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DCR loves cars: Memorial Drive this summer to return to just Sunday-only closings
By adamg on Tue, 04/04/2023 - 3:36pm
StreetsblogMass reports on yesterday's announcement by DCR that, despite a plea from the Cambridge City Council, this year it will only shut Memorial Drive to cars on Sundays, rather than for the entire weekend as it did back in the days when everybody cared about Covid-19 and fresh air and stuff.
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Comments
Thanks Healey
On topics like this I was hoping she'd be more amendable locals given she's a Cambridge resident herself. But apparently DCR remains the consolation prize for people who got rejected by MassDOT.
If there's another pandemic,
If there's another pandemic, will they close it for the whole weekend?
Interesting
A road will be used for its intended purpose.
ugh
If this is a sign of the direction of DCR under Healey they'll probably drain turtle pond before they'd consider reopening the blocked-off parking. Guessing dog parks are still going to be a non-starter despite plenty of great sites along the SW corridor etc. Definitely not what I was hoping for.
DCR, MDC by just another name
I hated the MDC and I hate the DCR now. I don't understand why the agency hasn't been blown up.
DCR
Department of Cars and Roads
Booooo.
Don't like.
Stop the presses
They’re letting people drive on Memorial DRIVE.
This can’t stand!
Shame
Queue the weird nun with the bell.
Pick up the phone
Call your legislator.
Call the governor: 725-4005
For god's sake, call the DCR: 626-1250, 360-1715
And don't stop.
Can't call, I'm driving.
Can't call, I'm driving.
What if Your Legislator is Marjorie Decker?
She won't make a public statement and won't respond to emails or phone calls from her constituents on this issue (or others).
My informed guess is she secretly supports this DCR move, but being a foot soldier for Ron Mariano, feels she can just keep it from the public if she feels like it.
Before forming your final
Before forming your final opinion, please look into what things were like on surrounding roads while Mem Drive was closed on Saturdays. I find it much more pleasant to bike on Putnam Ave now that there isn't a perpetual jam.
Why doesn't Cambridge have control over its own streets?
No state agency should have this degree of control over a local street.
This is almost as bad as the Postal Service and Dorchester Avenue.
Memorial Drive is not a local street.
It's a DCR Parkway.
I think that's their point
But I doubt Cambridge would want to take ownership of the street if offered as it would be a costly road to own.
There's nothing inherently wrong with DCR controlling it but they should treat it like a park drive and not a mini highway.
More importantly
It should defer to the community it's controlling the road within.
DCR: Hi, I'm the State and I own and control this road.
Cambridge: Hi, I'm the City/Town that has your road in it. We want your road closed to vehicles on certain weekends of the year.
DCR: No can do. I simply must have cars using this road on Saturdays.
Cambridge: Uh, I think I know better whether we've been fine without you doing that recently and it's not like opening the road on Saturdays has any benefit to you whatsoever. If anything, we're making it less convenient for people to get in/around our city...so why don't you let us handle the negatives?
DCR: Sorry, traffic incoming. We're the State. We decided.
Like is that how that goes?
Remember when they got rid of all the crosswalks?
DCR decided that it couldn't have a freeway where people who lived near the river couldn't get to the river without walking a mile and back.
Give Cambridge a portion of DCR's budget instead then
You can get rid of DCR and proportionally give the affected communities the funds to maintain DCR roads on their own. It's not like you get rid of DCR and then set their budget on fire.
Not local anymore, the state
Not local anymore, the state did steal it from Cambridge though, it was Cambridges to begin with. But as the state moved to prioritize suburban drivers over local use of parks and parkways it was taken by eminent domain (government theft) SImilar to why most of the land along the charles in Boston was converted to highway.
They have it backwards
The DCR should be holding regular hearing on whether to continue allowing cars to use Mem Drive, not the other way around. The state constitution says you can't appropriate parkland for other purposes without a 2/3 vote of the state legislature, usually with some concessions involved. But that never happened - instead, what was supposed to be a carriageway for park users gradually turned into a commuter highway with no vote.
Cars are more important than
Cars are more important than a livable city its inhabitants!!!
Silly non-argument
Based on that kind of thinking let's un-fill the Back Bay and remove the Charles River Dam -- Free the Charles and let it be tidal and a saltwater marsh.
When the Metropolitan Parks Commission [merging with the Metropolitan Water and Sewer Commission to form the Metropolitan District Commission -- aka MDC] -- the predecessor to the DCR was created there were no cars, no in-line skaters and few if any professional dog walkers.
from the Wikipedia Article
Both the filling of the Back Bay, and the building of Storrow and Memorial Drive were done at the behest of the Massachusetts Great and General Court [aka the Legislature] with the acquiescence of the Governor [i.e. he signed the legislation]. Neither the City of Cambridge, nor the City of Boston -- also creations of the Legislature were involved in the Charles River Basin and the associated Parkways.
When Boston and Cambridge were created as Cities in the early 1800's -- the land which we are talking about only existed as mud flats some of the time [for a few hours per day] -- the rest of the time it was underwater serving as the bottom of the Charles.
DCR: Please enjoy your narrow strip of parkland
DCR: Please enjoy your narrow strip of parkland with 4 lanes of noise and fumes!