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In East Boston, heroes come in all sizes
By adamg on Thu, 09/14/2023 - 4:02pm
An East Boston resident reports strolling by the now infamous locked East Boston Harborwalk gate at Jeffries Point today with the two tykelings when the older one started fiddling with the lock:
Margaret was looking at the latch and tried pulling the pin up and out it came. There was no keyed lock like a Masterlock running through the pin. Only the pin was keeping it closed. All open now, we swung the gate over to the other post that can keep it open.
And as Margaret was single-handedly re-opening the gate near Porzio Park, who should happen by but the guy who filed the original 311 complaint about the gate being locked in the first place.
He was riding his bike and came over to us to talk about it. He’s been in Eastie for 15 years, is, rightfully, concerned about ADA accessible sidewalks in Eastie, and was on his way to the Jeffries Point Yacht Club.
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Comments
Community in Action!
This is the type of news I come here for. Remember: we are all we have. Always a problem, always a community solution.
Figures ...
... just like when you can't get your technology to work either. Takes a kid.
<3
So not locked?
So the infamous locked East Boston Harborwalk gate was not actually locked? Just the pin was in place? I'm going to bet Mr. Park is not a detective...
Lock stolen valor
The city came and cut the lock that was holding the pin in place, these tots were just there to pull the pin. Still hero’s in my mind but not the future lock pickers this article gives them credit for.
Or the lock was since removed
but the pin kept in place?
There should be a community
angle grinder
The barrier's the only thing keeping motor vehicles off the path
The barrier's the only thing keeping motor vehicles off the path. I agree that there should be wider passages on the sides, but for the time being bikes and people with mobility aids can access the path via the wheelchair ramp on the other side of the BlueBikes station.
Not sure why so many residents are fixated on making it easier for errant and/or drunk drivers to be able to mow people down. As a cyclist and pedestrian I feel a lot safer knowing that only official vehicles can get through the barrier.
Emergency vehicles can’t use ramps.
I feel a lot safer knowing that the tyklets, my friends in Jeffries Point, people on Jeffries Point I don’t know and that good old fashioned yacht club are reachable in case of emergency.
And not least of all, the strange object that makes a seasonal appearance on the beach.
Emergency responders should
Emergency responders should have a key or the tools to cut the lock, the same as for any other park path with a gate or removable metal posts.
Yeah, when you are having ….
…. your heart attack, you won’t be in any rush.
Maybe they can take their coffee break too before they resume trying to get to you.
I'm weary of these lazy fear
I'm weary of these lazy fear-mongered arguments. People try to win an argument by quashing any thoughtful, quantitative risk/benefit analysis and instead throw out pearl clutching corner cases like, "someone might have a heart attack" or "terrorists might commit mass murder" as if those are the only things that matter.
There are pros and cons to keeping the gate open or keeping it padlocked shut. Either option seems reasonable, so it comes down to whoever has authority making a decision and settling the matter.
That stretch of the Harbor Walk is only about 300 feet long
There are bollards at the other end. The Harbor Walk is not designed for vehicle access, emergency or otherwise. Emergency vehicle access is via the many streets that abut the Harbor Walk. Emergency responders would have to walk the last few hundred feet. Almost the entire Harbor Walk is like this.
oh please
"As a cyclist and pedestrian I feel a lot safer knowing that only official vehicles can get through the barrier."
As a cyclist and pedestrian you shouldn't be concerned about paths like this, all the deaths happen on major thoroughfares for the most part.
Such a weird pearl-clutching flex.
Maintenance issues happen on pathways, too
My husband was coming down the I-93 path last November when he got snagged by a fence that had come down in the night and thrown from his bike. It was at least a half mile to an access point.
Helmets work, but so does emergency response time.
It's not the barrier
What keeps motor vehicles off the path is that most people aren't the kind of actual jackasses who drive their cars onto pedestrian paths.
Now...
...somebody get a big Masterlock and lock the pin back in place with the gate open so no grumpy adaophobe can ever close it again!
That would make it …..
…. a Love Lock Gate.
Only if you want a kid to be able to open it.
Masterlock makes some of the worst locks available.
Margaret learns early to always question authority
Her sibling approves, and together they will cause havoc for the establishment in the years to come. Good.
Toddlers are great at that
She needs practice to maintain the vibe.
I wish one could do the same
I wish one could do the same with CVS shelves