Posts Tagged ‘traffic’
Retreat to paradise
One of your new Town Councilors wants Wakefield to be more like Lexington, Northampton and Georgetown. Another would like the Council to think about “scaling back” the public’s online access to meetings via Zoom. And although the “T” word was never uttered, most councilors are very worried about “what’s going on in Washington” and how […]
Filed under: Columns & Essays, Humor, News, Opinion, Politics, Wakefield | 1 Comment
Tags: affordable housing, bicycle network, Disabilities Commission, economic development, Georgetown, goals, Housing Production Plan, John Crisley, Jonathan Chines, Lexington, marketplace, Massachusetts, Mehreen Butt, Michael McLane, mom and pop, Northampton, Open Meeting Law, priorites, public participation, retreat, selectmen, single-family home, Stephen Maio, Town Council, Town Planner, traffic, transportation, Wakefield MA, Wakefield School Committee, Washington DC, Zoom
The wrong track
The idea that if you create more housing near public transportation the masses will give up their cars and flock to the infinitely superior public transit system is an unquestioned article of faith amongst our collectivist cognoscenti. Do these “folks” know any actual Americans?
Filed under: Columns & Essays, Community, Humor, News, Politics, Wakefield | 3 Comments
Tags: 40A, Americans, automobiles, bicycles, bus, business, cars, central planning, Climate Change, collectivism, commuter rail, density, depot, district, downtown, education, Farmland, gridlock, Henry Ford, housing, Humor, Mark Sardella, Massachusetts, MBTA, Model-T, multifamily, Opinion, parking, Politics, public, public transit, Range Rover, school, shopping, station, SUV, traffic, train, transportation, triple decker, Wakefield Daily Item, Wakefield MA, Wakefield Planning Board, walking, zoning
Braking bad
Now that the intersection of Salem and Pleasant streets is a 4-way stop, stand by for indignant complaints from drivers who have never come to a complete stop at a STOP sign in their entire lives. If those drivers are looking for someone to blame for this new arrangement, I suggest that they tilt their […]
Filed under: Columns & Essays, Humor, Opinion, Wakefield | 2 Comments
Tags: 4-way Stop, automobile, brakes, cars, collision, crash, drivers, horn, insurance, intersection, Mark Sardella, Mercedes, Pleasant Street, rearview mirror, road, Salem Street, stop sign, street, ticket, traffic, violation, Wakefield Daily Item, Wakefield MA
Developing a climate plan
The state of Massachusetts wants more control over municipal decision-making and is threatening to withhold state funding from cities and towns that do not comply with its social and climate goals disguised as zoning. New state guidelines based on a law passed by the legislature and signed by Gov. Charlie Baker last January require that […]
Filed under: Columns & Essays, History, Humor, News, Opinion, Politics, Wakefield | 11 Comments
Tags: automobiles, batteries, building, bus lines, buses, cars, Charlie Baker, China, Climate Change, commuter rail, developers, development, electric vehicles, environmentalists, EVs, forced labor, fossil fuels, housing, Humor, lithium mining, Mark Sardella, Massachusetts, Massachusetts Legislature, MBTA, Mike Kennealy, multi-family, Opinion, parking, Politics, public transportation, railroad, Town Meeting, traffic, trains, transit, Wakefield Daily Item, zoning
Train in vain
WAKEFIELD, MA — The closure since last November of the Broadway commuter rail crossing has certainly been no picnic for many, and the damage to nearby businesses is not to be minimized. At the same time, I’m an optimist by nature, and in the spirit of this week’s theme of arcane 1970s pop culture references, […]
Filed under: Columns & Essays, History, Humor, News, Opinion, Wakefield | 2 Comments
Tags: Boys & Girls Club, Broadway, crossing, Federal Railroad Administration, FRA, Greenwood, gridlock, Harvard Mills, Humor, Mark Sardella, Massachusetts, Monty Python, New Englnd Dragway, Opinion, Politics, quiet zone, railroad, traffic, train, Wakefield Daily Item, Wakefield MA, Wesr Side
All the rage
Well, our long, hot summer is finally over. OK, it wasn’t that long. Summer around here never is. But if you don’t think it was hot, tell that to the woman who had a cup of hot coffee thrown at her while sitting in the Dunkin’ Donuts in the Junction one morning last July. As […]
Filed under: Columns & Essays, Humor, News, Opinion, Politics, Wakefield | 1 Comment
Tags: anger, caffeine, cars, coffee, coffee shop, decaf, driving, Dunkin' Donuts, football, heat, Humor, Mark Sardella, Opinion, rage, road rage, stop sign, summer, tailgating, Toxic Masculinity, traffic, truck, Wakefield Daily Item
Envision bike lanes
I have some bad news and some worse news. The bad news: Bike lanes are coming to Wakefield Square. The worse news: There’s not a thing you can do about it. Why, you ask? The answer can be expressed in one word: money. The town wants $15 million from the state for a Main Street […]
Filed under: Columns & Essays, History, Humor, News, Opinion, Politics, Wakefield | 5 Comments
Tags: automobiles, bicycles, bike lanes, cars, design, downtown, Envision Wakefield, Humor, infrastructure, Main Street, Mark Sardella, millennials, money, Opinion, parking, Politics, roads, sidewalks., stakeholders, Town Meeting, traffic, VHB, Wakefield Daily Item, Wakefield Square, WakefieldMA
No win zone
Sometimes, the people in charge of things just can’t win, especially in the age of social media, where everybody’s a pundit. Recently, town officials announced several more initiatives to try to revitalize the downtown. Of course, it’s never enough. Or is it too much? Either way, the town is sure to get slammed for doing […]
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Tags: Board of Selectmen, business, business district, commercial property, development, Dog Park, Dollar Tree, downtown, economic development, Facebook, Malden, Mark Sardella, Massachusetts, Melrose, merchants, parking, police, pundits, Ralph Waldo Emerson, schools, signs, social media, taxpayers, traffic, Twitter, Wakefield Daily Item, Wakefield MA, zoning
In Wakefield, Massachusetts After 10 long months of public hearings, dozens of letters to the editor, lawsuits and even protests in Wakefield Square, the Zoning Board of Appeals on July 29 approved three Special Permits that will allow Shelter Development to construct a 130-unit Brightview Senior Living facility on Crescent Street in Wakefield, MA. The […]
Filed under: News, Politics, Wakefield | 1 Comment
Tags: Ami Wall, architecture, Assisted Living, Brian McGrail, Brightview Senior Living, Charles Tarbell, David Hatfield, Eric Anderson, Fraen Corporation, John Kennedy, John Ogren, Mark Sardella, Massachusetts, Michael Pierce, parking, Shelter Development, Special Permit, Town Meeting, traffic, Wakefield Daily Item, Wakefield MA, ZBA, zoning, Zoning Board of Appeals
Mark Sardella 