Only the front of the line.
Carina Flynn videoed the lines of people hoping they can get on a 7 bus in South Boston this morning:
The line continues:
Needless to say I’m taking the #9 and rolling the dice on the Red Line.
@maureencaught @universalhub check out the lines for the #7….needless to say I’m taking the #9 and rolling the dice on the red line pic.twitter.com/bTDTkEztBG
— Carina Flynn (@Ccirrici) July 12, 2023
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Comments
Proof the T sucks
By anon
Wed, 07/12/2023 - 9:00am
This video should be shown at every zoning board hearing when developers want to overbuild and create dense housing units,
BTW nobody feels bad for these people but the people standing here themselves.
Did a major build out in
By DPM
Wed, 07/12/2023 - 9:07am
Did a major build out in southie happen that I missed?
Not counting the one the spurred all the triple deckers of course
Nothing New
By Abe
Wed, 07/12/2023 - 9:20am
This is nothing new it was like this before COVID hit and nothing has changed.
The T, state reps/senator and city councilors have done nothing to address it.
Moved to Southie over 15 years ago.
By J.R. Dobbs
Wed, 07/12/2023 - 10:42am
This is a light day compared to how it usually is.
I have absolutely no idea why people keep coming here.
Proof the T needs to adapt
By THP
Wed, 07/12/2023 - 9:28am
It's not overbuilding, it's the inability for a "world-class" city not to adapt to change. It's pathetic. The change should be simple, add more busses. The end.
Finally!
By Scratchie
Wed, 07/12/2023 - 9:28am
Finally, some proof that the T sucks! We had no idea that the T sucked! It always worked so well in the past.
So what's the alternative? Build single-family homes on 1/4-acre lots outside of 495 somewhere? And have all those residents drive into the city every day? Sounds like a winner.
I agree its been going on for
By Sunshine
Wed, 07/12/2023 - 10:56am
I agree its been going on for years now - "so buy a condo in South Boston near M Street beach and public transportation" but oops sorry you might have to wait a few minutes for a bus - they aren't the only ones waiting for a bus in the morning its just the only one going to the Financial District - at least their bus shows up if your waiting on the other corner of L & Bway for the #9 or #10 bus going to Copley your stuck waiting because they have to 2-3, #7 buses that I see in about a 10-15 minute spam every morning while we're still waiting for ours - if the other buses don't show your waiting 30-40 minutes until the next one.
If only there was a project that could have improved bus service
By anon
Wed, 07/12/2023 - 9:01am
If only....
https://mass.streetsblog.org/2023/04/06/buses-get-...
Buses with lines should be trains
By Bostoneer
Wed, 07/12/2023 - 9:02am
Buses with lines like this should be on the fast track to become trains.
Many of the bus routes in
By Steve Brady
Wed, 07/12/2023 - 9:13am
Many of the bus routes in Boston used to be street car routes, including the 7 Bus.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boston-area_streetca...
Yes.
By Bostoneer
Wed, 07/12/2023 - 9:21am
Yes, and their right of ways should have been protected/improved rather than replaced with buses.
FTFY
By Kaz
Wed, 07/12/2023 - 1:56pm
Geometry
By Bostoneer
Wed, 07/12/2023 - 2:38pm
Basic geometry disagrees with you.
Misunderstood
By Bostoneer
Wed, 07/12/2023 - 6:34pm
My bad I misunderstood but in this case no the cars were part of the justification but the busses replaced the trolley. That there are still lines for the bus shows how inadequate cars are as a replacement.
Not sure what you're arguing in favor of
By Kaz
Wed, 07/12/2023 - 8:53pm
My point is the street cars gave way to cars not buses...the buses are just what they replaced the street cars with because they couldn't provide zero public transportation. They could have kept street cars...or even added a light/heavy rail option and told the cars to fuck off. But they didn't. Cars won.
Deval Patrick
By anon
Wed, 07/12/2023 - 9:23am
had a plan for diesel powered trains operating on the commuter lines so there were more runs per hr. Part of that plan was to have a line from the convention center to the Back Bay. Baker didn't like that plan (wasn't for the benefit of cars). We need more cross town options that aren't centered on single hubs. And more buses on certain lines (cough 57).
With Baker on this one
By Ari O
Wed, 07/12/2023 - 11:06am
Not because I like Baker, but because it was a very dumb idea. It would have required crossing the entire Old Colony and Fairmount Lines at grade. These lines have quite-specifically timed trains every 10 minutes because of single-tracking, so adding another conflict wouldn't help, plus, with 9 or 10 trains per hour between these three lines, there's not much capacity you could put across a flat junction. Then it would be a slow, circuitous route to get to Back Bay, where it would then have to cross over the entire NEC to reach tracks with any capacity for a turn-back (the Worcester Line) which would probably be worse. Then once on the Worcester Line they'd either have to foul tracks at Back Bay while turning back and holding for schedule (not great) or run out to turn back where there's room for an extra track (somewhere out in Allston). Plus it wouldn't really serve anything but the edge of Southie (it wouldn't have been useful for anyone in this post) and basically just duplicate the #9 bus from there except with a more roundabout routing (the 9 could use bus lanes … you know, if Berkeley didn't need 3 lanes for cars).
The logistics/practicality
By Rob
Wed, 07/12/2023 - 11:51am
The logistics/practicality issues with the idea are real (and significant).
Some of what you say, however, is not correct.
The Fairmount Line is not single track.
The Fairmount Line did not and does not have anything close to 10-minute headways.
The proposed service wasn't for "the edge of Southie". It was to connect Back Bay/Copley tourist/visitors destinations with Seaport/Cruise terminal.
Yeah not nitpicky at all
By Ari O
Wed, 07/12/2023 - 1:49pm
The Fairmount Line is not single-tracked, although technically the end is up at Readville. And, no, it has a train every 45 minutes in each direction, so about three trains per hour. Add that to six trains per hour (in and out) on the Old Colony at rush hour, which is the max they can do with the single track there.
And sure, the line wasn't for Southie, but then again, it wouldn't have helped at all with what OP posted about.
And the trains should run
By xyz
Wed, 07/12/2023 - 9:45am
And the trains should run like trains, not like farm wagons pulled by donkeys with serious health conditions. But your point is valid: it's a tangible demonstration of demand.
How's that "workforce housing
By anon
Wed, 07/12/2023 - 9:10am
How's that "workforce housing" workin' out for ya? Conveniently located near buses and subway.
Looks like the bus is pretty
By CuteUsername
Wed, 07/12/2023 - 12:34pm
Looks like the bus is pretty popular! In many parts of America there wouldn't be a bus for them to wait for.
I'm old enough to remember
By Ben
Wed, 07/12/2023 - 9:26am
I'm old enough to remember when everyone was in a panic about remote work.
Some of these folks should consider biking to work
By Ron Newman
Wed, 07/12/2023 - 9:29am
According to Google maps, it's a 13 minute bike ride (2.4 miles) from East Broadway and Farragut Road in Southie to Otis and Summer Street downtown.
It's not for everyone, but many of the people in these videos look like they are fairly young and physically fit enough to try it on a sunny day like today.
Or...
By John Costello
Wed, 07/12/2023 - 9:35am
The T could have better service.
"They should bike" is not the answer for many of them.
If you show up at the office on a day like today, dripping sweat, and plopping down at the law firm's chair, you are going to get looks. You will.
Not everyone works at the start up brewery / air soft gun start up in a loft near Greentown labs.
Not many suits and ties in this crowd
By Ron Newman
Wed, 07/12/2023 - 9:41am
Most of these folks are appropriately dressed for summer.
So it's OK to show up to work
By Scratchie
Wed, 07/12/2023 - 9:57am
So it's OK to show up to work sweaty if you're wearing summer clothes?
Sweating is one of the super
By Martin
Wed, 07/12/2023 - 10:44am
Sweating is one of the super powers of being a human, and I'll be damned if some puritan is going to stop us being human.
As we say round ours: Wind yeh neck in.
No, but
By fungwah
Wed, 07/12/2023 - 12:05pm
If you know it's going to be hot, its pretty easy to bring a change of clothes and change before your work day.
I hate to agree with John,
By Alfrek
Wed, 07/12/2023 - 11:55am
I hate to agree with John, but these folks are all young professionals, dressed preppy smart. They are not folks who appear to be looking forward to working in sweaty clothes. That being said, I wonder how many work at fancy places that have showers and bike lockers, I imagine many, but not all, do. (Source: this is my bus)
A shower at work = gold
By Gary C
Wed, 07/12/2023 - 8:33pm
When they designed my office building in the mid-90's, the powers that be insisted on 1 shower room per floor and plenty of bike racks outside. My 5 mile daily ride is only possible because I can shower at work. There should be a zoning code that mandates some number of showers per floor/worker in new construction or renovation.
Our lives are in the hands of a collection of lightweights
By anon
Wed, 07/12/2023 - 9:55am
Burt Bacharach said it best:
Knowing when to leave
May be the smartest thing
Anyone can learn
Go!
Hal David
By John Costello
Wed, 07/12/2023 - 7:15pm
Wrote the lyrics. Burt the tune.
Light brains there?
What speed are you riding at?
By Rob O
Wed, 07/12/2023 - 11:07am
If you can walk without getting "all sweaty," you can bike without getting "all sweaty." You don't need to commute on a bike at Tour de France exertion rates.
Signed -- someone who biked into an office environment all summer without a problem
I walked a half mile to my
By anon
Wed, 07/12/2023 - 11:37am
I walked a half mile to my office this morning and was sweating profusely
That's nice for you, have a cookie
By Scratchie
Wed, 07/12/2023 - 12:06pm
People have different bodies, different metabolisms, different levels of physical fitness and different thresholds at which they start to sweat. It's moronic to assume that because you once biked in summer without a problem, that nobody else will have a problem.
Conversing with Nobody?
By HenryAlan 2.0
Wed, 07/12/2023 - 12:20pm
Show me where somebody said people should be forced to bike. You are having a conversation with nobody when you raise these "not everybody can bike" talking points. Granted and acknowledged -- not everybody can bike. Other people who can, might consider the option over the Southie bus situation.
Thank you
By Rob O
Wed, 07/12/2023 - 1:15pm
You have misstated my point entirely.
I said that one does not need to exert his or herself on a bike anymore than they do on foot. So if you can walk to work without a sweat problem, you could bike to work without a sweat problem. Maybe you'll have a sweat problem either way, but that's not a reason not to bike either then.
And for those with difficulty with reading comprehension, no one has said that "nobody else will have a problem [on a bike]."
My signature was to share my personal experience, it was not a guarantee about what others will experience or what they must do.
Is biking feasible for many -- yes!
If you hate bikes -- don't bike!
Is this all clear?
Some of us can't walk without getting all sweaty
By mg
Wed, 07/12/2023 - 12:21pm
.
Are office rental amenities an area of expertise for you?
By spin_o_rama
Wed, 07/12/2023 - 11:59am
I'll ask again because you dodged it yesterday, do you have experience in the AEC or real estate industry?
https://www.universalhub.com/comment/938626#commen...
Developers and building owners will need to be pushing for improved amenities for tenants:
https://www.us.jll.com/en/views/three-amenities-ow...
And Cambridge has bike facility requirements through their Parking and Transportation Demand Management Ordinance, for example:
https://www.cambridgema.gov/cdd/transportation/for...
More incentive like this from both demand and city regulations will provide more and more bike facilities to accommodate those grave, genuine concerns you have. And its not just a benefit for those biking!
But the T should have better service, I agree biking isn't for everyone. A better network of bus lanes, more service frequency, improved infrastructure for walking/biking, alternatives to Single-occupancy vehicle transit and better traffic enforcement should help all around!
That's why humans invented bags to hold stuff
By fungwah
Wed, 07/12/2023 - 12:04pm
You can easily pack a small towel, some wet wipes, extra deodorant, and a change of clothes in a small pannier. Give yourself a few minutes in the bathroom to change, and you can sit down in your law firm chair with a healthy glow and with plenty of time to spare.
Good, good
By robo
Wed, 07/12/2023 - 12:32pm
Shove your biking cult like attitude down peoples throats.
Just because people CAN bike, doesn’t mean they want to. Typical biker mentality.
So what solutions should they push for here Robbie?
By spin_o_rama
Wed, 07/12/2023 - 1:32pm
If everyone from those images doesn't bike or skips taking the bus, they'll have to drive and that could get pretty rough on traffic if they all hop into single occupancy vehicles.
Isn't assuming they can drive just as bad as assuming they can bike?
Just because people CAN drive, doesn’t mean they want to. Typical crank mentality.
Fix the fucking MBTA
By robo
Wed, 07/12/2023 - 1:58pm
Pretty obvious when you don’t have bike blinders on.
But what does that mean rob?
By spin_o_rama
Wed, 07/12/2023 - 2:59pm
Try divorcing this from the bike triggers, what specifically needs to be done at/by the MBTA/City/State to fix this issue with buses in Southie?
If don't have any, thats fine, just need you to admit that you're a reactionary crank
Ok
By robo
Wed, 07/12/2023 - 3:22pm
1 - hire more drivers
2 - hire more dispatchers
3 - buy more buses
4 - fire all upper management and make them reapply for their job
It’s really not that hard. The millionaire tax was passed for ‘23. That’s an extra (projected) $1.3b(!) extra tax revenue for just this year so I don’t even want to hear they don’t have enough money for any/all of the above.
Is this satisfactory, or are you going to continue to throw around insults. (Patiently waits for spinny to post some links from a million years ago because that’s what he does)
I'd agree there might be money for 1-3
By spin_o_rama
Wed, 07/12/2023 - 3:39pm
However I am not an expert in any capacity to speak on terminating upper management and making them reapply for jobs.
Maybe some bus lanes are in order?
Throwing money at the problem might seem to work but from the Twitter comments it seems that even with 8 minute headways, there is still not enough to meet capacity.
Here is a scary link but don't worry, its not something about you putting your foot in your mouth again its just a recent discussion about a similar topic of increasing bus service, maybe you did see it, maybe you didn't:
https://www.universalhub.com/2023/boston-looking-h...
The projection there at the end is golden, I think someone is a little sensitive about being called out on their hypocrisy!
If you don't want to bike, or can't bike, don't bike
By fungwah
Wed, 07/12/2023 - 3:04pm
But it's weird to act like it's the equivalent of gathering an expedition of voyageurs to search for the Northwest Passage, as opposed to something that millions of people across a wide range of fitness levels and economic classes do as some part of their daily commutes.
Hmm,
By John Costello
Wed, 07/12/2023 - 3:44pm
"as opposed to something that millions of people across a wide range of fitness levels and economic classes do as some part of their daily commutes."
Yup they take public transportation or drive.
As you can see from the picture, some people want to take the bus.
Sorry to shatter your dreams that we don't all want to do what you do.
Seriously?
By anon
Wed, 07/12/2023 - 1:13pm
Some of us do not want to treat our places of employment like they are locker rooms. Trust me on this.
Both agree and disagree
By HenryAlan 2.0
Wed, 07/12/2023 - 12:05pm
Yes, the T should be better, and yes, bike riding is not for everyone. But bike riding can definitely be a bigger part of the solution. The issues you identify are in many cases not so valid when people actually try bike commuting. I bring a towel and change of clothes with me to the office. The towel (and some deodorant) work fine to clean me up, and the change of clothes makes me presentable. Employers could also step up to make it a more feasible and desirable option by adding showers and changing rooms to their employee amenities. The point is, there are some options besides either driving or suffering through a massively under resourced public transit system.
I hedged my statement quite a bit
By Ron Newman
Wed, 07/12/2023 - 12:15pm
"Some of them", not most or all. I would not have suggested it for people living in Roslindale, Hyde Park, or outermost Brighton, nor would I have suggested it on the rainy days we've recently had. But this is 13-minute flat ride from a very nearby neighborhood. It is almost certainly faster than taking the bus.
Google's bicycle speed estimates are pretty conservative. For this trip, they assumed a speed of about 11 miles per hour.
People are scared to try
By butternugz
Wed, 07/12/2023 - 9:44am
I've ridden through there and it's pretty quick, though riding on L Street isn't very comfortable with ongoing construction and all of the people double parking outside the Dunks walk-up window. I usually end up taking the long way around on Day Blvd to avoid the crowded street (and the hill there).
In speaking to a lot of people about riding to work, I hear a lot of "I'd be too scared to do that". There is a big belief among car / bus / train commuters that biking to work is just plain unsafe in the city, which isn't entirely untrue.
THIS
By cinnamngrl
Wed, 07/12/2023 - 2:00pm
It is intimidating at first, but it is getting better. When I lived in Southie I had a one speed cruiser that I got around very easily in. The downtown traffic was dangerous but for several years i would chain my purple bike to the Broadway bridge entrance to the Broadway station and cut my commute time in half.
Looks
By ElizaLeila
Wed, 07/12/2023 - 9:45am
You can't go by looks as to whether someone has the physical capability to ride a bike. Same as you can't judge someone using an accessible parking spot (with appropriate hang tag).
Just stop
By Rob O
Wed, 07/12/2023 - 11:10am
The fact that some people have non-visible physical limitations does not mean that you cannot make generalizations. Please re-read the original comment, which includes modifiers such as "It's not for everyone," and "many of these people."
He only said Some.
By cinnamngrl
Wed, 07/12/2023 - 1:56pm
However, bicycles actually multiply your physical effort very efficiently. There are many physically challenged people that cycle with less effort than walking.
Do This Every Day
By Risk Taker
Wed, 07/12/2023 - 9:51am
And you take your life in your hands a few times. Many sections don’t even have a painted gutter, and the cars, trucks and double parked vehicles are not usually accommodating. Even where Seaport has the separated lanes, there’s always cars in the lanes and pulling dangerous turns. It’s not for everyone.
Seriously, it’s going to be
By anon
Wed, 07/12/2023 - 10:38am
Seriously, it’s going to be 92 degrees today. If that doesn’t scream “safe outdoor exercise” I don’t know what does!
No
By anon
Wed, 07/12/2023 - 10:50am
I wish the bicyclists on this site would stop projecting their love of riding a bike to work on the rest of it. Most of us don't want to or can not take a bike for many many reasons.
Taking a bike to work is something you do. It's not some special good thing that makes you better than the rest of us. And please stop thinking that somehow if more people used bikes that would make everything better
This 1000%
By robo
Wed, 07/12/2023 - 8:56pm
.
oh please
By cinnamngrl
Thu, 07/13/2023 - 7:24am
This a 1000% projection of your insecurity.
Nobody actually argues that they are better than you. You "hear" it because you feel less than. You keep trying to bully people in arguments because you can't understand and use facts.
Slight correction
By Rob O
Thu, 07/13/2023 - 9:23am
I do feel I am better than a lot of the commenters here. A willingness to consider alternative transportation is part of that. Reading comprehension is another.
don't forget understanding
By cinnamngrl
Thu, 07/13/2023 - 10:09am
don't forget understanding fractions!
Summer st is awful to bike on
By DPM
Wed, 07/12/2023 - 12:17pm
Summer st is awful to bike on. Absolutely awful. The city should fix that
What's so bad about Summer Street?
By Ron Newman
Wed, 07/12/2023 - 12:36pm
I recall it as being basically flat, and well-paved without significant potholes.
4 lane road treated like a
By DPM
Wed, 07/12/2023 - 6:08pm
4 lane road treated like a highway by drivers with a painted bike gutter.
You get buzzed constantly by people exceeding the 25mph limit by a good clip. It absolutely could be good, but that might upset some drivers.
Bus 7 has been like this
By heather
Wed, 07/12/2023 - 9:54am
Bus 7 has been like this since I moved to Southie in 2013. The thing is, when it's very hot or very cold, suddenly no body walks or bikes, and the 730-9 am hour is pandemonium. After 10, almost no one is on the 7.
One problem os that Bus drivers make no effort to get people to move back on the bus, and once there are people clustered near the driver, they don't stop the bus anymore, and you can see 3-4 busses drive by a full stop, with the whole center of the bus empty and everyone crammed in the front.
This is nothing new. This
By Cliff Clavin
Wed, 07/12/2023 - 9:56am
This is nothing new. This particular stop on the #7 has seen crowds like this for the last 20 years.
Scooters
By Biff Loman
Wed, 07/12/2023 - 9:59am
Imagine if the city had Lime or Bird scooters? Could be the South Station in less than 5 minutes. If I had that commute I would just buy my own and scoot scoot down L Street
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