I'll address one of Martha's points:

>> we would like the see the plans for the crossing across Mass. Ave. (continuation of linear path)

The city did make formal plans for that crossing and presented them at an NCSC meeting that I attended. I drew up a version of those plans and have posted them at:
jessegordon.com/TrolleySquare/Before.jpg
and
jessegordon.com/TrolleySquare/After.jpg

BEFORE:

AFTER:

The "before" version is the existing Mass Ave and Cameron Ave crossing. The "after" version is what I proposed at a Trolley Square meeting (and elsewhere) and which more or less matches the city's formal plans. The key features are:

1. Cedar Street would be bent to come to a right-angle crossing with Mass Ave
2. The traffic light at the Cedar-Mass crossing would be moved a bit southeastward on Mass Ave to a new break in the median strip.
3. That light would serve for both cars and the linear path (pedestrians and bikes) which it does not now do. Curb cuts on both sides of Mass Ave would readily allow bike passage.
4. A raised crossing on Cameron Ave would facilitate bike and pedestrian crossing while calming traffic. The raised part would be perpendicular to Cameron Ave for traffic safety (not quite parallel to the linear path).

http://www.cambridgema.gov/CDD/cp/zng/trolley/

I'm CC'ing Rep. Anne Paulsen, in whose district this area lays. She is aware of the city's plans too, and I believe she approves of them as drawn.

-- Jesse

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Committee to Elect Jesse Gordon
1770 Mass Ave #630, Cambridge MA 02140
HQ: 133 Mt Auburn St., Harvard Square
(617) 320-6989 campaign@jessegordon.org
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Vote Jesse Gordon #1 on Nov. 8!
Website http://www.jessegordon.org
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-----Original Message-----
From: active@ureach.com [mailto:active@ureach.com]
Sent: Wednesday, August 17, 2005 2:24 AM
To: Jesse.Gordon@tpmc.com; TrolleySquare@topica.com; carl.sciortino@state.ma.us; crowley.megan@gmail.com; crowley.megan@post.harvard.edu; jesse@CambridgeDems.org; jesse@massscorecard.org; rfuentes@CambridgeMA.GOV; votecraig@worldnet.att.net; martha
Subject: RE: T-SQ: Cameron Avenue issues (Rebecca Fuentes, others)

Becky, this is an open letter to you. I have asked you to facilitate a number of things for us since this street stuff started on Cameron Ave. There have been some responses, particularly in terms of Hussein’s flexibility about the green strips. You are unfailingly courteous, and have interim answers on many things. But even so -– on behalf of many homes on Cameron Ave -- I’ve asked as many as 4 or possibly even 5 times for some of the things below, mostly without any real response.

1. We asked for prior notice of when work would be done. Last time some of us got orange flyers the day before. TONIGHT I came home to find “emergency” parking regs for TOMORROW, w no explanation on the signs, no info anywhere, and w/o even a clear demarcation as to which areas are off-limits (no arrows on the signs).

2. We asked that it never again be done when there is street cleaning. Street cleaning means that we have only half the # of spaces for parking on a street that is often overcrowded as it is. The work cuts out a lot of the half we have. GUESS WHAT HAPPENS TOMORROW? Is this on purpose?

3. We asked that we be told what’s happening with the green strips, and when – it was supposed to be done long ago. It’s going to be fun to try to plant flowers when and if they ever turn them from weed gardens into proper green strips. (There’s almost no way to plant them in the compacted soil.) They were supposed to make our street nicer, not rattier.

4. We asked to hear from the arborist about the plans for the trees.

5. We asked to see the revised street crossing plan. We want to see it now, long before it is planned, so we can raise objections if it’s still not adequate.

To this list I wish to add that we would like the see the plans for the crossing across Mass. Ave. (continuation of linear path), for the same reason. Two of the people on this list – Craig Kelley and Jesse Gordon – know a lot about safety issues.

Please respond to all of these points quickly.

Thank you for your response.

/Martha Older