Jul
31
Bikes vs parking
Posted by nathanael. Filed Under bikes, parking, transit | 2 Comments
If you’re interested in local transit issues you might want to take a minute to read a thoughtful post from Aaron on the bike lane/parking situation on North Harvard Ave.
I’m not entirely supportive of his main premise that removing N. Harvard spots for a bike lane will by necessity force all those cars into the neighborhood. This may happen to some extent, but it’s as easy to imagine a scenario where some of that parking burden disappear with reduced demand by commuters making use of the new more liveable street. When people see parking along main streets, they tend to associate that place in their mind as a future option when they choose to drive. No visible parking means no mental association, they well may choose to take the bus or train or bike next time. And given there are currently 50-60 cyclists per hour a 10-20% increase in that number during daylight hours would offset the loss of those spots. As for the parking/bike lane/traffic/no turn lane option, that’s not without it’s own added risk. Per John Allen -
“When the city constructs a bike lane that instructs people to ride in the door zone, it is responsible for the dooring problem to some degree.”
Aaron’s other point about enforcement of parking in the new bike lane itself is of course spot on. Failure to enforce leaves both violation money on the table and puts the people using those lanes at risk. It may be the community just has to ask for enforcement at first given then change in acceptable behavior. District 14 of the BPD can be reached at 617-343-4260. The Office of Parking Control is at 617-635-4410.
Jul
30
“Protecting” us from mutants
Posted by nathanael. Filed Under photos, vandalism | Leave a Comment
Whose side are you on, exactly?
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from Bradley.
Jul
29
the calculus of attraction
Posted by nathanael. Filed Under photos | Leave a Comment
A small poem for your Wednesday, ok?
Jul
24
Katamari Alleycat
Posted by nathanael. Filed Under bikes | Leave a Comment
And speaking of good logo design (& in honor of the time trials yesterday in the Tour de France), here’s some sort of mysteriso bike race in Fenway with TBD course that may or may not hit Allston. 8/22.
Jul
24
Twang and Awe
Posted by nathanael. Filed Under bars, events, music | Leave a Comment
I really like the design on this poster & the music’s up my alley so I’ll throw up something about A Night of Twang and Awe. It’s this Tuesday (7/28) at Great Scott, from Ryan’s Smashing Life.
Featuring -
- Trucker Mouth (great album art btw)
- Kingley Flood (I dig these guys)
- Filligar
- The Rationales (less great album art)
Jul
23
There’s already singing.
Posted by nathanael. Filed Under bars, music | Leave a Comment
The Allston Civic Association (who inexplicably don’t have a website) nevertheless somehow managed to meet in person last Monday to give approval to the Joshua Tree’s request to start having live music on Wednesdays and Sundays. Expectations about the quality of said music should be held aggressively in check until assumptions based on the clientele’s alcoholic douchbaggery can be proven incorrect.
Jul
23
District 9: Human or Non-Human
Posted by nathanael. Filed Under politics | 2 Comments
Nan Davis leaves an interesting comment over on Brighton Centered clarifying why the Ward 21 Committee failed to re-endorse Mark Ciommo (or endorse any of the other District 9 City Councilor candidates) prior to the upcoming municipal primary.
I do not attribute a great deal of significance to the lack of an endorsement. It simply means that no one candidate received two-thirds of the votes, which are by-laws require for us to make an endoresement [sic]. There have been times in the past when the committee has not made an endorsement because no candidate received 2/3 of the votes. We always try to make endorse candidates – it’s one of our most important functions. But when there are several strong candidates, committee members may disagree, as we did in this situation.
As I don’t know enough at this point to make any sort of adult informed decision on this you’ll understand my disappointment to find out that this tremendously horrible Tug-a-Lug Thug video of Chris Crocker vamping around was not made by Ben Narodick, the youngest & only potentially amusing option. That right there is the kind of quality craftsmanship that would have earned him an admiring nod, at the very least.
Regardless, if you’d rather vote based on “issues” or “horribly lit photographs” feel free to peruse the possible options. Alex Selvig, Mark Ciommo, Abigail Furey and Benjamin Narodick.
Jul
20
Common Ground
Posted by nathanael. Filed Under bars, photos | Leave a Comment
I’m a sucker for HDR so was interested in this photo set of the shiney new grime-free Common Ground.
Jul
17
Hip Hop ConnXion Boston
Posted by nathanael. Filed Under class, dance | 2 Comments
Hip Hop ConnXion Boston is having a class tonight at 8pm, Mass Motion.
If you haven’t heard of HHCB, you should – they’re one of the up-and-coming groups in the New England scene, including members of groups such as Wrush & Ridonkulous.
By the end you’ll be doing something like this.
Jul
17
Menino’s kit
Posted by nathanael. Filed Under events | Leave a Comment
Last month I posted something about the paucity of Taste of Allston photo coverage on flickr. Allston Village Main Streets got around to fixing that yesterday, uploading this 140 shot set of the festivities. My favorite is this one of the mayor sitting in with some band, which I like mostly because the expression on the face of the red-panted guy in the background (presumably the real drummer) who was displaced for photo purposes. He’s all, mrrrrrr.
