Did everybody abandon the T for cars this afternoon?

Good. This is the only way the idiots at the state house will think (for at least a second) that the T is valuable and worth funding, but only because it saves them time on their drive.

Unfortunately you're dreaming on this one. I'd like to think it would wake legislators up but it doesnt.

'sides.. Charlie says he's gonna CUT 40 MIL from the transportation budget. Good move Charlie.. not. You and Mahty can share the dog house you're both going to be in soon...

"You should support a better T because each person who rides it is not in front of you."

It must be made very, very clear to everyone that this is what happens when many of your neighbors who normally ride the T cannot do so because it is a complete and utter shambles.

Even if the roads were not narrowed today, this cluster would be apparent. Of course, however, since the narrowing variable is in play, it will give license to the crazies to say that the narrowing was the cause (rather than the many thousands (hundreds of thousands?) who avoided the T today (at the T's request!) were the cause).

Is the take away from this situation! Get rid of some of the shrubs and fences blocking snow from being pushed back further!

As to the state house: Many members represent cities and towns not served by the MBTA. Voters in those places already give 20% of sales taxes to the MBTA along with millions in gasoline taxes and RMV fees. There is far more to Massachusetts than just Boston.

I was going to post the exact same thing. I figured it would take only a little longer on the T and be a lot warmer. Turns out it took a lot longer on the T and was colder then I was expecting.

I had never seen so many people at Park Street this morning yet it was surprisingly quite without at least one train in idling in the station. It was also really cold.

There WOULD be a lot more room on the roads for those who are ill if all the able bodied people didn't drive.

The trains might suck but the buses would be running just fine if it wasn't for so many people hogging the roads with big hunks of steel containing only a single person.

I take it you agree there should be a urban congestion fee that personal drivers pays (like London) with the money going to the T. It would solve a lot of the problems we've had today.

But please don't post Internet comments and drive at the same time

The congestion alert isn't about sick people driving - because sick people drive to MGH all the time. In the big snow winters of the mid-90s, I did my share of helping some of the chemo center patients navigate the ice and snow piles when they parked along the street that my lab was on.

Those people will always drive, and in steady numbers. This mess is about everyone else driving because the MBTA has been so messed up.

In the last year of his life, my father enjoyed having a handicap placard in part because living in Portland meant that he could go downtown to shop or get lunch without encountering much traffic or fighting for parking. Why? Not very many people who work downtown commute into the central city by car, that's why. Consequently, if you are willing to pay for the privilege of parking downtown or have a handicap placard, you enjoy the benefits of transit and bike commuting share, too.

If there are fewer cars on the road because transit and human powered options are available and useful, those who lack the choice are all the better for it.

The people who unnecessarily drive into Boston every day block ambulances on a regular basis yet protesters slow down one ambulance and drivers complain about it for weeks(not that I agree with that protesting tactic, it was a huge waste of gas).

Who wouldn't want to go back to those thrilling days when they just loaded the bodies onto carts?

"Im too old for this @#$%..."

And it would be echoed by cities, neighborhoods, residents, and car users... Mostly because simply trying to get the word out will fail hard.

I do see potential in this as a way to do larger scale snow removal projects, at least on a temporary basis. Otherwise, this sort of stuff just adds to the confusion of driving in downtown Boston...

This would only work for those who know the roads. I have suburban friends (I'm talking Westford or Pepperell) who Freak Out at the mere idea of having to come into the Big City for a meeting down at the Seaport. Near Tears Freak Out.

I grew up north of the City and we came in for Christmas Eve services at a Beacon Hill church for a number of years (la di dah, right?). The first year we did this, we went down one street with the intent to take another turn. I'll never forget my father muttering, "this used to be one way the other direction!" and then quickly having to spin the wheel to keep moving in order to not piss off the people behind us. (he used to work in town until that company moved to Wakefield for cheaper rent)

Add in the many tourists and out of town livery drivers ... sheer insanity. It's not uncommon to stand at The Tam and see someone driving the wrong way up Tremont St. Bets are taken to see just how far they get ....

I could see that they might work, but you would need some major signage upgrades. And some serious planning to get people in the mindset. Maybe a puzzle master in there with traffic engineers. :)

Why? Because despite all the hype of working from home, there's still value in seeing your co-workers in person.

Barely anyone has been in my office the past week and finally tomorrow most are going to try to make it in, even though we have a very generous work-from-home policy.

Otherwise, what do you propose? That no one who absolutely needs to be at the office commutes for the next week?

Minneapolis, St. Paul, Edmonton, Calgary, Toronto, Montreal, Stockholm, and Helsinki (as well as Chicago and Winnipeg, which you didn't mention) all have some amount of pedestrian interconnection between bulidings (either above or below street level, or in some cases both) covering major portions of their downtown and connecting to their rapid transit systems. We have the Westin/Copley Place/Prudential Center...and that's basically it.