Submitted by TheTechOcogs t3_yibsgw in massachusetts
fremenator t1_iuhufm7 wrote
Couldn't you leave the bike at the commuter rail station? It does suck but those trains are so full I get why they don't allow them.
DumbshitOnTheRight t1_iuhwpbs wrote
The problem with the bike barn at South Station is anyone with access can take any bike. Security is non-existent.
fremenator t1_iuhy098 wrote
Absolutely it's a shit solution but the commuter rail is pretty unwilling to make even the slightest improvements so... We just gotta work around it :/
I've been taking it on and off since 2013, it's ok but the legislature will never put in the money it needs to be better.
DumbshitOnTheRight t1_iuhzfcp wrote
The overwhelming majority of the MA communities get no benefit from the MBCR or T. Why would they put their constituent's money into it?
fremenator t1_iuhzz48 wrote
Do you genuinely think that? How many workers does the CR move daily? What are the economic benefits generated by the commuter rail and how many businesses would be in another state if we didn't have it?
What is the list of communities that get benefits? Those that have a station? Those that have a station with 5 miles? 10 miles? How many people live in those communities?
DumbshitOnTheRight t1_iui0q3h wrote
Once you get out toward Framingham you have a ton of towns and smaller places where people aren't using it to go to the east.
"Greater economic benefit" is hard to sell to places like Greenfield, North Adams, and Northbridge where there are other needs closer to the ground.
People overall seem to dislike seeing tax money spent on things that don't directly benefit them.
fremenator t1_iui1jsd wrote
> >People overall seem to dislike seeing tax money spent on things that don't directly benefit them.
People are bad at realizing they live in a society. The fact is that if we didn't have things like CR then Massachusetts would have a much smaller tax base and people in towns like North Adams and Greenfield would not have the same access to state grants and funding for things that directly benefit them. Just because they don't realize it doesn't make it untrue.
legalpretzel t1_iui6udn wrote
People in North Adams would rather drive on dirt paths 😂
DumbshitOnTheRight t1_iui1ojx wrote
>People are bad at realizing they live in a society.
No disagreement there, but that's the reality.
TheTechOcogs OP t1_iui5xbw wrote
They should expand it to Springfield then, Worcester has a huge train station that has been promising to expand to.
legalpretzel t1_iui6pwh wrote
Seriously?
Boston is the economic engine for the state. If you live in the Brookfields or Great Barrington, or if you have never driven farther east than Marlborough, you have still benefitted from Boston’s economy. It stands to reason that reliable transportation for Boston’s workforce is beneficial for every single resident of Massachusetts.
DumbshitOnTheRight t1_iui86pm wrote
I'm merely explaining what I think the thought process is, not defending it.
homefone t1_iuia24t wrote
I'd be willing to bet that the population of communities with a T stop is a strong plurality if not a majority of the Commonwealth.
DumbshitOnTheRight t1_iuib7zr wrote
Which doesn't matter in the state senate where it's not done by population.
GreatArkleseizure t1_iuirysi wrote
Why would you say it’s not done by population? Quoting from Amendment CI of the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts:
> The Senate shall consist of forty members. The General Court shall, at its first regular session after the year in which said census is taken, divide the Commonwealth into forty districts of contiguous territory, each district to contain, as nearly as may be, an equal number of inhabitants according to said census
And even a casual glance over the state senate district lines would confirm this to be the case.
Ajgrob t1_iuifcj1 wrote
I did this for a year and would not recommend. I had an older MTB and it got completely ruined, just dirt/rust all over it as it's basically outside near diesel trains/traffic etc. Other people I knew who stored nicer bikes got parts stolen.
Best option would be some kind of dorky folding bike.
Zephyreks t1_iuijori wrote
Build a bike locker near the station?
You're supposed to clean and maintain your bike, so dirt/rust is probably on you. Oil stuff up and it'll be more or less fine.
SynbiosVyse t1_iui6qlm wrote
Haven't used the bike rack there but can't you lock up your bike?
Use a crappy commuter bike, U lock, and chain. Chances of your bike getting stolen are pretty low unless you're leaving it overnight or something.
milkfiend t1_iuib73j wrote
I saw someone using an angle grinder on a bike in front of a police station. Nobody gives a shit about bike theft.
medforddad t1_iuii0t1 wrote
> I saw someone using an angle grinder on a bike in front of a police station.
Did you talk to that person? How do you know it wasn't their bike and they lost their keys?
Anyway, I don't think a bike thief would choose a locked up bike inside a bike shed that requires a registered charlie card to enter and likely has video surveillance as the one to steal.
> Nobody gives a shit about bike theft.
That's not far from true, except for the bike owners :-P.
Garethx1 t1_iuijo8p wrote
I think youre right, if you have a beater there is very little chance someone is going to go through the trouble at a place like that. Way more opportunities for expensive bikes at softer targets.
sightlab t1_iujd7tg wrote
Sure, and they guy breaking the car window may just want to get his wife’s purse off the front seat and grab all the change out of his own cup holder. But statistically speaking these people doing drastic crime-like things are, more often than not, not doing them for legitimate reasons.
But hey, Boston is a very special city. And I say this as a native masshole. Maybe that’s just how Bostonians do things differently. Who am I to judge from my lofty Berkshire perch?
InfiniteState t1_iuidlmj wrote
I've never had a problem with mine. Use a good U lock, or two, and you'll be fine. Theft isn't that common and it's all either $10k bikes or ones with a cheap cable lock.
BostonBlackCat t1_iui70vr wrote
Are there any better options for parking the bike at or around Worcester's commuter rail station?
twoscoop t1_iuiuwav wrote
Might as well just give the bike to a theif.
TheTechOcogs OP t1_iuhv0hi wrote
I can do that, but then when I get off the train I have another 20 min walk.
I don’t mind that 20 min walk but it often makes me late to work. Which is ok because my boss is chill, but it’s annoying, and i’m sure i’m not the only one with this issue.
legalpretzel t1_iui71jl wrote
You can take a folding bike on rush hour trains. There used to be several regulars on the Worcester line who used them.
modularmaniac420 t1_iuibrlx wrote
You’re not, and the problem is it discourages people from moving to Worcester. I love Worcester, it’s one of the last affordable places around, with some gemlike neighborhoods, and commuter rail to Boston. If they ever figured out how to make the railway accessible to more commuters, you would suddenly have a lot of affordable housing more accessible to Boston as a whole.
NativeMasshole t1_iuik8pu wrote
Or just figured out transportation in general. There's a lot of places, especially around downtown, where parking is a nightmare. And only getting worse when they build new complexes without adequate parking. The busses are pretty bad too, the streets aren't really pedestrian or bike friendly, so there's absolutely no good way for residents to get around.
AchillesDev t1_iujermu wrote
The housing will become less affordable unless more density is built. Worcester is already on an upswing (born there and most of my family is there) and more commuter rail access north and west and more frequent trains would really open up Worcester for families as another option, but dense housing would have to follow for it to remain an option. A lot of the quieter neighborhoods (Tatnuck, Forest Grove, etc.) would probably become less quiet. I think that’s fine, but selling residents on that will be hard.
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