Jeremy C. Fox for Boston.com

Were these Orange Line passengers tweeting positive thoughts about the MBTA? It could happen.

By Jeremy C. Fox, Town Correspondent

Jeremy C. Fox can be reached at jeremy.fox@globe.com.
Follow him on Twitter: @jeremycfox.
Follow Downtown on Twitter: @YTDowntown.

(Photo courtesy City of Boston)

By Johanna Kaiser, Town Correspondent

Getting to City Hall might be easier from some Boston residents this summer as the city launches its City Hall on wheels full time.

Starting July 2, the “City Hall to Go” truck will regularly visit neighborhoods on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays to provide certain services to residents, and be stationed by request on Fridays and Saturdays at special events, block parties, and street festivals.

The truck will allow residents to pay or dispute parking tickets, request birth, death or marriage certificates, get a dog license, request a residential parking permit, or pay property and excise taxes without travelling to Government Center.

Residents will also be able to sign up for Renew Boston’s home energy audits and weatherization, request raffle applications, and submit claims to the City Clerk.

The city first held a soft launch of the trunk in December.

“The ‘City Hall to Go’ truck makes personal, timely service from the City of Boston possible for a whole new set of constituents,” Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino said in a statement. “We are constantly trying to push what appear to be the limits of municipal services. The success of the truck’s earliest visits shows that benefits of City Hall can exist far beyond its walls.”

The repurposed Boston Police Department SWAT vehicle will be open until 7 p.m. on weeknights and 5 p.m. on Saturdays.

The truck will also use social media to determine part of its schedule. On the fourth Tuesday of every month residents can tweet @CityHallToGo to tell the city where they want the truck to go that day. The truck will open at the most requested location at 12:30 p.m.

The city provided the following schedule for its mobile City Hall. It is subject to change and residents can follow @CityHalltoGo on Twitter or call 617-635-4500 for updates.

By Matt Rocheleau, Town Correspondent

The MBTA will increase security and police patrols around the system on July 4. As in years past, the T will boost subway service and will not charge fares after a certain point at nighttime, officials announced this week.

“We encourage people coming into the city to celebrate to use the MBTA and ask passengers to expect large amounts of people, and as we do every day we ask people to be aware of their surroundings, and if they see something unusual, report it immediately,” said Joseph F. O'Connor, superintendent-in-chief of the Transit Police Department.

He said, that while security is normally heightened on the holiday and for other large public events around Boston, this year there will be even more patrols than on July 4 in years past, including a “significant amount” of both uniformed and plain-clothes officers throughout the public transit system due to the bombing attacks in the city at the Marathon in April.

“We want people to feel safe,” O’Connor said. “We want to reassure the public for people who may be concerned because of the events that happened at the Marathon and in the week after.”

There will be no special restrictions on what items passengers can carry while riding the T, but O’Connor reminded riders that some items will be prohibited within a secure perimeter that will be established around the Esplanade.

He said random bag inspections, which are performed daily at strategically-chosen parts of the T, will be performed on the holiday. O’Connor also encouraged riders to download the agency’s free smartphone application which allows users to report suspicious activity by sending text and photos directly to Transit Police.

He said that Transit Police will, as they do regularly, work closely with federal, state and city law enforcement throughout the holiday.

The T also plans to institute schedule-related changes similar to what the agency has done on Independence Day in years past.

On Thursday, July 4, fares will not be collected after 9:30 p.m., subway service will run at “rush hour levels” after 2 p.m. and the last outbound commuter rail trains scheduled to leave Boston will delay their departure to allow passengers more time to board after the fireworks display at the Esplanade.

“Customers are urged to take public transportation to and from Fourth of July events and advised to check T-Alerts and mbta.com for the most up-to-date service information during the holiday,” the agency said on its website.

Officials also reminded riders that bicycles are not allowed on any subway lines on July 4. Bikes are also not allowed on inbound commuter rail trains from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. or on outbound trains after 4 p.m.

Buses will operate on a Sunday schedule. Before 2 p.m., the T’s four subway lines – the Red, Blue, Orange and Green – will operate on a Sunday schedule.

The commuter rail will operate on a Saturday schedule, until the day’s final outbound commuter rail trains, all but one of which will delay their departures from Boston until 11:45 p.m. – about 45 minutes after the city’s fireworks display usually ends. The #1173 to Newburyport is scheduled to depart at 11:15 p.m.

Quincy and Hull boats will run on a weekday schedule. Charlestown boats will operate on a Saturday schedule. Hingham boats will not run.

Passengers who use The RIDE service are asked to check directly with their contractors for specific schedule changes.

For more information, visit the T’s website, www.mbta.com.

E-mail Matt Rocheleau at mjrochele@gmail.com.
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For more news and stories about the MBTA, follow @LifeontheMBTA on Twitter, here.
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(Brian McGoldrick)

Boston.com Staff

Traditional Irish music will be played at informal gatherings at the West Roxbury Pub and Restaurant each week through a newly launched initiative.

The Irish traditional music sessions or “seisiúns” debuted recently and will be held at the pub every Wednesday from 7 to 10 p.m.

Anyone interested in watching or playing, from beginners to professionals, are welcome.

For more information, click here.

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For the latest West Roxbury updates:
Follow @YourWestRoxbury on Twitter, here.
And connect via Facebook by clicking the "Like" button on the top left hand corner of the West Roxbury homepage, here.

(Brian McGoldrick)

(Brian McGoldrick)

(Brian McGoldrick)

(Brian McGoldrick)

(Brian McGoldrick)

(Brian McGoldrick)

(Brian McGoldrick)

Jeremy C. Fox for Boston.com

These Green Line riders had a not-bad wait at Kenmore Station on Thursday night.

By Jeremy C. Fox, Town Correspondent

Jeremy C. Fox can be reached at jeremy.fox@globe.com.
Follow him on Twitter: @jeremycfox.
Follow Downtown on Twitter: @YTDowntown.

Forecasters issued severe thunderstorm warnings Monday for various areas of Massachusetts as powerful storms swept east across the state.

Here are some images of the storm shared on Twitter by Boston-area residents.

By Matt Rocheleau, Town Correspondent

The MBTA says it will make its 15 busiest bus routes faster, more reliable, and more accessible through a series of changes this summer, which include relocating some stops and eliminating others.

Construction on some of the bus routes will begin this week and upgrades to all of the effected routes are expected to be made by the end of August, officials announced Monday.

The 15 “key” routes carry about 40 percent of the T’s total bus ridership. The routes run more often than other bus routes to serve high-density travel corridors, primarily in Boston, but also stretching to Arlington, Belmont, Brookline, Cambridge, Chelsea, Everett, Newton, Revere, and Watertown.

The T hopes to make each route about 10 to 15 percent faster by moving some stops and removing others. The goal is for there to be a bus stop every 750 to 1,320 feet, or about four to seven stops per mile. Many stops now are as close as 200 feet.

The agency also hopes to run more reliable bus service by better adhering to schedules and by trying to reduce “bunching,” when two or more buses on the same route are traveling close to each other.

More “passenger amenities,” including new bus shelters at 85 stops, as well as benches and trash barrels, will be installed. Some sidewalks will be improved and some curb extensions will be built.

New signs and pavement markings will be installed to provide better route-related details and to keep drivers from stopping or parking at bus stops.

Traffic signal improvements are expected to be made along some routes.

Work will include bringing bus stops into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act to improve accessibility for seniors and people with disabilities, officials said. In some cases, that will mean lengthening the bus stop area.

The T also plans to install new "Park and Pedal" bike parking cages at Alewife Station and the Beverly Garage in July and at Wollaston, Back Bay, Dudley Square and Wonderland stations in August.

Funding for the program includes $7 million in federal stimulus money and another $3 million in federal transportation funding.

Over the past two years, more than 50 public meetings have been held about the “Key Bus Routes Improvement Program.”

“The MBTA is looking forward to improving the quality of amenities and service on some of our most utilized services,” General Manager Beverly Scott said in a statement Monday. “This aggressive and ambitious project will reduce trip times, enhance customer comfort, accessibility, convenience and safety, and make service more reliable and cost-effective.”

A list of the 15 routes and projected timelines for construction are as follows. The schedules are subject to change, T officials said:

Key Bus Routes
Route 1 – July 1st – July 25th
Route 15 – June 24th – July 12th
Route 22 – June 17th – July 17th
Route 23 – June 17th – July
Route 28 – June 17th – August 30th
Route 32 – June 24th – August 8th
Route 39 – July – August
Route 57 – July 15th – August 30th
Route 66 – June 24th – August 1st
Route 71 – August 1st – August 30th
Route 73 – August 1st – August 30th
Route 77 – July 25th – August 26th
Route 111 – August 9th – August 30th
Route 116 – July 19th – August 30th
Route 117 – July 19th – August 30th

For more information on the bus improvement program, click here.

E-mail Matt Rocheleau at mjrochele@gmail.com.
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For the latest updates about your community, follow some of our local neighborhood, city and town Twitter accounts, here.

Jeremy C. Fox for Boston.com

Another day, another crowded Red Line train.

By Jeremy C. Fox, Town Correspondent

Jeremy C. Fox can be reached at jeremy.fox@globe.com.
Follow him on Twitter: @jeremycfox.
Follow Downtown on Twitter: @YTDowntown.

By Matt Rocheleau, Town Correspondent

Residents of Beacon Hill, the Fenway, and downtown are most likely to have commutes of less than half an hour, while residents of Mattapan, Roxbury, and Dorchester are most likely to commute for more than one hour, according to a new report from the city’s redevelopment authority.

The report, “Boston in Context,” compares a range of commute-related and other demographic, economic, and housing characteristics between city neighborhoods, the rest of the state and the country using data from the 2010 Census data and from the 2006-2010 American Community Survey.

The Boston Redevelopment Authority authored the report and released it this week.

The report also found that a higher proportion of West Roxbury residents, about 73.7 percent, drive alone to commute compared with the rest of Boston. Meanwhile, the top carpooling neighborhood is Mattapan, where 14.1 percent of residents share a vehicle to commute.

About 49.3 percent of residents in East Boston use public transportation users, which is a higher ratio than any other Boston neighborhood.

Beacon Hill residents are most likely to commute via another means. About 64.1 percent of commuters there either ride a motorcycle, taxi, bicycle, or walk.

Citywide, about 40 percent of residents drive alone, 7.9 percent carpool, 34.1 percent use public transportation, and 18 percent ride a cab, motorcycle, bike, or walk.

Statewide, residents use those means of commuting at the rates of 75.6 percent, 8.6 percent, 9.4 percent, and 6.4 percent. Nationally, those rates are: 79.3 percent, 10.8 percent, 5.1 percent, and 4.8 percent.

The Longwood Medical Area is populated with more car-less residents than any other part of Boston. About 79.6 percent of residents there do not have access to a vehicle.

The most single-car users are in the South Boston Waterfront, at 55 percent, while the most two-car users are in West Roxbury, at 37.7 percent. The highest ratio of residents with three or more cars is Hyde Park, at 9.8 percent.

Citywide, about 35.9 percent of residents don’t have access to a vehicle; about 42 percent have one vehicle available; 17.6 have two; and 4.4 percent have three or more. Statewide, those figures are 12.2 percent, 35.7 percent, 37.1 percent, and 15 percent. Nationally, they are 8.9 percent, 33.3 percent, 37.9 percent, and 20 percent.

The Longwood Medical Area is home to a higher percentage of out-of-state workers in Boston. About 14 percent of residents there work beyond Massachusetts’ borders.

About 42.1 percent of Brighton residents work outside of Suffolk County, but within the state. It is the highest rate among Boston neighborhoods.

And, compared with the rest of Boston, a higher proportion of East Boston residents, about 27.7 percent, work outside the city, but within Suffolk County.

About 78.6 percent of residents in Beacon Hill, 76.9 percent of the Fenway, and 75.8 percent of those in downtown spend between zero and 29 minutes commuting. About 18.9 percent of Mattapan residents, 13.8 percent of Roxbury residents, and 12.9 percent of Dorchester residents spend more than 60 minutes commuting.

Citywide, 52.3 percent of residents spend zero to 29 minutes commuting; 39 percent spend 30 to 59 minutes commuting; and 8.7 percent commute for more than an hour. Statewide, those figures are 58.8 percent, 31.3 percent, and 9.9 percent. Nationally, they are 64.8 percent, 27.2 percent, and 8 percent.

The neighborhood with the highest median household income is Charlestown at $83,282, followed by the Back Bay at $81,202 and South Boston Waterfront at $81,126.

The median income in Boston is $50,866. In Massachusetts, it is $65,201. The US median income is $52,395.

The median age for Boston is 32.1 years old, which is significantly lower than both the country's, at 37.1, and Massachusetts', at 39. The three youngest neighborhoods are Longwood Medical Area, at 20.7, the Fenway at 22.8, and Allston at 24.8. The oldest median age is in West Roxbury, at 42.2 years old.

To read the report, click here.

E-mail Matt Rocheleau at mjrochele@gmail.com.
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For the latest updates about your community, follow some of our local neighborhood, city and town Twitter accounts, here.

By Johanna Kaiser, Town Correspondent

The two Emerson College students who had originally hoped to raise $2,000 to help the victims of the Boston Marathon bombing will donate more than $890,000 to the One Fund Tuesday during a celebratory photo shoot in Copley Square.

Nicholas Reynolds, a Visual and Media Arts major, and Chris Dobens, a marketing communication major, began selling blue and yellow "Boston Strong" t-shirts just after the April 15 bombings to raise money for the victims.

The two friends hoped to sell 110 t-shirts, but in less than two months, they have sold 59,096 t-shirts and raised $893,940.

Reynolds and Dobens are now inviting everyone who has bought one of their shirts to wear theirs and take part in a group photo shoot when they hand over the money to the One Fund at 6 p.m.

"The Boston Strong Team has been so incredibly moved by the generosity shown by the Boston community following the bombing at this year's Boston Marathon. Come together in support of the victims, and be a part of the biggest "Boston Strong" photo!" read a post on the Boston Strong Facebook page.

Reynolds and Dobens told Boston Magazine they were inspired to organize a large scale group photograph of supporters in their "Boston Strong" t-shirts after receiving numerous photographs from people across the country wearing their t-shirts. They also hope people will visit the Copley Square memorial after the photograph is taken to reflect on the events.

"We want to see all of you there– all of you who help make Boston Strong!" a Facebook post read. "Thank you, thank you, a million times thank you for helping us make a difference in the lives of the victims."

For more information about Tuesday's photo shoot in Copley Square, click here.

E-mail Kaiser at Johanna.yourtown@gmail.com. For more news about your city, town, neighborhood, or campus, visit boston.com’s Your Town homepage.