Unprecedented security will turn Boston into a fortress during this summer's Democratic National Convention as commuters face gridlock at every turn - all for a made-for-TV event starring an already certain presidential nominee.
Every major roadway feeding the city's downtown will be affected, either with closures or limited hours and access, officials announced yesterday.
And public transportation won't be much of an alternative as trains, buses, even ferries are stopped or stalled for security purposes....
Menino - urging "flexibility" to "work around" the traffic mess - urged employers to let their workers telecommute, work off-site, stagger work hours or just go away in order to minimize the convention congestion.
The Boston Herald
Friday, May 21, 2004
We’re road kill:
Mayor tells us to stay away while Dems play
Traffic tie-ups the likes of which we've never seen will choke Boston at the north and south ends of Interstate 93, flooding nearby communities with motorists trying to avoid related backups on Route 128 and the Pike.
Still largely unrevealed: The Back Bay and Beacon Hill won't escape the DNC grip that many figured would be limited to North Station and Government Center....
"Our best guess is we are going to significantly impact traffic on the interstate highway system," State Police Maj. Michael Mucci said yesterday. There may be some times - Mucci said with enough humor that you knew he was serious - that a commuter's best option might be to "turn around and go home."
The Boston Herald
Friday, May 21, 2004
Unconventional honesty precedes DNC hassles
By Cosmo Macero Jr.
The staggering scope of the security measures for the Democratic National Convention became clear yesterday, as state and federal authorities detailed changes that surpassed the worst fears of many residents and businesses: nearly 40 miles of major roadway closures, a vehicle-free zone around the
FleetCenter, and parking bans that will extend through the Back Bay....
"It's a harsh reality," said Joseph Curtatone, the mayor of Somerville, where drivers seeking alternative routes home are expected to flood streets. "We understand the security concerns, but the traffic, the congestion -- it's going to be a nightmare."
The Boston Globe
Friday, May 21, 2004
Massive closing of roads set for convention week
City encourages firms to give vacation time
Not all workers will be part of the exodus, however. Public safety, hospital, and hospitality workers are among those who can expect to be on the job that week, regardless of the traffic tie-ups and confusion....
At Massachusetts General Hospital, emergency room doctors have been told: no vacations the week of the convention. With up to 50,000 visitors expected in Boston the week of the convention, hospital officials said most of MGH's 15,000-member staff will be on duty in the event of accidents or a terrorist attack.
Bonnie Michelman, director of police security and outside services, said the hospital has set aside rooms at a Holiday Inn for workers who will not be able to get home.
The Boston Globe
Friday, May 21, 2004
DNC spells vacation for some
But safety, hospitality,
hospital workers will be required to be on job
The extent of these road closures makes clear that the FleetCenter presents security challenges more severe than anyone could have appreciated when Boston was bidding to be the convention host. Even so, a fuller explanation is needed to show that traffic restrictions are dictated by security, not convenience.
A Boston Globe editorial
Friday, May 21, 2004
Detours and dangers
And, yes, we know it's only four days - not long in the life of a city or a region and its people - but the news just keeps getting worse. You would think a city that routinely hosts the Boston Marathon and threw a super-sized party for its Super Bowl winning Patriots could handle the crowds....
Yesterday the other shoe dropped - and a huge jackboot of a shoe it was....
There is no getting around it now, this is nothing short of horrifying. If the idea is to so frighten and intimidate regular commuters into simply taking vacation or working at home, then this is a great strategy. If the idea is to show convention delegates and the media how a world class city deals with a major event and still keeps its composure, then this is simply not going to work....
Convention organizers say they'll help commuters cope with a public information campaign, called "Let's Work Around It." But the plans announced so far would more accurately be dubbed, "Just shut up and stay home."
A Boston Herald editorial
Friday, May 21, 2004
DNC to commuters: Shut up, stay home
Click
here to read these and many other reports in full
Anatomy of an inevitable taxpayer mugging
"It our party, you can cry if
you want to"
