East west rail looks to be more of a reality

[Shrewsburried]

Originally Posted by massnative71

This is where the station needs to be. Go vertical, you can fit a LOT of parking in there. There's already "plans" to construct a new Mass Pike/495 interchange. Why not add another ramp for a train station? If the Boston area wants to be innovative and a "big world class city", it needs to start acting like it.



https://www.google.com/maps/place/We...!4d-71.6161294

Littleton needs a vertical garage too, IMO, so that Somerville/Cambridge/Kendall can increase ridership capacity via commuter rail versus Alewife station or worse, drive-in. The lots effectively fill after the earliest <6am trains. That causes commuters with childcare constraints, such as myself, to begrudgingly drive into Alewife or the Kendall Sq garages.

Forcing commuters through South Station alone isn't a great solution given the already high demand.

[massnative71]

Originally Posted by Shrewsburried

Littleton needs a vertical garage too, IMO, so that Somerville/Cambridge/Kendall can increase ridership capacity via commuter rail versus Alewife station or worse, drive-in. The lots effectively fill after the earliest <6am trains. That causes commuters with childcare constraints, such as myself, to begrudgingly drive into Alewife or the Kendall Sq garages.

Forcing commuters through South Station alone isn't a great solution given the already high demand.

Likewise, I see plenty of room there to add a garage(s). And there is another place where they should have added a direct exit off 495, when they redid that interchange a few years back. But nooooo...


https://www.google.com/maps/place/We...!4d-71.6161294



For several years I lived in between Littleton and Westborough, and on the occasion I had to go into the city I never ONCE used the Commuter Rail (like you said, it is just useless after 6am). Always drive to Alewife, or drive all the way in. I guess that's what they want.

[porterhouse]

Originally Posted by GeoffD

Those guys are all Looney Tunes.

Not your (or my world) but in certain trades, rating high enough to get a company provided truck is a huge milestone.

[robr2]

Originally Posted by Shizim

Does this work? lets say its $10 a day. thats a new ~$3700 tax for me. Annoying, but whatever wont change my driving habits. but thats ~$4k that someone in Lynn might not have.

And i think its hard to do without really strong public transit. London has that. ours is fine really close in, but once you get outside of the inner core, its spotty at best.

Like in London and some in Boston, if you live in the core zone you get a major discount. Londoners get 90-100% discounts off the congestion charge.

[Dangerous-Boy]

Build it!

[Shizim]

Originally Posted by robr2

Like in London and some in Boston, if you live in the core zone you get a major discount. Londoners get 90-100% discounts off the congestion charge.

Didnt know that. thanks for the info.

I wonder how that would work. I can see Eastie, Chelsea, etc being core. but then it gets squirrelly as towns like Andover are right next to Lawrence (Lynn and Lynnfield). Hard to say one is core and one isn't unless you are going for a straight wealth tax. Which is a possibility.

[Lampert]

Originally Posted by Shizim

I wonder how that would work. I can see Eastie, Chelsea, etc being core. but then it gets squirrelly as towns like Andover are right next to Lawrence (Lynn and Lynnfield). Hard to say one is core and one isn't unless you are going for a straight wealth tax. Which is a possibility.

I don't know the exact answer to this question but there are plenty of cities around the world that use congestion charges, I think the first step would be to learn from them and see what method works and what doesn't. But in general the point of this is to reduce traffic, so of course most people cannot be exempt.

[Shizim]

Originally Posted by Lampert

I don't know the exact answer to this question but there are plenty of cities around the world that use congestion charges, I think the first step would be to learn from them and see what method works and what doesn't. But in general the point of this is to reduce traffic, so of course most people cannot be exempt.

if it does reduce traffic materially, i am all for it. when i moved to my house in 2013, it was roughly 45 minutes down rt 1 into Boston. Pre-Covid, that was a cool 1:25 on a good day. its ~15 miles. if it cost me 4k a year to cut out 40 minutes each day each way, I'm in.

[robr2]

Originally Posted by Shizim

Didnt know that. thanks for the info.

I wonder how that would work. I can see Eastie, Chelsea, etc being core. but then it gets squirrelly as towns like Andover are right next to Lawrence (Lynn and Lynnfield). Hard to say one is core and one isn't unless you are going for a straight wealth tax. Which is a possibility.

IMHO, it should only be based on actually coming into parts of Boston, Cambridge, Somerville, Newton, Brookline. If I drive from Burlington and end my trip in Boston in the core zone, I would be charged. But if I'm simply taking 128 to Rt 2 into Belmont, I wouldn't be charged. OTOH, my wife who would exit at Assembly would pay the congestion charge.

I'm probably making a bad assumption, but I don't see many from Lynn driving into Boston and parking downtown for work.