Centers And Squares
Feels Like Summer
Snowbound bike in Harvard Square
It feels like summer … well, maybe spring in Cambridge this weekend. It’s been a welcome reprieve from snow and cold temperatures for a couple of days. Funny how high 30s and low 40s can seem so warm.
Many Cambridge residents took advantage of the milder temperatures and finally started digging out cars encased in several feet of icy snow.
This bicyclist however has yet to get back on the road. Wise move probably – many streets still don’t have full lanes cleared yet making city bike riding even more treacherous than usual.
Segways in Cambridge
Cambridge Segway riders by City Hall
Segways in Cambridge I did a double take when I saw this group of Segway riders near City Hall in Cambridge today. Given their yellow vests and where they were at first I thought it was a new mode of transportation for municipal employees.
Turns out that Segway tours are offered in Cambridge by Boston Gliders. I wouldn’t mind taking the tour in order to test drive one of these. Not sure if I can sign on if the helmet’s required – never mind the vest – ugh. I grew up in the era of three-speed bikes and no helmets and have yet to don protective headgear.
Segways look like fun though. They seem like a great option for real estate agents – we spend a lot of time in city traffic – errands to the fire station, property showings around town, visits to the Registry of Deeds – a Segway seems like just the ticket. And I’ve long had a vision of 75 Cambridge real estate agents zipping around the city on Segways for our weekly tour of new listings – but my coworkers will take some convincing.
Longfellow House On The New Cambridge Parking Sticker
Longfellow House on the new Cambridge parking sticker
Longfellow House On The New Cambridge Parking Sticker I love the new picture of the Longfellow House on Brattle Street that’s on the 2010 Cambridge parking sticker.
Jim Landfried took the winning photo in the 2010 Resident Parking Permit Photo Contest. There’s a slideshow with all of the entrants on the city’s website – more than 80 beautiful photos of Cambridge through the seasons.
Tomorrow is the last day to get your parking sticker – or risk a ticket on Monday.
To get a Cambridge parking permit you need:
- Your current automobile registration showing your car garaged at your Cambridge address
- $8.00 and money to pay any outstanding parking tickets
- A current utility bill sent to you at your Cambridge address – or –
- Two pieces of current mail sent to you at your Cambridge address (magazines don’t count)
The name on your proof of residence mail or bills must match the name on your vehicle registration.
The Traffic and Parking Department is at 344 Broadway, Cambridge MA 02139
Don’t forget – tomorrow’s Friday so the office is only open from 8:30 am to noon. Get there early and get in line.
TROMP – Cambridge Transportation Program
Maybe you noticed the TROMP banner outside Harvard Square and wondered what the heck is TROMP? I know I did when I spotted the button at right at Cambridge City Hall. Turns out it’s a new Cambridge transportation program.
TROMP stands for Travel Responsibility Outreach and Mentoring Project. It’s a collaboration of city departments, local organizations and citizens. The aim of the year-long project is to educate all who travel in and through Cambridge – by foot, by bike, and by car – about how to do so responsibly.
Getting around Cambridge can be a challenge. Jaywalking gets worse and worse, bicycles can be both a menace and a vulnerable target of careless or aggressive drivers, and when not stuck in traffic cars sometimes drive as though Cambridge’s streets are a raceway. Everybody’s got stories including my family – my dad was hit by a bike on the sidewalk, my mother knocked to the ground by a car in Porter Square.
Cambridge is always working on improving travel in the city. Traffic calming street modifications, marked bike lanes, newly modified crossing signals. TROMP hopes “to alter the culture of traffic in Cambridge Massachusetts” according to the group’s website (hint: click the letters on their homepage) through four phases – orientation, education, warning and enforcement. They’ll be meeting with community groups, talking to school kids, distributing flyers, and encouraging participation. Let’s hope they’re successful.
Here’s a video about TROMP:
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