BOSTON – A trip on a Duck Boat or trolley has become a staple activity for tourists in the city, however lately, traffic backups have been creating delays in city tours, and leaving guides with little stories left to tell.
Bike lanes, scooters causing delays
“It’s the perfect storm of many things going on in the city. We have new bike lanes, new bus lanes, which create some confusion and adjustments,” said Cindy Brown, CEO of Boston Duck Tours. “We have scooters going around which block the box, and can cause blocks and blocks of delays.”
Boston Duck Tours has seen a spike in people being late or missing tours because of traffic and parking issues for people getting to their services. Those who do get on, may be on for two hours instead of 80 minutes.
Boston Duck Boat Tour
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“Sometimes guests miss exciting areas of the city because we have to do work-arounds for traffic,” Brown said. “We built in some cushions on certain days with rush hour. We have extra ducks we keep throughout the day for a pinch.”
At times, they have to shorten parts of the tour, be it on the road or in the water, so they can make up for the time lags. Brown said the tours that approach two hours can be difficult for some riders because there are no bathrooms onboard.
“The planning makes sense. Bus lanes are great and bike lanes are great. The planning looks great on paper, but if the enforcement isn’t there it isn’t going to work,” Brown said. “If you have a road with two lanes, and one double-parker, all of a sudden Boylston Street is one lane. You can imagine how that backs up through Back Bay and beyond.”
Worse than during the Big Dig?
Old Town Trolley has drivers on routes for as long as three hours. Their service allows riders to get on and off and spots.
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Typically a trolley arrives every 15 minutes, but delays can have them showing up 30 to 40 minutes behind. Some of their drivers have told the company that the traffic is worse than before or during the Big Dig.
“They aren’t going to get off the trolley to have lunch at Newbury Street because they don’t know when the next trolley will get them,” said Old Town Trolley General Manager Tim Carr. “Some of these are baptism by fire. How many stories can you get through on four light cycles in Copley Square?”
City traffic solutions
Carr said the city has been working with tour companies on possible solutions.
A statement from the Streets Department said: “The Streets Cabinet aims to design roadways that balance safe use by all modes. Part of safe design includes clearly defining and separating spaces for the most vulnerable users. The rise of all types of delivery, and a shift in commuting patterns, have changed traffic in Boston. Our engineers evaluate all bike safety projects to confirm that the new street configurations will support known traffic volumes and sizes of vehicles such as emergency vehicles, buses, or trolleys. Our overarching goal is to build streets where all users– pedestrians, drivers, bicyclists, and transit riders– can reach their destinations safely and reliably.”
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Mike Sullivan
Mike Sullivan is a multimedia journalist for WBZ-TV. He returned to his home state of Massachusetts after reporting in the Midwest for more than ten years.
ALLSTON, MASS. (WHDH) – Boston police are searching for a gunman who opened fire in Allston Thursday and left one person hurt.
Police responded to a radio call for a person shot in the area of Brighton Avenue at approximately 6:46 p.m. When officers arrived, they said they found a male “juvenile” suffering from a gunshot wound. The victim’s age has not been released.
Boston police said the shooter fled the scene and remains at large. No arrests have been made.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Boston police.
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A State Police trooper who was allegedly found “slumped over” in his car at around 5 a.m. in the South End with an open container of High Noon vodka has been “relieved of duty.”
Mass State Police confirmed to the Herald Wednesday night that Trooper Donovan Preston, 31, arrested for alleged drunken driving in Boston this past weekend, “has been relieved of duty.” Preston’s base pay is listed as $80,213.
A Boston Police report states that police arrived at Herald Street on Saturday to see Preston “stopped in lane 2 of the road” with his brake lights on. The suspect was slumped over “with his eyes closed,” the report adds.
“The officer observed that the car was on and in drive. The officer observed an open container of alcohol (High Noon) in the cupholder,” according to the report. The BPD officer then knocked on the window “for approximately 10 seconds before the suspect lifted his head up.”
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Once he picked his head up, police said he appeared “confused and he looked around. The suspect’s vehicle began to roll to which the officer announced, ‘Boston Police. Open the Door.’ ”
Preston stopped on the three-lane, outbound road with his black BMW in the middle of two lanes.
A State Police spokesman said in an email: “Trooper Donovan Preston was relieved of duty and will be subject to a department discipline process.” All other comments were directed toward the police report.
That report, provided to the Herald Wednesday night, added that State Police were notified after Preston’s arrest.
The can of High Noon was logged into the evidence book.
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This latest OUI case comes as State Police Sgt. Scott Quigley is being investigated in an alleged drunken driving fatal crash in Woburn in 2023 that killed a disabled passenger in a van.
In the Quigley case, his blood alcohol level reportedly tested at a .114 at the hospital following the crash (the legal limit is .08). That detail came out in a wrongful death suit filed by the victim Angelo Schettino’s family.
‘Unless he’s s###-faced, I’m not worried’: Mass State Police dash cam catches aftermath of deadly cruiser crash [+video]
The smashed van at the Woburn crash scene. (MSP body camera video screengrab)
