Thanks to positive resident feedback, the temporary one-ways in South Boston will be extended to June 1st, 2015. Initially, the one-way transportation reconfiguration was implemented in February due to a brutal winter with an end date of April 1st.
From a press release from Mayor Marty Walsh:
Over the next two months, the City will host two community meetings, one at the Condon Elementary School, and one at the Tynan Elementary School to determine if making the reconfiguration permanent is the appropriate decision for the neighborhood. The details of the meetings will be announced in the coming days.
“We’ve received a tremendous amount of positive feedback from South Boston residents about how the emergency reconfiguration has relieved traffic congestion and increased public safety,” said Mayor Walsh. “I look forward to engaging in a robust discussion with the community on the future of these neighborhood streets.”
South Boston residents are encouraged to reach out to the Mayor’s office with feedback about the reconfiguration by calling the Mayor’s hotline at 617-635-4500, or by leaving feedback for the Mayor’s South Boston liaison Eric Prentis at 617-635-2680,[email protected].
The new MBTA bus routes that were implemented in February will continue as well.
So there you have it, Southie! The one-ways will stay for a least two more months! Let us know what you think – take our poll: https://caughtinsouthie.com/poll/would-you-temporary-winter-2015-implemented-one-ways-stay-permanent
Community Meetings to Discuss One-Ways:
April 28, 2015, 6:30 p.m.
Condon Elementary School
200 D Street
May 6, 2015, 6:30 p.m.
Tynan Elementary School
650 E 4th Street
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Except for the fact that people don't follow them creating dangerous driving, especially on East 8th. Also it will be interesting since the 11 outbound is rerouted during the one ways. I wonder if people with disabilities or eldery like the fact that it is moved or has been a problem.
Interestingly enough, I no longer go to business down on the East side, like Emerson dry cleaning because I can't head that way on East 8th and I hate going through the light at West/East Broadway. I found another cleaners. It has definitely changed the businesses I use.
549 votes in a town of 50,000 people is a tremendous amount of feedback?
I would like the one way reconfiguration to be permanent, with some changes to allow residents better access from Day Blvd. and Columbia rd. One thing that should be done immediately is better signage. East Eighth is supposed to be one way but cars are constantly driving the wrong way, eastbound, day and night.
assuming the bus stops are staying on broadway and not going back to 4th?
This is terrible – the one ways make getting around South Boston a huge pain. Hoping this doesn't stick.
I guess Caught in Southie now makes policy in South Boston. Kudos to you guys for making your mark. I find the weight given to this informal poll to very troublesome. It excludes the vast majority of South Boston Residents who don't participate in this poll. Frankly the older generation is almost completely unawre of CIS, let alone participating in informal polls. With one stroke of the pen and no meetings our way of life has been completely changed. Very disappointing.
There is so much less congestion with one ways. Safer for drivers, pedestrians and families. If made permanent people will be more likely to respect the change. Great initiative.
I agree with the above, I do not go to some stores anymore because they are a hassle to get to.
Hope the one ways dont last! clogs broadway & other main streets, makes it much tougher to get around southie also if we have even half the construction we did last spring itll make it all that much worst. Since they started the one ways Ive seen people still going both ways
Some pretty weak pushback here, commenters. @firstpost, were the elderly and disabled from other streets consulted when east 8th was chosen for the route? @last post, read the article, there will be town meetings to discuss the permanent nature so neither CIS nor the 549 sample set is determining policy. Lastly, one ways with diagonal parking will make our neighborhoods safer and easier to park in. Two way streets leads to tight passing and the horrific habit of parking facing the wrong way on the opposite side of the street. Can't tell you how many times I've seen foolish people doing this then pulling out head on into on coming traffic. Every car parked the wrong way on the wrong side of a two way street should be ticketed.
Here are a few things you can look forward to if the one ways are kept permanent:
1.) Cars whipping around corners at higher than normal rates of speed- yes, it is already happening. This puts pedestrians in danger
2.) People who are already driving distracted with cell phones are going to graduate from nuisance to outright dangerous. With (in their mind anyway) nothing to look up for i.e. traffic coming in the opposite direction, their faces will stay glued to their phones longer and they will feel more comfortable doing it–both not good
3.) People will naturally go faster–not good for anyone.
I hate that these 'polls' are continuously cited. The majority of residents do not frequent these websites. Also everyone was under the assumption that streets would become two-way on April 1st, they had no reason to voice support of the streets returning to their original structure because they assumed it was a forgone conclusion.
Also how can this possibly reduce traffic? A short trip to two blocks over has now caused me two drive on two additional streets, not to mention it increases my usage of the main streets, which are normally congested (Broadway, Dorchester Street, D Street, L Street).
So the already underserved MBTA customers east of L st can now walk even further to catch their busses in the morning? thanks a lot.
…is not a reason to stop the one ways. More signs can be put up, tickets issued, etc. That should not have any bearing on what happens.
If we can get more parking, that will solve the single biggest issue on everyone's complaint list (young and old, CIS poll participants and non-participants).
As the Mayor's Office said, show up at the meeting and decide for yourself based on what is proposed. If you don't show up, it's just like voting – you lose your right to complain later.
Are you seriously dumb enough to think a CIS poll has anything to do with city policy?
The Transportation workers who are installing permanent sign posts with one way signs told me that the program is being made permanent and the two planned meetings are a farce.
As a member of the 'older generation' I am aware of CIS (50+ years). I'm not sure where anyone would think that they set policy around here. It's an informal poll.
I contacted the Mayor's office and told them I think the reconfigured one-way streets is a good idea and it should be permanent.
I would recommend that anyone who feels strongly about it, regardless of what their opinion is, to contact City Hall and let them know. People contact them about many other things. Why not this?
It doesn't matter what the community thinks the Mayor office ( just like Menino's administration) is going to do what's best for the developers not the community
The bus driver on the #11 drove the beach on the way back into Southie. She had no idea where to stop since there are no bus stop signs. I told her to let me off at L Street…then I had to cross Day Blvd. I think this is a dangerous route change. What haopens when it is dark out…someone is going to get hit by a car…or even worse…killed by a car trying to cross the street from the beach. Then I had to walk 2 long extra blocks back to my house. What were they thinking.
okay great it will allow more parking. you know what the means: more cars. Now we are going to have double the amount of cars on the streets and now more congestion trying to get around southie. With the one ways it filters people to all the main intersections to get to where they are trying to go. Takes double the amount of time trying to get where you want to go and then add all the extra cars?? It's a bad idea. If you allow for more cars people are only going to bring their cars in the city. And it's not necessary. If you looked around during the winter how many people didn't even touch their cars for MONTHS. Boston is a small city. Public transportation is easily accesible. Leave the streets the way they are. People moving into the South Boston already know that the parking issue comes with the territory. It's a bad idea.
I have a lot more complaints about the one ways, but I'll save them for the community meeting. Not like it's going to matter the Mayor is going to do whatever he wants. Doesnt care about what the community actually thinks.
South End has the exact same grid layout….go try the one ways there.
I called the Mayor's Hotline in regards to Walsh's following quote:
"We've received a tremendous amount of positive feedback from South Boston residents about how the emergency reconfiguration has relieved traffic congestion and increased public safety."
I asked for the number of callers who were in favor and the number who were opposed. I was told by the city worker answering the call that "We are not really keeping stats." I asked how the Mayor could make that claim without anyone keeping a tally. She that the Eric Prentiss maybe keeping a list but she wasn't sure. I asked if she could have someone call me back who could answer definitively as to whether or not Eric or anyone else at City Hall is actually keeping a tally. It has now been more than a week and no one has called me back.
Also, I do not know how this possibly could relieve traffic congestion. Logic would suggest that if you have a limited amount of roadway with a given number of vehicles and you increase the distance travelled for a car to get from Point A to Point B, then you would have more drivers on the road at a given point in time than you would have had in the past.
Guessing from your response that you do not take the T and that your household unit has more than one vehicle on the road – thus the need for diagonal parking.
The #11 bus now "dumps" its passengers along the beach. There are only lights and crosswalks from the beach at "G", "I", and "L" Street. For safe crossing, either the elderly have to get off at one of those stops and walk additional blocks or take the #9 bus that will add even more walking distance.
Also, have you been on the beach after 10:00 at night? Even during the summer months that stretch of land can be quite deserted. How safe do you think young women feel after being dumped on the beech after midnight during winter?
As for the safety that one way streets provide, are you not aware that all South Boston streets are not one way? On West Seventh Street, from "D" to "B" Street, the MBTA is running buses in both directions.
Lastly, why are we punishing commuters who utilize the T to travel to and from work? The #11 bus (heading toward City Point) instead of turning left onto 8th Street now has to travel further down Dorchester Street, merge with the congested traffic at Old Colony (commuters heading out of Boston) and sit in that congested traffic until it hits the rotary and can turn left. Not only have we made the commute longer for these T riders, we have now added to the congestion on Dorchester Street and Old Colony Ave as well as at the intersection of these two streets -a stretch of road that is unbearable beginning with the early commuters entering and exiting our city and ending with those drivers who make up the tail end of the commute.
To believe that changing the direction travelled on our streets will "fix" our problem with congestion, traffic, and parking is simply ludicrous!
If this is a poll my vote is against this over reach by the clueless politicians who will never get another vote from me. You listening Linehan? Another point, Telegraph Street was never even listed on the original streets to be converted to one way. Didn't matter once they started they were drunk with power. Makes no sense for traffic flow around Dorchester Heights, just st makes it more difficult to get around and making hundreds of cars access Telegraph by traversing Mercer Street which is narrow and I am sure will lead to more accidents. The real bottom line is that this poor solution is to a problem created by Mayor Walsh and the other politicians because of their poor planning and utter incompetence in dealing with the snow.
One Way Streets: You are SO correct! I have ALWAYS thought exactly that! In trying to get from A to B, if one cannot do it simply (via as many 2-way streets as possible), then it DOES, of course, keep one in the traffic LONGER than necessary! A bad, illogical idea, as you state.