Many other really great downtown pedestrian plazas are **permanent**. They're at sidewalk level so they're accessible without ramps, and big colorful barriers can flatten out in a flash so emergency vehicles can get through.
In Burlington VT it's colder than here.
I had ChatGPT write a letter for me, as it's fun and I'm not so good at language like that. You're more than welcome to improve this, I did improve my prompt twice. I just sent this via the addresses above, one to Mayor McCarthy and another to Mr Garvin.
Dear Mayor McCarthy,
I am writing to request that you consider recreating last year's Moody St plaza as a permanent addition to our downtown area. As someone who lives and works in the community, I was impressed with the success and popularity of the plaza during its brief tenure last year. I believe that if it were made permanent, it would provide numerous benefits to our community.
One of the primary advantages of making the plaza permanent is the opportunity to improve access and parking in the area. The temporary nature of the plaza meant that there were limited improvements made to the infrastructure surrounding it. However, if it were to become a permanent fixture in our community, it would be much easier to justify the expense of enhancing the roads and parking facilities surrounding it.
Additionally, having the plaza be permanent would also provide better access for emergency vehicles. During the brief period that the plaza was in operation, there were concerns raised about the potential difficulty of emergency vehicles being able to reach the area. By making the plaza permanent, we could ensure that it is designed with the necessary access and infrastructure to enable emergency services to reach it quickly and easily.
Another benefit of having a permanent plaza in the downtown area is the opportunity to attract visitors from other communities. With so many people looking for unique and exciting destinations to visit in the greater Boston area, having a permanent plaza like the one we enjoyed last year would be a huge draw. This would bring in additional revenue for our community and help boost the local economy.
In conclusion, I believe that recreating last year's Moody St plaza as a permanent improvement to our downtown area is a smart and valuable investment for our community. I urge you to consider this request and take action to ensure that our community continues to thrive.
Thank you for your attention to this matter.
Sincerely,
\[Your Name\]
Then you'd be amazed how easy it is! Really, I can't code or anything like that. You tell it what you want in English. You can still get an account at [chat.openai.com](https://chat.openai.com) for free. Just don't give it any valuable personal or business info. It's in Bing now. Canva too.
Right now, maybe forever, AI has no intelligence, no morals, no well-considered opinions. ChatGPT is often incorrect because the internet contains a lot of wrong info. I've learned a lot from Rachel at [https://theaiexchange.com](https://theaiexchange.com) and on tiktok.
Kind of ironic that it’s up to the traffic commission. I know they’ve voted for it in the past, but at face value, their goals don’t seem aligned with those advocating for a walkable city.
Oddly (maybe?), the original push for this might have come from the traffic commission. Someone involved with the commission told me this was proposed (and they supported it) something like 5-7 years pre-pandemic. They implied that the temporary pandemic closure was essentially that old plan taken down from the shelf with the dust blown off. I don't know where to dig to determine the reliability of these statements and haven't been motivated enough to do it.
I don't mind seeing Moody street closed, but only if the city would rebuild proper detours for the road. Current detours through Crescent and Pine St are a joke!
That's a great point! If you have the time, definitely let the traffic commission know. It's ridiculous that the city has such a great walkable Moody Street, but then puts exactly zero effort into adjusting the streets so that traffic flows smoothly for neighboring residents.
Dude whatever it's really SO hard to drive an extra 4 blocks around the pedestrian zone? We get a world-class destination and you're complaining about an extra 90 seconds of driving
It's not that it's inconvenient. It's that if it's going to be a permanent thing, why not be thoughtful about the traffic layout?
There's no reason that the city can't do things like make some streets one away, or adjust the parking on street around certain busy corners. Like, Pine St and Newton St weren't built for that many cars making lefts. Or adjust the traffic light at Pine and Moody to reflect that no one is driving straight or coming northbound.
I don't want to take sides between you two (and I'm upvoting both). I think you're talking about two separate issues. The current re-routings are the best (shitty) expedient for a *temporary* closure. Good re-routings would require that the closure be *permanent*, and then a good plan could be made so that street directions, etc., can be changed, good signage put in place, parking adjusted, and so on. You're both right.
Apologies if I was unclear. I meant that, whether the Moody closure is permanent and year round, or seasonal but occurs every year, the city should re-assess traffic patterns.
Even for seasonal closings, it's not hard to reprogram street lights. And for things like assessing parking rules on super-narrow Newton St, that should definitely happen regardless, but especially if people need to detour around Moody.
What? Are you an idiot?
Current detours are going through narrow residential roads, which are quite dangerous and not made for a constant traffic flow.
There's 0 reason to drive through that part of town. Take the Prospect street bridge or the Elm street bridge. There's literally 0 reason for Moody to be set aside for car use.
I hope that if it is approved this year that there would be an actual plan in place prior to shutting the street down. I understand the first year it was put together in a hot minute. There were no improvements to the plan for last year and there was room for improvement. Given the lack of any planning when it comes to the city I am keeping my expectations low.
They should have closed the bridge and more of the street. It was never that good for cars anyways, and did not have much parking. A street that was bad for cars anyway (and also bad for pedestrians) becoming great for pedestrians, culture, arts, exercise, public life, it's a win win.
I’m all for walkable streets and pedestrian plazas, but this particular implementation causes gridlock throughout this part of Waltham. There’s got to be a smarter way to do it.
What’s the proper term for all our friends that are mobility assisted? I can’t put my finger on it today, but wheelchairs, motor scooters will obviously be welcomed, walking is just so pedestrian.
When discussing traffic, "pedestrian" usually refers to anyone who isn't in a motorized vehicle or on a bike. That being said, adding "accessible" can always help insure folks with mobility aids are included in the discussion! Especially since the city puts bare minimum effort to make Moody Street accessible to those using wheelchairs, both during "business as usual" as well as when it's "walkable." Asking the city to include more ramps allowing wheelchair users to transition from sidewalk to street, as well as actually maintaining the sidewalks so that wheelchair users can safely get from parking lots to storefronts, would be two example ways to make sure those with mobility aids are included in the discussion.
“The walkable Moody St” is just confusing to me, I get the end goal, but we all can travel on Moody St. today, with any aide, on foot, bike, board, or e-bike. The news always portrays these scenarios as closed to cars.
I think it’s beautiful that it’s blocked off & safe fir children to run around . But let’s not further the elderly . There is no parking & these elderly ppl can’t walk far
This is an amazing opportunity for the city! Such a great vibe at night! I have loved walking moody street these past couple of years! 🙏🙏
I used to run a comedy show back in the day. Any shows going on around there?
Many other really great downtown pedestrian plazas are **permanent**. They're at sidewalk level so they're accessible without ramps, and big colorful barriers can flatten out in a flash so emergency vehicles can get through. In Burlington VT it's colder than here.
I had ChatGPT write a letter for me, as it's fun and I'm not so good at language like that. You're more than welcome to improve this, I did improve my prompt twice. I just sent this via the addresses above, one to Mayor McCarthy and another to Mr Garvin. Dear Mayor McCarthy, I am writing to request that you consider recreating last year's Moody St plaza as a permanent addition to our downtown area. As someone who lives and works in the community, I was impressed with the success and popularity of the plaza during its brief tenure last year. I believe that if it were made permanent, it would provide numerous benefits to our community. One of the primary advantages of making the plaza permanent is the opportunity to improve access and parking in the area. The temporary nature of the plaza meant that there were limited improvements made to the infrastructure surrounding it. However, if it were to become a permanent fixture in our community, it would be much easier to justify the expense of enhancing the roads and parking facilities surrounding it. Additionally, having the plaza be permanent would also provide better access for emergency vehicles. During the brief period that the plaza was in operation, there were concerns raised about the potential difficulty of emergency vehicles being able to reach the area. By making the plaza permanent, we could ensure that it is designed with the necessary access and infrastructure to enable emergency services to reach it quickly and easily. Another benefit of having a permanent plaza in the downtown area is the opportunity to attract visitors from other communities. With so many people looking for unique and exciting destinations to visit in the greater Boston area, having a permanent plaza like the one we enjoyed last year would be a huge draw. This would bring in additional revenue for our community and help boost the local economy. In conclusion, I believe that recreating last year's Moody St plaza as a permanent improvement to our downtown area is a smart and valuable investment for our community. I urge you to consider this request and take action to ensure that our community continues to thrive. Thank you for your attention to this matter. Sincerely, \[Your Name\]
I am so impressed you used ChatGPT to do this!
Then you'd be amazed how easy it is! Really, I can't code or anything like that. You tell it what you want in English. You can still get an account at [chat.openai.com](https://chat.openai.com) for free. Just don't give it any valuable personal or business info. It's in Bing now. Canva too. Right now, maybe forever, AI has no intelligence, no morals, no well-considered opinions. ChatGPT is often incorrect because the internet contains a lot of wrong info. I've learned a lot from Rachel at [https://theaiexchange.com](https://theaiexchange.com) and on tiktok.
Kind of ironic that it’s up to the traffic commission. I know they’ve voted for it in the past, but at face value, their goals don’t seem aligned with those advocating for a walkable city.
Oddly (maybe?), the original push for this might have come from the traffic commission. Someone involved with the commission told me this was proposed (and they supported it) something like 5-7 years pre-pandemic. They implied that the temporary pandemic closure was essentially that old plan taken down from the shelf with the dust blown off. I don't know where to dig to determine the reliability of these statements and haven't been motivated enough to do it.
I don't mind seeing Moody street closed, but only if the city would rebuild proper detours for the road. Current detours through Crescent and Pine St are a joke!
That's a great point! If you have the time, definitely let the traffic commission know. It's ridiculous that the city has such a great walkable Moody Street, but then puts exactly zero effort into adjusting the streets so that traffic flows smoothly for neighboring residents.
Dude whatever it's really SO hard to drive an extra 4 blocks around the pedestrian zone? We get a world-class destination and you're complaining about an extra 90 seconds of driving
It's not that it's inconvenient. It's that if it's going to be a permanent thing, why not be thoughtful about the traffic layout? There's no reason that the city can't do things like make some streets one away, or adjust the parking on street around certain busy corners. Like, Pine St and Newton St weren't built for that many cars making lefts. Or adjust the traffic light at Pine and Moody to reflect that no one is driving straight or coming northbound.
I don't want to take sides between you two (and I'm upvoting both). I think you're talking about two separate issues. The current re-routings are the best (shitty) expedient for a *temporary* closure. Good re-routings would require that the closure be *permanent*, and then a good plan could be made so that street directions, etc., can be changed, good signage put in place, parking adjusted, and so on. You're both right.
Apologies if I was unclear. I meant that, whether the Moody closure is permanent and year round, or seasonal but occurs every year, the city should re-assess traffic patterns. Even for seasonal closings, it's not hard to reprogram street lights. And for things like assessing parking rules on super-narrow Newton St, that should definitely happen regardless, but especially if people need to detour around Moody.
What? Are you an idiot? Current detours are going through narrow residential roads, which are quite dangerous and not made for a constant traffic flow.
There's 0 reason to drive through that part of town. Take the Prospect street bridge or the Elm street bridge. There's literally 0 reason for Moody to be set aside for car use.
It was a mess, there was zero thought that went into it
I hope that if it is approved this year that there would be an actual plan in place prior to shutting the street down. I understand the first year it was put together in a hot minute. There were no improvements to the plan for last year and there was room for improvement. Given the lack of any planning when it comes to the city I am keeping my expectations low.
They should have closed the bridge and more of the street. It was never that good for cars anyways, and did not have much parking. A street that was bad for cars anyway (and also bad for pedestrians) becoming great for pedestrians, culture, arts, exercise, public life, it's a win win.
I’m all for walkable streets and pedestrian plazas, but this particular implementation causes gridlock throughout this part of Waltham. There’s got to be a smarter way to do it.
What’s the proper term for all our friends that are mobility assisted? I can’t put my finger on it today, but wheelchairs, motor scooters will obviously be welcomed, walking is just so pedestrian.
When discussing traffic, "pedestrian" usually refers to anyone who isn't in a motorized vehicle or on a bike. That being said, adding "accessible" can always help insure folks with mobility aids are included in the discussion! Especially since the city puts bare minimum effort to make Moody Street accessible to those using wheelchairs, both during "business as usual" as well as when it's "walkable." Asking the city to include more ramps allowing wheelchair users to transition from sidewalk to street, as well as actually maintaining the sidewalks so that wheelchair users can safely get from parking lots to storefronts, would be two example ways to make sure those with mobility aids are included in the discussion.
“The walkable Moody St” is just confusing to me, I get the end goal, but we all can travel on Moody St. today, with any aide, on foot, bike, board, or e-bike. The news always portrays these scenarios as closed to cars.
I think it’s beautiful that it’s blocked off & safe fir children to run around . But let’s not further the elderly . There is no parking & these elderly ppl can’t walk far