Cyclist peddles a dream: Boston-S.F. path
We like dreamers and bikers, and thus we like Martin Krieg.
Krieg is a Californian who has been chatting us up lately in his attempt to create a continuous bike path -- not from Waltham to Gloucester -- but from Boston to San Francisco.
It's called the National Bicycle Greenway, a nonprofit effort Krieg started to promote bicycling, which he sees as the cure to all the country's ills. He's written a book called ''How America Can Bike and Grow Rich."
Martin is also the author of ''Awake Again," a book that details the former accountant's recovery from a two-month coma, partial paralysis, and what he says was clinical death after a car accident.
For years now, Krieg or other cyclists promoting the bikeway have annually sought the backing of local mayors along the proposed route to somehow make this pipe dream happen.
But one thing that is bumming Martin out lately is Boston. The city -- again voted one of the three worst cities in the nation for biking by Bicycling Magazine this year -- has been the start of several past cross-country bike rides to promote the Greenway, but each and every time, Mayor Thomas M. Menino has failed to show. Supportive proclamations have come from the mayor's office, but never the mayor himself.
So Martin is lobbying His Honor.
''As the leader of Boston, your presence will also be brightening Boston's star as the birthplace of the bicycle in America (which it is!)," Krieg wrote in a recent e-mail to Menino. ''Instead of Boston being seen as one of the worst biking cities in the nation, we can help you begin to change that impression by your presenting the proclamation your office has created."
Cyclists Scott Campbell and Jim Muellner, also Californians, will be at City Hall on Friday to start a cross-country pedal to promote the path, and they're hoping Menino gives them his personal blessing so he and 32 other mayors will be on the same page when the riders meet with San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom at the end of their trip.
Menino apparently won't appear at the event. ''Unfortunately, while Mayor Menino is extremely supportive of the cycling community in Boston, he is unfortunately unable to attend the National Bicycle Greenway Day celebration . . . due to a scheduling conflict," said Rebecca Frisch, the mayor's spokeswoman.
Years after the Washington Street line's debut, and less than a week after T officials said they have yet to go public with the long-promised technology that can tell potential bus riders when the next bus is going to arrive, we heard from Bud in Boston.
''I read in wonder this past week when you talked about the rolling messages on the kiosks for the Silver Line (I must say that I've been VERY critical of the poor service since it started)," he wrote. ''Well, lo and behold, this morning it seemed that they must have fixed something (or turned something on), since the rolling message was listing the arrival time (and countdown) of the next bus. Right after the 'Bus runs every 4 to 5 minutes' message was another saying 'Next bus 7 minutes.' Gotta love 'em!"
Though the two messages contradicted each other, Bud said the arrival time counted down like clockwork. And sure enough, when the sign flashed ''Arriving," a bus pulled up.
But Bud, the T says your epiphany was temporary. MBTA spokesman Joe Pesaturo said the next-bus arrival information was the result of the T testing the system to find a permanent solution. T officials were confused you saw the sign on a Thursday morning, because the T has asked the contractor to test the system during off-peak hours ''to avoid misinforming customers."
Dan in Waltham writes ''the MBTA used to publish schedules which are compatible with Palm Pilots, but I wanted to know if you have ever come across someone doing this for the iPod."
We're certain someone, somewhere, is working on this on their own, but MBTA spokesman Joe Pesaturo said the T couldn't help, yet.
''Presently, the T's website does not have the capability to offer such a service, but we will certainly give it serious consideration as staff begin the process of redesigning the current website," he wrote.
The Storrow Drive onramp to I-93 south will close 11:30 p.m. Monday to 5 a.m. Tuesday.
Two lanes of I-93 south approaching and through downtown will close 11:30 p.m. to 5 a.m. Monday through Saturday.
The Essex Street onramp to I-93 south will close 11:30 p.m. to 5 a.m. Thursday through Saturday.
Exit 20B (Pike west) off I-93 south will close 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. Thursday through Saturday morning. Access to Albany Street will remain open.
Exit 20B (Pike west/Albany St.) off I-93 south will close 11:30 p.m. to 5 a.m. Monday through Thursday.
Exit 24 A & B (Gov't Center/Callahan Tunnel) off I-93 south will close 11 p.m. Monday to 5 a.m. Tuesday.
The Haymarket onramp to I-93 south and the Callahan Tunnel will close 11:30 p.m. to 5 a.m. Tuesday through Saturday.
Exit 20 A (South Station) off I-93 south will close 11:30 p.m. to 5 a.m. Monday through Thursday.
Two lanes of I-93 north through downtown and Charlestown will close 11:30 p.m. to 5 a.m. Monday through Saturday.
Exit 23 (Gov't Center) off I-93 north will close 11:30 p.m. to 5 a.m. Monday through Saturday.
The Atlantic Avenue onramp to I-93 north will close 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. Monday through Wednesday.
The ramp at I-93 north's Exit 20 to the Pike west will close 10 p.m. Monday to 5 a.m. Tuesday. Access from Exit 20 to the Pike east and South Station will remain open.
The Haymarket onramp to I-93 north will close 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. Wednesday through Saturday.
The Sumner Tunnel on-ramp to I-93 north will close 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. Monday through Saturday.
The ramp at Exit 24 (I-93 and South Station) off the Pike east will close 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. Tuesday through Friday.
One lane of the Pike east between I-93 and the Ted Williams Tunnel will close 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.
One lane of the Pike east in the Ted Williams Tunnel will close 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. Tuesday through Saturday.
The Albany Street onramp to the Pike west will close 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. Thursday through Saturday.
The onramp from Congress Street to I-93 in South Boston and Exit 24 (I-93) off the Pike west will close 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. Monday through Friday morning and 1 a.m. to 6 a.m. Saturday.
One lane of the Pike west in the Ted Williams Tunnel will close 11:30 p.m. to 5 a.m. tonight through Friday.
One lane of the Pike west around Logan Airport will close 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.
One lane of the Pike west between the Ted Williams Tunnel and I-93 will close 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. Monday through Thursday.
One lane of the Pike west around I-93 will close 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.
The Congress Street onramp to I-93 south and the Pike west will close 11:30 p.m. to 5 a.m. Monday through Thursday.
The Frontage Road Northbound on-ramp to the Pike west at the Broadway Bridge will close 10 p.m. Monday to 5 a.m. Tuesday.
Route 1A north near Logan Airport will close 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday.
The Sumner Tunnel onramp to Gov't Center and Haymarket will close 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. Monday through Saturday.
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