Somerville Scout » Polls

Poll: Reverse Angle Parking on Bow Street

Somerville Scout — Tue, 01 May 2012 21:05:43 +0000

Parking in Somerville. We all have to endure it — and get ticketed for it — at one point or another. But the City is trying something new, announcing recently that Bow Street will be piloting a totally radical way of parking that might make life easier for everyone.

According to a City press release, Bow Street will soon be switching to a type of system known as “Head-Out Angled Parking.” It will reportedly increase available parking by 90 percent, in addition to “enhancing pedestrian and bicycle safety.” See illustration if your mind was just blown. Note how much easier it is to look out from your car to see if a bike or pedestrian or wild turkey is heading your way.

In addition to issuing diagrams, the City will also host an Open House to explain just what’s going on here at 6 p.m., May 2, at 13 Warren Ave.

What’s your take? Does this look like a good idea for the future of parking in Somerville? Or does this look like a nightmare? Take our poll, and/or leave your thoughts in the comment section below.

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Poll: Rack or Obstacle?

Somerville Scout — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 22:21:53 +0000

After what the City of Somerville says was a successful run last year, the bike corrals are back.

“Somerville is home to a large and growing number of bicycle commuters, recreational riders and residents who use their bikes as everyday transportation,” Sarah J. Spicer, senior transportation planner in the Mayor’s Office of Strategic Planning and Community Development said in a press release. “We experimented last year with bike corrals on Bow Street and Elm Street, and they were an immediate hit. With more corrals in more key locations, the City is making good on its commitment to promote and support safe bicycle ridership as a green and healthy alternative to driving—in every neighborhood in Somerville.”

This year, the corrals are now in 10 spots, including:

• Broadway, East Somerville – Mudflat Studios

• Broadway, Ball Square

• Union Square, near the Plaza

• Medford Street, Magoun Square

• Somerville Avenue (Union Square)

• College Avenue at Powderhouse Circle

• Bow Street, Union Square (re-install)

• Elm Street, Davis (re-install)

• Broadway, Winter Hill

• Broadway, Teele Square

Spicer adds that OSPCD worked with the Traffic and Parking Department to ”ensure that there’s no adverse impact on parking supply for vehicles.”

We’re wondering what your experience has been so far. Are you a biker relieved to see these back in use, or a driver who sees one fewer parking space in your neighborhood? Let us know what you think by taking our poll or leaving a comment.

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Poll: Ground McGrath?

Somerville Scout — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 21:00:47 +0000

Somerville has struggled with a slowly falling apart McGrath Highway overpass for years. Noting the continuing deterioration, the state is looking at what to do about it.

MassDOT recently shared preliminary findings in a study titled “Grounding McGrath: Determining the Future of the Route 28 Corridor.” The study notes that the City’s position has been made clear.

“The City of Somerville has expressed a desire to modify McGrath Highway from its current ‘other freeway’ classification to a street more like a boulevard by de-elevating the McCarthy Overpass,” MassDOT’s project page notes. “The City believes this change would facilitate east-west movement by current Somerville residents and visitors, reconnect bisected neighborhoods, and also create a more attractive environment for redevelopment along the corridor.”

What do you think? Is it time for the overpass to de-elevate? Do you remember when McGrath didn’t split the city?

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Poll: Comittee or Ordinance?

Somerville Scout — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 16:10:51 +0000

Somerville activists have taken to City Hall several times in support of local hiring, including this 2010 rally.

Mayor Joseph Curtatone’s recently announced Local Jobs Committee comes in the wake of a long-running campaign by union organizers and other labor activists in Somerville to pressure the City to adopt a local hiring ordinance.

The ordinance, proposed last year in the Board of Aldermen, would require Somerville residents be given preference for jobs stemming from projects that receive subsidies from the City. Curtatone has said he would not support such regulations, but the Local Jobs Committee is tasked with finding ways to increase local hiring in the city.

Does the idea of the committee sound promising to you? Or would you rather see more direct action? Sound off in the comments or take our weekly poll.

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Poll: Street Sweeping Tickets

Somerville Scout — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 21:18:08 +0000

With the return of street sweeping season, and the announcement of the City of Somerville’s new street sweeping alert service, we’re wondering how many tickets you’re counting on this year.

Take our poll below to give your estimate. Feel free to expand on your prediction in the comments, or comment on how useful you’ve found the alert service to be so far.

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Poll: Was Ocean State Job Lot the Answer for Winter Hill?

Somerville Scout — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 10:44:16 +0000

The former site of the Winter Hill Star Market remains unused.

The site of the former Winter Hill Star Market has sat empty for five years, and a dispute between landowner James Cohen has been ongoing since he tried to bring in discount retailer Ocean State Job Lot as a tenant in 2010.

Cohen’s lawsuit against the city, stemming from a Planning Board decision that rejected the Job Lot proposal, states that not only were the zoning regulations used to justify the decision wrong but that the real basis for the rejection was pressure from Mayor Joseph Curtatone.

Last week the Board of Aldermen asked the Curtatone Administration for an update on the situation, with Alderman-at-Large Bill White noting, “Evidently [the owner] decided to go forward with this [litigation] and they’re not entertaining anybody else coming in as a tenant.”

What’s your take? Was the Planning Board decision the right move? Is the empty lot worse than a Job Lot? Answer our weekly poll, or feel free to leave a comment.

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Poll: In Your Backyard?

Somerville Scout — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 22:59:22 +0000

The former Somerville Boys & Girls Club

The building that formerly housed the Somerville Boys & Girls Club could become the Somerville Community Corporation’s next affordable housing project. After purchasing the building in February, the group has shared plans for a 40-unit complex for low income residents.

The plan is controversial. At a recent community meeting, some said Union Square already has its fair share of affordable housing, and that other development is needed for the square to thrive. A community group called Union Square Rising is also accusing the SCC of playing on class warfare to get the project approved.

What do you think? Is Union Square in danger of becoming unaffordable for working families? Should the SCC be looking to Davis Square instead? Take our poll, and let us know what you think in the comment section.

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Poll: Your GLX Prediction

Somerville Scout — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 21:00:16 +0000

While planning work is still underway for the Somerville Green Line Extension –a meeting about stops in Ball Square and College Avenue (Medford) is scheduled for March 21 — the delays seem to keep coming.

It appears that at least the first phase of the planned extension may be finished on schedule, but when will all of Somerville’s planned stops be finished?

Take our weekly poll, or sound off in the comment section.

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Poll: The New Cambridge?

Somerville Scout — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 17:15:51 +0000

Flickr photo by andresmh

Boston Magazine recently published its Best Places to Live list, including Somerville among 14 Boston area cities and towns.

Good news, right? Depends on whether you believe Somerville is “the feistier younger sister to the People’s Republic,” as the listicle puts it, or whether you wish it weren’t true. Take our Weekly Poll and let us know what you think the comments.

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Poll: Increasing Safety or Racism?

Somerville Scout — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 03:00:49 +0000

Somerville-based immigrant advocacy group Centro Presente is protesting new legislation that would prevent undocumented immigrants from being employed and receiving social security, requires them to pay out-of-state college tuition fees and asks police to check the immigration status of drunk drivers.

What’s your take on S. 2061? Take our poll, and feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments section.

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