phantom tollbooths in Davis Sq. ...

[an-art-worker.livejournal.com]

apropos of nothing and not a serious proposal but I was thinking about sales taxes last night, the discussion of tolls on 93 south and something to do with all the border violence going on in the world these days. Suddenly I had this image of tollbooths/checkpoints on the roads entering Davis Sq. Weird but interesting to speculate on.

The growth in popularity of the sq. has brought higher rents and housing prices, higher prices in stores and bars and general gentrification. The city of Somerville and the property owners benefit but the residents don't. Would be interesting to have a toll that went to offset the costs of gentrification to people who actually live here.

Comments

[ukelele.livejournal.com]

I know we have had this discussion before so I'm sure my words are useless, but things you consider to be reasonable options are not necessarily things that other people consider to be reasonable options. Getting a better housing location may be prohibitively expensive (or may mean that other house residents are no longer near their jobs). Getting a different job is not exactly something to be tossed around flippantly -- some people are in jobs they love and, inconceivable as you apparently find this, happen to value that more than they value their mode of transportation. Some people (such as myself) are in industries that do not have a great many jobs and likely never will; should the entire industry die out in deference to your desire that people switch jobs? Some jobs (again, such as mine) are impossible to do by telecommuting.

I am fortunate enough to be able to live extremely close to my husband's job, and close enough to mine that I can usually bike it as long as the weather is not absurdly severe. But there is no public transportation access to my job, and it's much too far to walk, and I cannot telecommute or flextime or just not come in one day simply because there are conditions I don't feel safe biking in, so I need sometimes to have a car. (And I should note here that I am willing to bike in torrential downpours, significant cold, and snow. But I'm not willing to bike when it's cold enough that exposed skin frostbites in something too close to the length of my commute, or in snow that falls faster than plows can clear it, or in extremely high winds.) It is not feasible for me to live closer to my job (too expensive), or to switch jobs to one closer to my house (too few and not nearly as good).

In addition, I'm pregnant, and while I intend to keep bike commuting as long as I can, there may well become a point when it is neither possible nor safe. My speed and endurance and hill-climbing capacity are already significantly restricted, and many women experience balance problems which make bikes not safe, even if they are experienced riders.

Naturally, this means I will soon have an infant, and I will need to take the infant places. Infants cannot ride in bike seats or trailers until after a certain age. I cannot expose an infant to all the weather conditions I would be willing to bike in. Children cannot safely and independently get themselves places via public transportation, biking, or feet for some years. So the car will continue to be of use. I suppose you could step in at this point and argue that I shouldn't be having a child if it makes a car-free lifestyle harder, but I will laugh at you if you try that, because "motherhood" and "not owning a car" exist at such completely different points along my value spectrum that comparison is just ridiculous.

I'm in the process of buying a house in Somerville, and the car will come with us. I hope to be able to use it as little as possible, but that isn't "none".

I'm very glad for you that your life works out in such a way you are able to make sacrifices that other people would consider prohibitive (or such that for you they are not even sacrifices) in order to avoid owning a car, but your generalization of those experiences to everyone's is...not very credible. As someone who was car-free for about six years in Boston I ought to be the most sympathetic possible audience for you, and I wish I could be, but I can't, because you seem so profoundly unsympathetic to others' situations.

I want you to be happy!

[turil.livejournal.com]

I understand that everyone has different priorities, as I mentioned before. I'm just pointing out that sometimes we aren't aware of our own priorities and we assume that we don't have options that we really do. As I mentioned, the automobile industry is one of the most powerful entities out there in the political and media world, and alongside the energy industry spends most of their time and power creating more business by convincing the world that car ownershipliness is godliness :-)

I am absolutely sympathetic to other's situations and I'm sorry that that's not coming across for you. I had hoped that my statement "No one needs to be unhappy here, because there are so many diverse places in the world to live :-)" would clarify that my goal is to literally help everyone be happy.

Bike trailers for babies...

[turil.livejournal.com]

Oh, and on a side note, it is quite legal and safe for an infant, even a newborn, to ride in a bike trailer. The law only specifies that a child may not be carried on the bicycle itself (in a child seat, for example), but carring a baby in a secure trailer being towed by a bike is absolutely allowed.

You may not like the idea though, and that's cool. I just didn't want you to think that it wasn't a legitimate option.

Re: Bike trailers for babies...

[ukelele.livejournal.com]

That's not what I've heard when I ask people with baby trailers about their experiences; they say they're all designed for kids who have good head control, thus 6 months at least, and often they're sized for kids who are more 10+ months. Are you aware of trailers designed for younger kids, that can deal with the head control issue?

(I'm delighted with the thought of tossing a baby into a trailer and biking up Belmont Hill to get back in shape. ;) I just have not heard anyone yet say you can do that, and I tend to ask parents about their bike seats/trailers whenever practical these days.)

Re: Bike trailers for babies...

[turil.livejournal.com]

I'll ask my friends Joel and Lynn who are die hard cyclists and just had twins. I know they haven't been biking as much with the babies, but they probably know enough about the various options available.