2017, Newsletter, Transit  Comments Off on Belmont Drives Electric Campaign Continues
Jan 192017
 
Belmont Drives Electric Campaign Continues

A Cleaner Town, One Driveway at a Time by Madeleine Barr Lara Hirner and Jason Reed, the first Belmont residents to purchase an EV through the Belmont Drives Electric program, with their new Chevrolet Volt. Join the movement. Belmont is one of the top five towns in Massachusetts for electric vehicle adoption. Belmont Drives Electric (BDE) is a community initiative launched in October 2016 designed to highlight the benefits of driving electric vehicles (EVs) and make it easy for you to get behind the wheel. Through this initiative, Belmont residents in cooperation with several local dealers have taken test drives [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 Staycation Postcard from a Saturday

 Environment, Open Space, Staycation, Transit  Comments Off on Belmont Staycation Postcard from a Saturday
Aug 052016
 
Belmont Staycation Postcard from a Saturday

Another postcard from my trial Staycation  —  Check out the shorter postcards on our Facebook page; post your own there! Hi, This was a day with friends. I took a nature walk (check out our Maps section for local trail maps), and took a bus and subway to get to an event in Boston  (check MBTA.com or a public transport app for schedules): Habitat: We had an out-of-town guest, and brought her to the Habitat in the morning to enjoy a longer walk. We took a very long route to Turtle Pond, passing through the Fern Trail and Red Maple Swamp trail and Border trail.  It [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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Seven Community Benefits of Bikeways

 Bike Paths, May 2016, Traffic, Transit, Uncategorized  Comments Off on Seven Community Benefits of Bikeways
May 202016
 
Seven Community Benefits of Bikeways

The Metropolitan Area Planning Council passed along this article to our office recently. It was written in 2014 by Taz Loomans, addressing congestion in her native Phoenix. Points of it apply to Belmont and our surrounding communities as well. We have edited it considerably; but you may read the full article at BloomingRock.com. 1. Bikeways make places more valuable. A 2006 study found that in Minneapolis, median home values rose $510 for every quarter-mile they were located closer to an off-street bikeway. In Washington DC,, 85% of nearby residents say the 15th Street bike lane is a valuable community asset. [READ MORE]

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Letter to the Editor: A Single Station at Pleasant Street

 January 2016, Newsletter, Transit  Comments Off on Letter to the Editor: A Single Station at Pleasant Street
Jan 132016
 
Letter to the Editor: A Single Station at Pleasant Street

To the Editor: My first encounter with Belmont was commuting to Belmont Center from North Station as a co-op student working on a census project. In the 70’s it was the most convenient way to reach Belmont without a car. One of the things I loved about the commute was the Belmont Center train station, which is now the Lion’s Club. The elimination of station buildings like Belmont Center has been part of a cultural shift as well as a simple reaction to the economics of staffing and maintenance. Since this comfortable station building has been closed, more often commuters [READ MORE]

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