AUDIO: The Day the T Saved a Bunny (And a Little Girl's Heart)

It looked like curtains for Nummy, 3-year-old Roozle's stuffed bunny, when it fell between the platform and the train, right onto the tracks.

Mostly, when people talk about the MBTA, it's to complain. But JP's Casey Carey-Brown has a story that might warm the heart of the most hard-bitten T rider. Each day before school, Roozle chooses a friend to go to school with her. Lately, she has been choosing Nummy, her very first stuffed animal bunny. Nummy is the first stuffed animal she ever had sleep in her crib with her. The first toy she named. A very good friend. Today, Nummy had a great day at school and just before the train arrived to pick us up at Stony Brook, Roozle told us that Nummy was a little scared of the train and she needed to tell her it was okay, trains aren’t scary. You can guess where this is going. Nummy the Bunny had a date with destiny with the tracks of the …

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Janell Fiarman

3:32 pm on Thursday, June 7, 2012

Love the behind the scenes audio.   more ›

'It's Hard to Ride on Huntington, But We Do It Because We Have To'

Three bicyclists have died in the past five years along Huntington Avenue.

In the wake of Friday's fatal bike wreck on Huntington Avenue, bikers who use the busy, narrow street say it is a dangerous but essential way to get around the city. "It's hard to ride on Huntington," said Lucy McDermott, a Northeastern student who relies on her bike, "but we do it because we have to." McDermott also relies on her friends. She bikes with fellow Northeastern students Jessica Feldish and Teresa Bryant whenever possible. By riding in a staggered formation they can take up a whole lane, as is their right as cyclists. The trio had stopped by a memorial to the woman who died Friday, 28-year-old Boston College graduate student Kelsey Rennebohm. A glass vase held a simple flower arrangement and a card that read: "In loving memory …

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Paul Schimek

3:45 pm on Tuesday, July 10, 2012

As a regular bicycle commuter for 25 years (in Los Angeles, New York, and Boston for nearly 20), I can assure you that it is possible to bicycle safely in urban traffic. You do need to know what to do (see http://www.bikexprt.com/streetsmarts/usa/). If you think it's nerve wracking, then perhaps either the bicyclist is doing something dangerous and illegal (e.g., running a red light), or perhaps …   more ›

39 Bus Possibly Involved in Fatal Bike Wreck

Investigators say the 39 Bus may have struck a cyclist on Huntington near Forsyth, sending her into traffic where she suffered fatal injuries.

The 39 Bus may have been involved in a collision that led to the death of a cyclist, according to multiple news sources. A bike rider in her 20s died after being struck on Huntington Avenue and Forsyth at 10:20 p.m. Friday. While the wreck did not take place in Jamaica Plain, the 39 is the busiest route that serves JP. A bicycle advocacy group, JP Bikes, is urging people who were passengers on the bus to contact police at 617-343-4911. It isn't clear whether the bus struck the cyclist, according to the Boston Herald, but WBZ is reporting that there is evidence the bus did. The bus driver, a six-year veteran who is 45 years old, has not been charged with any wrongdoing. WBZ notes that the stretch of Huntington is notoriously dangerous for …

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Matt

8:13 pm on Sunday, June 3, 2012

I agree. There are also too many people in cars not using their turn signal or driving too aggressively when near cyclists.   more ›

Orange Line Bus Diversions Sat & Sun

Bus shuttles will replace subway cars from Forest Hills to Ruggles on June 2 and 3 as the T performs maintenance.

Bus Diversions on Orange Line from Forest Hills to Ruggles, June 2-3

This weekend, you might want to just stay put in Jamaica Plain.

Plan for major delays taking the Orange Line into the city this weekend. The T will be working on the tracks between Forest Hills and Ruggles on Saturday, June 2 and Sunday, June 3, causing bus replacement. Normal service will resume Monday, according to an advisory on the MBTA web site. A JP resident who uses the Twitter handle essingmybeesout sums it up this way: In other words; ride a bike, walk or don't leave JP this weekend! Buses will stop at every station between Forest Hills and Ruggles, the T advisory states. You might be better off just taking the 39 Bus, depending on where you're headed downtown.

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Bus Diversions on Far Side of Orange Line to Begin in June

Construction on the new Assembly Square Orange Line station will lead to replacement bus service on the northern part of the line. The delays will continue, off and on, through 2014.

For most Jamaica Plain residents, planned disruptions along the far end of the Orange Line won't have a huge impact. But if your commute or travels take you to Community College, Sullivan Square, Wellington, Malden Center or Oak Grove, get ready for annoying bus replacement service. Construction on the new Assembly Square Orange Line stop, which has already begun, will lead to periodic bus diversions on the subway line beginning in June and lasting until the station is complete in fall of 2014. Most bus diversions will take place on weekends or at night, according to a presentation given by MBTA officials at a community meeting in Somerville Wednesday night. Community College, Sullivan Square, Wellington, Malden Center and Oak Grove …

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See Something, Text Something: MBTA Releases "See Say" App

The MBTA releases a new Android and iPhone app for riders who see something, but may want to be discrete about saying something.

The next time you see something on the T, there is now an app that will help you say something.  The MBTA See Say app, which is available on iPhone and the Herald says comes out for Android smartphones in July, allows users to contact Transit Police at the touch of a button or report a problem with a photo. The report screen also includes a switch to allow for anonymous reporting. The app is free. The MBTA also plans to have full cell coverage by the end of the year, Boston.com reports, which will make reporting with the app a little simpler. In the meantime, BostInno reports that the app will send reports filed while in no-signal areas once the phone reconnects to a network. The app also lets you add alerts for the subway lines, buses, …

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MBTA to Spread Dead Bacteria on Red Line in Bio-Terror Test

In order to test sensors that detect biological agents that terror groups could release into subway systems, Homeland Security and the T plan to release dead bacteria at three Red Line stops during off-hours.

The MBTA and Homeland Security plan to release dead bacteria into three Red Line stations this summer to test bio-terror sensors. The agencies held a public meeting about the plan Wednesday. The bacteria, bacillus subtilis, is not infectious even in its live form, according to government documents. The bacteria is used in farming, as a food supplement for humans and livestock and as an ingredient in organic dog food, according to a government Q&A which is attached as a PDF. The tests will be done in Cambridge and Somerville at the Davis, Harvard Square and Porter Stations. According to WCVB, some residents who attended Wednesday's public hearing at the Cambridge YMCA expressed concern about the plan. They also criticized that exact dates …

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Ross: Install E-Line Cameras to Catch Cars Flouting Trolley Stop Signs

Universal Hub reports that City Councilor Mike Ross has a plan to catch motorists who blow past stopped E-Line trolleys and endanger T riders.

If you've ever nearly been run down as you stepped off an E-Line trolley, City Councilor Mike Ross has a proposal that might appeal to you. He'd like to install cameras to catch motorists who blow past the "stop" signs on the sides of the open trolley doors. Universal Hub has all the details.