MGNA: Medford Green Line Neighborhood Alliance

That is the question posed on the blog Good.Is.

Part of the reason, according to the post, is that a huge proportion of our food subsidies go to meat while only 0.37 percent go to fruits and vegetables.

That makes meat and dairy artificially cheap, so we end up consuming more of it than we should, and getting fatter.

Just think how much healthier our public transportation systems would  be if most of the federal subsidies didn’t go to highways.

Good to see that the Boston Globe has assigned one of its top young reporters, Eric Moskowitz, to the transportation beat, replacing Noah Bierman, who is moving to politics.

Moskowitz should be familiar to Globe readers in Medford, as he started with the paper as a reporter for the former Globe Northwest edition and wrote about the Green Line debate in Medford as well as covered some of the many project meetings.

Best wishes to Bierman on his new assignment. In addition to his strong daily reporting, he added depth to the Sunday Starts & Stops column, keeping it a must-read in the tradition of former Globe transportation reporters Tom Palmer and Mac Daniel.

Of course, Bierman had plenty of material to work with over the last 2.5 years, as he notes in his final Starts & Stops column.

- Ken Krause

An e-mailer to MGNA writes:

“I am a resident of Medford and I work at 200 Boston Avenue. I agree that the Green Line extension to Medford would be a good project. [But] to bring it all the way to Route 16 would show ignorance of traffic and safety on the area and a complete disregard for the residents and  workers in that area who would be displaced and/or suffer through the long and  extended construction period. I see accidents every week at that intersection already and it does NOT need the additional traffic and the unbelievable inconvenience to the entire area.”

MGNA Responds:

You are right that the area in question is fraught with traffic problems. The Draft Environmental Impact Report on the Green Line extension quantified the gravity of the situation: Of the 26 intersections studied in the Green Line project area, Route 16/Boston Avenue had the second highest daily traffic volume — almost 29,000 vehicles, second only to McGrath-O’Brien Highway.

But that is exactly the reason FOR putting a Green Line station at Route 16, rather that to NOT put one there.

Let us explain what may seem to be a counterintuitive position:

1. The addition of Green Line service will result in fewer cars on the road, not more. The Environmental Impact Study estimates that of the 8,900 new daily riders on the line, 70 percent of them will be switching from auto mode.

2. All the stations are designed with NO parking structures; rather, they are catered to people who will get there by foot, by bicycle, and by existing bus routes.

3. There are almost 10,000 people living with a half-mile (10-minute) walk of the Route 16 station. In addition, two multi-use paths (walk/bike) are being planned to lead directly to the station. The first, from the Alewife/Arlington side, just was approved for stimulus funds. The other, which will follow the Mystic River toward Wellington, will be the next to be built. These safe walking/biking options will encourage people to not drive to Davis Square, Alewife or Wellington Station to take the T, but rather walk to the Green Line.

4. A terminus station at College Avenue would result in even MORE traffic coming through Boston Ave./Route 16 than at present. That’s because not only will those 10,000 people in the area not have the opportunity to walk to the Route 16 station, but they and others will travel by auto THROUGH Boston Ave./Route 16 to get to the College Avenue station (many being dropped off/picked up).
Yes, there will be some pickup/dropoff activity at a Route 16 station, but less than at a College Avenue terminus because of the far superior walk/bike/bus access to thousands of more people at Route 16 (not bike/walk paths serve College Ave. station)

5. There is also high potential for ridership TO the Route 16 station, especially for employees at the 196, 200 and 222 Boston Avenue buildings, and shoppers at Whole Foods Market, who could avoid driving to this area with the addition of convenient transit service (the #80 bus takes 30 minutes to get from Lechmere Station to Boston Ave./Route 16; the Green Line would cover that distance in 12 minutes).

6. A terminus station at Route 16 would be accompanied by numerous roadway improvements that would improve traffic flow and safety, including the addition of a turning lanes, signalization changes, and a complete reconstruction of the dangerous (especially for pedestrians) rotary at Mystic Valley Parkway and Alewife Brook Parkway. NONE of these improvements will be undertaken if the extension terminates at College Avenue.

7. MassDOT has stated that is has a design for the Route 16 station that does not require the removal of any buildings except the U-Haul (which by itself will reduce the amount of auto/truck traffic at the area). MGNA has produced a similar design. So, no businesses or employees at Route 16 need to be displaced, no tax revenue lost to the city. In fact, these properties will become even more highly valued, more lucrative to the city, and more attractive places to work, with the addition of direct Green Line service to them. Also, no residents will be displaced by the Green Line extension, as no homes will be taken.

We understand your initial reaction to the Route 16 station and potential negative implications. We ask that you consider the findings of the Environmental Impact Report and the points above as the process moves forward.

- Medford Green Line Neighborhood Alliance