What is your reaction to DNC road and rail closures?
In a move that is certain to create major headaches for Boston commuters, security officials have announced that Interstate 93 will be shut down in both directions for all four evenings of the Democratic National Convention in July, and North Station will be closed to all commuter rail and subway service. What is your reaction? Are these security precautions justified, or is the Secret Service going overboard? Do the benefits the convention will bring to the city make the inconveniences worthwhile?
Read the story: North Station, I-93 to be shut down during convention
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I think it is absolutely absurd - and why should I be FORCED to take a vacation so as to be a convenience to someone other than myself or my family?
Joe, Attleboro
Do we need any other reasons to justify why this convention should be held at, well, the *convention* center? What a nightmare. I'm booking vacation for that week, and I hope the mayor remembers that when he keeps blathering about how this will be an economic godsend for local businesses. Please.
Matt, Somerville
What a hick burg! Is NYC shutting down their roads and train stations? If Boston wants to play wiht the big boys, it had better sharpen up.
Donna, Ashland
Waaahhhhh....God, will Boston ever grow up as a city or is it forever going to be stuck as an adolescent? This is a big deal, it takes a lot of planning and closures and rearranging of lives to get something like this done. Whoever said that there were no major closing in NYC during the GOP convention is fooling themselves. Of course they will be closing certain roads, train stations, etc. The difference is that while NY is a big city that acts like a big city, Boston can’t decide if they are still a small village acting like a big city or if they really want to “be” a big city. Suck it up and deal with it; it’s four days. And Bostonians actually wanted to try to appeal to get the Olympics here????? Ha!
Andy, Arlington
This is the opportunity to forbid ALL private vehicular traffic in Boston. If commuters must use busses instead of the Green Line, why not provide busses for all boston commuters and visitors during this week of the convention? Free shuttle busses from huge parking areas south, west and north of the city and free loop busses within the city for ALL pedestrians would showcase the city as never before. Could you imagine the old commons area without traffic gridlock? It would be a thing of beauty!! Power the busses with propane or electricity to reduce pollution further and glimpse our future, one that will not rely exclusively on fossil fuel!
Thomas , Fairhaven
What a horrible idea ... instead of trying to showcase our city and improvements the Big Dig was *Suppose* to have created, by closing North Station and Route 93 in both directions, officials are effectively creating gridlock traffic and a parking lot situation for the Fleet Center area. I take the Orange line in to work each day, luckily we will just bypass the mess on the T. But for folks who will be majorly inconvenienced, I have to ask .. is it really worth it?
Rachel, Boston
This is absolutely uncalled for. To basically cripple the city for four days beyond reasonable. The planners for the democratic convension should be ashamed of themselves and I think the people of Massachusetts should take note.
John, Boston
Change the location of the convention!!!!! This is totally ridiculous. First we go to two surface lanes on 93 South and now this. This is total mismanagement of the Big Dig project with no forward thinking!!!
D. Collins, Methuen
So glad all that money was invested in the Boston Convention Center. Now I can REALLY see the money that gets wasted with poor planning. I appreciate the example being set for us of what not to do!
ABC
I will probably take a vacation that week. If I need to work I have a rt 128 to rt 2 to rt 16 way to get to Malden from Newton although it adds 10 miles and 10 minutes to my commute. But it occurred to me that a lot of manufacturing plants shut down that week, and lots of people take vacation anyway, which reduces traffic considerably. Maybe it won't be as much of a headache as everyone predicts.
Kathy, Malden
