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In light of day, Parks Department says, no, Boston Common is not a hellhole and all remain welcome
By adamg on Mon, 08/09/2021 - 2:38pm
Karyn Regal at WBZ Newsradio asked the Parks Department and Kim Janey if they really believe the Common should best be avoided by decent people, as somebody claiming to be from Parks and Rec responded to a 311 complaint yesterday.
No, Parks and Rec said today, don't believe what they posted on 311 last night:
The comments posted on 311 in response to the inquiry on Boston Common do not reflect the values of the Parks & Recreation Department. We work every day to ensure parks are clean, safe, and welcoming for residents and visitors. All people are welcome in Boston parks.
We ask park users to continue to contact us when parks need attention and to call 911 for any emergencies.
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Comments
Pay no attention
to that man behind the curtain. Harrumph. Harrumph.
So which is it - "All people
So which is it - "All people are welcome in Boston Parks", or "Boston does not welcome you here. Boston does not want you here. "
por que no los dos
City officials are in charge of sending the former message, and the townsfolk are charged with communicating the latter.
Beware of fecal agitation
You didn't smell it in time and stepped into this one. Refugee loves to stir shit. You may be certain that the "not welcome here" message was made by a city official, no doubt in response to a hate group or supporters of same intent on showing their ass in Boston. Now that you've responded, Refugee will gleefully pounce with a quotation that fits the narrative above, which in his view is a violation of important free dumbs rather than a commonsense sentiment that would be issued by any decent person when confronted by hate groups.
Refugee will gleefully pounce
Do you mean like this?
FLUSH!
The Commons is safe during the day
When it gets dark your on your own. Stay clear of the bandstand and wear good running shoes.
Commons?
Which college dining hall or suburban shopping center should I avoid?
Please stop.
Please stop.
Boston COMMON.
Not COMMONS.
The Tempest
Too true! They've been staging Shakespeare's "The Tempest" across from the Bandstand after dark all month, and the crowds of people sitting in the grass to watch it have been TERRIFYING! :-)
Well, it's a pretty terrifying play
Full fathom five thy father lies,
Of his bones are coral made;
Those are pearls that were his eyes,
Nothing of him but doth fade,
But doth suffer a sea-change
Into something rich and strange.
Drowned relatives transforming into sea-monsters! Creepy stuff. Not to mention a vengeful sorcerer, an airy spirit, and a hideous and deformed slave.
Ahem
Those who pluralize Common in reference to the Boston Common are not welcome here.
I wouldn't let my 14yr old go to the Common
After 5pn..
And I trust the parks department's assessment more than the politicians
Meanwhile
I have no issue biking through or around it at pretty much any time.
Um
Bikes aren’t allowed in the Common.
I did see the nice paths around it recently. Great upgrade.
Yes they are
You're wrong. It's the Public Garden where they aren't allowed.
No, you’re wrong. Biking is
No, you’re wrong. Biking is not allowed in the common. Whether that is enforced is another matter.
Have you missed the big symbols stenciled on to the pavement
entering the Common.
Bikes are very much banned in the common.
https://bostoncyclistsunion.org/boston-common-bike-ban-continues-131-yea...
That lbb is always right, I
That lbb is always right, I wouldn't argue with them.
Technically
Although every time they want to enforce this it seems to evaporate and the little symbols wear out and the city backs off three steps.
It is a cute little dance where:
1. Someone for some reason decides that enforcement is a good idea
2. The cycling community says "fair enough, BUT..."
3. The cycling community demands civilized country bypass solutions, such as a bidirectional bike lane around the common (rather than fifteen car lanes that go mostly unused) and a two-way lane on Charles St.
4. The city officials blink, claim they never meant to blah, call off the dogs, hope it all goes away again, etc.
Funny how activism works. The last time they bothered was 2014 or so when there was a big concert (which I attended, and it did not have the kind of bike valet or even any parking areas that most big urban events have). The last time I biked through there I asked a cop if it was okay and he shrugged and waved me on.
Um, nope
I kind of saw your argument back in the day, but the Common is now ringed by bike lanes, including a bike path on Boylston Street and Charles Street. Perhaps you should bike more.
Now, if you want to concentrate on that victory rather than saying that being a scofflaw is okay so long as you are on 2 wheels, all the better, because that is what true activism is.
An addendum
You made a good correction as I posted my response, so my response was a bit off. I'm leaving mine for the date stamp.
Fair enough.
Fair enough.
I last was there when I picked up my official work computer in April. I did use the new lanes.
It is appalling how little connectivity there is between where the bike lanes on the bridges meet Boston and the actual destinations of tens of thousands of workers. I'm so glad that the Giant Horses Ass that is Marty Walsh was sent packing. Now we just need a wrecking ball for those stupid brick structures on Cambridge street ...
One is making assumptions
Those lanes were installed during the Walsh administration. But hey, if you didn't like him, you shouldn't have voted for him.
I have to admit that I've only seen the lanes on the Boylston Street side. Between the Common and the Public Garden, there was definitely room for making the changes. Pre-pandemic, I did grab a Hubway from MIT to Mass Ave Station. There definitely was connectivity at the Boston end of the bridge.
One can vote for someone one doesn't like
and it can be a very rational decision.
I think I was too subtle with that jab
She didn't vote for Connolly or Jackson, either.
I felt fine seeing Shakespeare on the Common last month
other than the two torrential rainstorms that first delayed and then interrupted the show that I went to.
One of the things I warn her about
Is people not following rules and riding bikes through there....:)
Probably ought to also warn her...
Probably ought to also warn her to read the actual rules and not listen to her old pop's rambling and confused take on what they are. Bikes may be ridden on the Common.
Which rules?
Do you mean these rules (specifically 3 (e))?
Or do you mean that you know better than the rest of us, including the Parks Department itself?
I mean, it's not like this hasn't been discussed here before?
Cognitive dissonance
Huh.
Time to kick the skaters off the Frog Pond.
“ d) skate, or coast with a sled; “
Ooh, my head exploded!
RULES ARE A JOKE
‘Bike path'', a route for the *exclusive* use of bicycles separated by grade or other physical barrier from motor traffic.”
GET OFF THE DR. PAUL DUDLEY WHITE BIKE PATH UNLESS YOU ARE RIDING A BIKE!
The reason is that you can’t ride at a reasonable speed with iDeaf and other pedestrians.
And clueless oblivious humans that occupy that space who move into your path despite audible warnings. Or sometimes the same type riding bicycles, but they aren’t excluded unfortunately.
But it is also preposterous to ban pedestrians from this legally defined bike path.
The same regulation used to be in the MDC and early DCR regulation, not just the MGL definition.
So unenforced regulations can be your friend.
I'm Mom not Pops
And I'm definitely not old :)
Okay, dear
What's your route through the area on a bike?
Please share.
Sure biking through is
Sure biking through is generally going to be fine, I am doing it daily ~530 am and 130pm for my current jobsite. But you certainly have to pick and choose where to want to spend time if you choose to spend any time in the park itself. And if you are walking? Your a target. Leaving Park St this morning a homeless guy was trying to approach/bother a woman trying to walk through the park, she no doubt felt very safe in that interaction.
Maybe...
I went to the park to read under the tree the other day.
Put down a blanket, sat down and realized I was sitting next to an addict's used syringe. Not exactly what I want kids around...
Janey better reply before
Janey better reply before Campbell sends another "Acting @MayorKimJaney hasn’t responded, so I will" tweet.
Any honest person not running
Any honest person not running for mayor who visited the Boston Common this summer will confirm that it turned into a dump.
Keep pushing them out of the
Keep pushing them out of the methadone mile and they'll all end up in the Boston Common.