Dan Dunn’s Podium

I got to the Alewife platform this morning at about 11:10, as a train was pulling out. There was a second train there, empty, doors closed. It looked like it was going out if service. I waited on the platform with a few dozen others.
Another train came in. Everyone unloaded.  Immediately, the loud departure warning [...]

Alewife station is such a dump.  Every time it rains the lobby is littered with bowls, small trash barrels, and giant, rolling trash barrels, each centered under a leak.  Most of them are overflowing.
I confess that I drove to Alewife today, rather than bike – the heavy rain turned me into a wuss.  At 9AM, [...]

With much fanfare, the MBTA announced the availablility of secure bike racks at Alewife station two weeks ago.  At the time I was guardedly optimistic, but worried about maintenance.  I should have know better; the MBTA can’t keep anything in working order.  How secure is a bike cage with a door that won’t close?

I first [...]

The T blew up a few bike racks at Alewife over the summer. There has been construction activity at the old locations. There have been a lot of bikes locked to railings with the remaining bike racks overflowing.
Today I rolled up to the remaining bike racks and a couple security guards were passing out pamphlets [...]

The Universal Hub has another story about photographers being harassed by the MBTA police. I’ve had it happen to me; I never got around to blogging about it. Suffice it to say there is a police report somewhere in MBTA land where it’s documented that I own a camera and I take pictures [...]

It’s hard for me to characterize the MBTA’s most recent insanity: Are they in denial about their security problems? Or are they so disconnected from reality that they think they can hide their security problems? Let’s explore the question.
First, a review of recent events: Three MIT students study the MBTA’s security and prepare [...]

Yesterday morning I woke up, rolled out of bed, and checked the news. Boston.com was reporting a disabled train on the Longfellow Bridge, and lots of busing.
Today the Globe has a story about the summer of discontent on the Red Line. Key quote from Lydia Rivera, a T spokeswoman: “People that choose to [...]