Bostonosaurus OP t1_jcw0dy4 wrote on March 20, 2023 at 12:04 AM

Reply to comment by obsoletevernacular9 in Does anyone live in Cambridge-Boston-Brookline WITH a baby and WITHOUT a car? by Bostonosaurus

Boylston, Hynes, and Symphony are the only underground stations that aren't ♿ accessible. The rest are above ground stops that are basically just sidewalks. I'm not sure how to make the sidewalks compliant, it more depends on the trolleys themselves I'm guessing.

aray25 t1_jcwn5gn wrote on March 20, 2023 at 3:03 AM

The sidewalks need to be raised to the level of the low level floors to avoid a step up into the train.

obsoletevernacular9 t1_jcw0zhb wrote on March 20, 2023 at 12:08 AM

I didn't realize those stops didn't have elevators - I guess because we would always use govt center, park st, Copley, Kenmore instead.

Right, you have to get on in the back generally - I reviewed a lot of the GLX plans on a citizen committee and most don't have elevators, they're just either flat or have ramps with low enough grade to meet ADA standards.

toddlikesbikes t1_jcw7xto wrote on March 20, 2023 at 1:01 AM

Only East Somerville doesn't have an elevator. Tufts, Magoun, Gilman and Lechemere all have elevators to get to the platforms. Union and Ball have elevators at their "high" entrances, but both also have lower entrances level with the platforms.

obsoletevernacular9 t1_jcw9e46 wrote on March 20, 2023 at 1:13 AM

Didn't even notice Ball Square had an elevator, and I haven't been to union since the Medford tufts like opened and used the ramp. Never saw an elevator.

The East stop is definitely the worst though. The ramp is going to suck when CPX opens.

Ironically the state "owed" GLX because of 93's impact on East Somerville, not the city as a whole, and we have the worst stop with the least pedestrian improvements around it.

obsoletevernacular9 t1_jcw9rxa wrote on March 20, 2023 at 1:16 AM

Eh, maybe we're better off without one: https://www.nbcboston.com/news/local/mbta-apologizes-after-person-gets-stuck-in-elevator-at-somerville-station/3000186/

aray25 t1_jcwnb0j wrote on March 20, 2023 at 3:05 AM

There was a temporary ramp at Union for a while because the elevator wasn't ready.

obsoletevernacular9 t1_jcxr7zd wrote on March 20, 2023 at 11:27 AM

Makes sense, I haven't been back since it was finished.

The original union plan had no elevator and a type of low grade ramp that was pretty far from the stop. It ended up being something like .4 or .5 miles to enter the station exposed to the elements if you were in a wheelchair, pushing a stroller, etc.

The temporary one wasn't bad. My pushback at the East station was that they combined the station entrance ramp for everyone (there are no stairs) with the CPX exit / entrance ramp.

It's pretty foreseeable that there will be collisions in the future.