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Snow emergency forces city to make some South Boston streets one way
By adamg on Sat, 02/14/2015 - 8:19am
W. 5 Street, theoretically two-way. Photo by Steve.
At 10 p.m., the city will turn several streets in South Boston into one-way streets to make them easier for public-safety crews to get around the neighborhood, Mayor Walsh announced.
The "South Boston Emergency Transportation Reconfiguation" goes into effect at the same time as the latest citywide snow emergency - which bans parking on major thoroughfares.
"This reconfiguration will enhance the public safety response in South Boston," Fire Commissioner Joseph Finn said in a statement. "Minutes count for firefighters and alleviating congestion on the side streets allows for a better response to those who need our help."
Affected roads:
Westbound, away from City Point
E. 2 and E. 4 between Farragut and Dorchester St.
E. 6 between Farragut and G St.
E. 8 between O and Dorchester St.
W. 4 and W. 6 between Dorchester St. and D.
Eastbound, toward City Point
E. 5 between G and Farragut.
E. 7 between G and P.
Marine Rd between I and N.
W. 5 and W. 7 between D and Dorchester St.
Neighborhoods:
Topics:
| Attachment | Size |
|---|---|
 Map showing the one-way streets | 791.95 KB |
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Comments
squeeze play
My one way streets are so narrow cars can barely make it thorough. We're just not plowing far enough back, and not removing it fast enough....
Anyone have photos of these streets - curious why these are so much worse than others in the city that they got called out as such.
I don't have a photo but all
I don't have a photo but all the side streets in south boston are essentially down to one lane.
a third of he parked cars were never shoveled out, and have a 2-3 ft. snow bank next to them. The snow banks in between the shoveled out cars jut into the lanes as well. Its a mess. stretches of East first are down to one lane because they didn't plow close enough to the curb on either side, and people have resumed parking on the eastbound side of the street.
Leaving for Maine in a few hours, can't wait to get out of this disaster zone.
Maine?
Aren't they supposed to get two feet of snow from this storm?
Ha, yes, but I'll be skiing!
Ha, yes, but I'll be skiing! Snow in the mountains is great. Snow in the city? Not so much...
Just the south seacoast of Maine
The rest of the state isn't going to see too much from this storm.
Population-wise, most of Maine - but not area-wise.
Maine also...
Has slightly more area in which to put said excessive snow. Our options for snow removal are (1) into the harbor, (2) into a snow melter, (3) into a dump-truck/semi or (4) on top of existing snow piles. What will we ever do with so many viable opportunities?
Never shoveled ?
Is the same as putting out a cone in the parking space since the blizzard. Same people who complain about the lawn chairs.
I don't think these streets
I don't think these streets are necessarily the worst - possibly the opposite. These are streets emergency crews could make good use of, but if you've driven any two-way side street in southie in the past two weeks you've had to pull into a snowbank for someone coming the other way.
Experiment
It's an experiment... you are next, maybe. Guess they figure if it can work out here in Southie it can work anywhere ; ).
It's Easier
I think Southie was picked because the can be implemented easier in Southie given the order and names of the streets (3rd St, , 4th St. etc.)
What happens to the 11 bus? I
What happens to the 11 bus? I think E8th becomes one way the wrong way for it going out bound. Same for W 4th.
11 bus
I don't know how late the 11 bus runs, but it won't be running tomorrow regardless.
Actually...
This will help the #11 bus, at least on W. 6th & W. 7th. I'm not sure if the MBTA has said which street it will go down instead of E. 8th, but since cars will no longer be able to play chicken with the buses on W. 6th & 7th, all of us commuting on the 11 should be better off. I've watched that happen every day for almost all of the past three weeks.
WEST 4th!
I did see the #9 come down here one night but the 11 better not!
At least past Dorchester St...
The 11 uses Day Blvd for its snow route, in both directions.
This is why street cleaning
This is why street cleaning needs to be year round so that streets can be plowed to the curb. The city could also use those days to clean off the sidewalks and crosswalks and clean out storm drains. When all this snow starts to melt the city will flood with most storm drains buried and clogged.
I don't know if a street
I don't know if a street sweeper would really do all that much, but making people move every other x-day to clear off one side may allow some city vehicles to move back snow. Those larger piles in between cars may be problematic for getting some utility vehicles down the streets.
My gut tells me the city doesn't normally have the equipment and/or manpower to perform all those tasks this time of year. I don't think they even have it with the emergency assistance coming from other states.
I guess it's "too late" now, but maybe in the future it could help prevent the mess that southie has been in the past few weeks. Can't drive down 2 blocks of a street without moving back/turning around to navigate around a car at least 2 or 3 times.
Street sweeping days in the
Street sweeping days in the winter wouldn't be for sweeping as much as snow removal and cleaning the mounds of sand out of clogged storm drains.
Brookline has it right
no overnight parking on the streets at all.
GPS and Mapping systems will not know this...
I hope they are planning a big alert to driver that they won't be able to rely on GPS or maps for South Boston. I haven't seen this so far in the coverage and information coming from the city.
maybe a good test for the boston/waze partnership
If they can pull it off in time this would be a good use of the partnership between the Waze app people an Boston. The city is supposed to use incoming Waze data to adjust the timing of traffic lights while Waze will take city data (like roads closed by police) and drop those as alerts into the live mapping data.
Before the city traffic
Before the city traffic engineer uses Waze data to adjust traffic lights, he should use his brain.
You don't need a load of big data to tell you that a green light at Mass Ave and St Botolph at the same time as a red light at the Mass Ave T station crosswalk is inefficient and stupid.
That crosswalk itself is
That crosswalk itself is inefficient and stupid. I've still not forgiven them for installing it. So pointless to have a crosswalk AND an underpass at the exact same point.
I doubt very many people
I doubt very many people unfamiliar with the area will be trying to navigate the side streets of South Boston during the blizzard.
Also, hopefully the city will at least post temporary one way and/or do not enter signs.
BTD putting up signs now...
Boston Transportation Department trucks are in the neighborhood now, putting up 'Do Not Enter/One Way'. This reconfiguration is in effect through April 1 according to the notice - it is not just in place for the blizzard. As someone noted, the grid configuration of South Boston streets lends itself to this alteration of traffic patterns.
The signs are up
But compliance is shit, thus far. Still getting angry wrong-way drivers. It seems like the less in the right you are, the madder you are when you get called out on it.
Not just in Boston
This would be very helpful in a lot of towns, not just Boston. I've been on a lot of streets where you have to pull over if someone's coming the other way and there isn't always room to do it.
I just pray
That the one way program isn't an excuse for what the City should be doing........REMOVING the snow! One way is fine but the City still needs to remove the Mt Everests on each corner.
Having lived on M St. between
Having lived on M St. between E 1st and E 2nd some years ago -- and during a much more tame winter than this -- I can vouch for how narrow the streets can get. Is there any chance of this becoming a permanent traffic setup?
Foul ball
I think one of my notorious foul balls may have hit your house or smashed your windshield.