no good thing goes unpunished

Q said:
And the contractors build them to lower than needed standards, thanks to the politicians choosing the lowest bidder
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can't wait to see what the "big dig" is going to be like....
 
I watched some documentaries about it. The concept is pretty facsinating...but I sure as hell wouldn't want to commute through that mess.:eek6:
 
It's fun, I'll give it that. Especially when you have someone following you that doesn't know the way and you're trying to merge 5 lanes of traffic into two going into a tunnel. I forget which tunnel it was but it was a nightmare.
 
i used to go into boston all the time. the past 5 or 6 years i've gone in mabe 4 times. everytime i go in, the roads are all remarked, rerouted or just plain gone.
when the elevated section of the expressway was originally designed, it was supposed to be the epitomy of modern highway design and construction. it was outdated not long after it opened. it will be nice to see that monstrosity finally torn down.
the new raodway should help alleviate some of the congestion.
 
greenfreak said:
you're trying to merge 5 lanes of traffic into two going into a tunnel
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the one by the Mass Pike exit with chinatown just above the entrance....know it well.....

4 lanes of traffic and a 2 lane on ramp merging into a 3 lane tunnel with a major on/off ramp a few hundred yards into the tunnel. many a hypertensive moment travelling through that section.
 
Yeah, that sounds about right!! I think we were just trying to get out of the city at that point too. Or maybe we were going to our hotel-the Hilton at Logan. Either way, it was nuts.

But even that can't quell my love affair with that city. :)
 
i really like walking around downtown. especially in the spring/early summer.
its about an hour hike from fenway park to the waterfront or from fenway to harvard square. it can be a good 2+ hour walk if you stop in the shops and such along the way.
 
Gonz said:
Professur said:
Engineers with decades of experience knowing the conditions
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Nope, it's politicians. Engineers design the road to higher than needed standards. Example-before the 1974(?) oil embargo. Some states had 60-65MPH limits. Many had 70-75 limits & a few (AZ, MT & NV) had no limit.
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Actually, Gonz, three of my customers are municipalities. Ville de Boucherville, Ville de Longueuil, and Ville de Laval. And all three have engineers in their roads dept who tell the politicians what speed the roads are safe for. If the municipality has a set maximum, then that'll be the highest speed. But, as an example, Quebec is bringing in right turns on red this year. Montreal and Longueuil have both said that they'll not allow it in their limits because too many intersections aren't safe for it. Politicians make rules. But only the ones the engineers clear.

And FYI, the biggest factor in setting speed limits (according to the city engineers I've spoken with) isn't road surface. It's visibility. Highway speeds are set so that you don't cover the distance illuminated by your headlamps before your reaction time and braking distance is up.
 
Professur said:
Highway speeds are set so that you don't cover the distance illuminated by your headlamps before your reaction time and braking distance is up.
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That varies greatly between drivers. I do recall some states had day & night speed limits.
 
The great experiment of no speed limit in MT lasted about 6 months. Becasue of the publicity all the idiots brought their hot rods & perfomance vehicles up & screw over the ranchfolks. They need to go back to $5. fines for speeding (like I go there anymore)
 
Actually, Prof, the US has this thing about 'safety'. Politicians and lawyers, not engineers, decide just about every safety issue there is...from apple juice to zoo visitation. :grumpy: If the folks who built and designed things were the ones who decided what was safe, then who knows how the idiots will survive? :shrug:
 
Spot said:
i really like walking around downtown. especially in the spring/early summer.
its about an hour hike from fenway park to the waterfront or from fenway to harvard square. it can be a good 2+ hour walk if you stop in the shops and such along the way.
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Last time I was there for work, I went to the Copley Square mall to get Rusty this shaving cream that he liked from a Stoddard's and then I walked down Newbury, got some soap from a place called "Hope" where we get all our soap from. Then I went down Commonwealth, walked over to the Charles river... It's such a pedestrian-friendly city. And the schedules and prices for the T are just amazing. Compared to NYC at least. :)

Rusty and I went up for a weekend last summer, and did a lot of walking, taking pictures... Especially of all the houses on Commonwealth with the English ivy growing all over them. *sigh* I just love that city.
 
greenfreak said:
taking pictures... Especially of all the houses on Commonwealth with the English ivy growing all over them
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i saw those photos on your web site. very nice pictures.
 
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