June 12-13: Food trucks at Seven Hills Park, cafe tables in closed "slip lane" by Mike's

[ron_newman]

As part of a Somerville By Design "Public Realm Pilot" experiment, there will be food trucks on Meacham Road next to Seven Hills Park this Sunday and Monday:

• Sunday 6/12: Tenoch, 11 am - 8 pm (this coinicides with the Squeezebox Slam)
• Monday 6/13: Tenoch, 11 am - 8 pm; Pennypacker's, 4-8 pm

Also, the left-turn "slip lane" in front of Mike's and Blue Shirt Cafe will be closed to traffic both days, to make room for cafe tables.

Comments

[guthmeister.livejournal.com]

I'm curious to know what people thought of the City's "closed slip lane" experiment yesterday and today. I navigate Davis Square's "mother of all intersections" on foot several times a day. I fully expected to enjoy one less lane to "Frogger" my way across, but I found the closure (of the so-called "slip lane" in front of Mike's) disconcerting. Maybe it was the newness? Maybe it was the seeming overabundance of seating options with tables at Mike's and Blue Shirt Cafe so close? (Although, granted, the new tables were in neutral territory -- as in no purchase needed to sit and relax.) Maybe it was the angry and confused motorists trying to figure out what the hell happened to the left turn lane? I can't put my finger on it but something didn't gel for me about that little experiment in urban planning. Did anyone else have a positive or negative experience?

[ron_newman]

Nobody was sitting at the new tables at 6 pm, but people were using them when I returned at 8:30. I also saw people using them yesterday.

[boblothrope.livejournal.com]

I'd like the city to reprogram the light to get rid of the all-way walk, and let pedestrians cross with the parallel green. This would save a lot of time and aggravation for everyone.

The easiest way to do this would involve keeping the slip lane, and letting pedestrians cross from the slip lane island to Oath Pizza during Highland's green. Pedestrians wouldn't have to cross any stream of traffic, except the slip lane which is easy to cross today as an unsignalized crosswalk.