Commuters, irritated and resentful, plan their strategies

Outraged and confused commuters across Greater Boston began assembling alternative travel plans yesterday for the week of the Democratic National Convention, coming to grips with the fact that miles of highways, bridges, tunnels, and rail lines will shut down for the July event.

While some, like software engineer Michael Wolfe of Woburn, decided the best strategy was a Maine vacation, others with no choice but to go to work faced options ranging from merely inconvenient to downright miserable.

Anne Hunt of Newton, who was outranked by other legal assistants in her office and cannot take the time off, decided she will leave her Nissan Murano at home and fight for a spot on the MBTA's bus to Back Bay Station, then hop onto the Orange Line to reach her office in the shadow of the FleetCenter, where the convention will take place.

Hunt hardly relished her fate: "I used to take that bus, but it was a pain, and it wasn't that reliable on good days."

Cindy Stone, a Medford legal secretary who will use up her vacation time before the convention to go on her honeymoon, said she will skip the sure-to-be-packed Orange Line and hop on her father's mountain bike for the 5-mile ride downtown. Anything, Stone said, rather than deal with hordes of rookie subway riders who won't be familiar with "T etiquette."

"You need to let people off before you get on, you should go to the center of the car, you shouldn't hold doors open for people," Stone said of the rules she and other daily riders follow on the subway.

Karen McDowell of Stoneham, who schedules thoracic surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital, said she and most of her colleagues are duty-bound to show up during convention week because of the possibility of a terrorist attack. As a result, she said, she'll have to drive to Melrose to catch a commuter train, then transfer at Oak Grove to the Orange Line, get off at Bunker Hill Community College, and walk the rest of the way. "I'm not happy about it, but there's nothing I can do about it, so I can't waste my time being angry," McDowell said.

On Thursday, city, state, and federal authorities detailed the jaw-dropping scope of the road, rail, and even commuter boat closures that will occur from July 26 to July 29, as the Democrats fete their presumptive presidential nominee, Senator John F. Kerry. The closures, they said, are necessary to minimize the threat of a terrorist attack on the convention.

All told, about 40 miles of road closures will tie the region's highways, bridges, and tunnels in a tight knot, leaving commuters to jam onto smaller arterial roads and already-crowded subways in order to enter and leave the city. In addition, officials said they will shutter North Station, a large segment of the Green Line, and will significantly restrict city parking. Many commuters interviewed yesterday said that, as upset as they were at the disruptions, they are perhaps more angered by Mayor Thomas M. Menino's suggestion that they telecommute or vacation during the convention. They said they don't have the luxury.

Said Hunt: "Everyone who commutes into Boston can't take the week off. It's ridiculous."

At least one official in the communities north of Boston, which will probably be hit hardest by the closures, said his advice to residents is simple: "Treat it like the blizzard of '78," said Lieutenant Herb Moore, commander of the Stoneham Police Department's uniformed branch. "Go to the supermarket, stock up on milk and bread or beer or whatever you usually buy, and stay off the roads."

Interstate 93 will be closed just south of Stoneham at Route 60 in Medford, which will probably turn the highway into a virtual parking lot and send drivers onto the Stoneham exit ramps. Even with a parking ban to add a second lane to the town's main thoroughfare, police still anticipate that Main Street will be overwhelmed. State officials estimate that up to 1,000 cars will be going in each direction on the 2-mile main drag and an additional 500 cars wandering the town's side streets at peak hours.

Moore said he also expected the town's merchants to be hit hard by the traffic fallout, but many shop owners interviewed yesterday said they weren't overly concerned.

"I can't see it affecting us too much," said Anthony Samuel, co-owner of Anthony's Italian Specialties, a deli in Stoneham Square. Pointing to sandwich preparer Eoin O'Donnell, Samuel said, "Heck, I might just dress him up like a big sub and put out a sign that says `Eat at Anthony's.' "

In Malden, merchants and officials were bracing, unhappily, for a similar scenario because commuters barred from I-93 are almost certain to flock to Route 60, which cuts through downtown.

"There's security precautions, and then there's overkill," said Martin Gately, a city councilor at large. Gately said the city might put extra police details at major intersections to help the flow of traffic, and may try to hit up the Democratic National Committee to help pay for the overtime.

Amid all the resentment yesterday, there were still a few commuters in the area who said the inconvenience was worth it.

"It's all for safety," said John King, a chef from Gardner who said he will take a bus instead of his usual commuter train to North Station during the convention. "I'll take inconvenience over safety any day. It's going to put me out a bit, but as far as I'm concerned, it's worth it. We're living in a different time."

Globe correspondents Jared Stearns and Matt Viser contributed to this report.