The Swellesley Report

More than you really want to know about Wellesley, Mass.

Wellesley loves its Ubers and Lyfts: Ridesharing jumps 28% in 2018

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Ridesharing trips via Uber, Lyft and others that originate in Wellesley increased 28% in 2018 from the year before, and a combined half a million trips started or ended here. For a town jussst close enough to Boston to make ridesharing a sometimes option for trips to or from the city or airport feasible, and given the fact that we have 3 colleges in town, makes Wellesley a sweet spot for ridesharing.

This data and more is now available in the 2018 Rideshare in Massachusetts data report released by the state’s Transportation Network Company (TNC) Division. Overall, ridesharing increased 25% across the state in 2018 vs. 2017.

Rideshare Data Report Mass gov
Source: Massachusetts Transportation Network Company Division

 

The Commonwealth requires rideshare companies to share data with it. You might not realize that the companies pay a 20 cent fee per ride to the state that’s divvied up among cities and towns, the state’s transportation fund, and the poor taxi and limo industry. Wellesley snagged more than $19K from those fees from 2017, and used the monies for warning signals to improve pedestrian walkways and crossings, and provide transportation through the Council on Aging (Wellesley’s town government is looking to formalize a process for allocating such funds going forward).

Wellesley ranked 29th in origin and destination trips, and that works out to about 9 origin and destination trips per year per person in town. On average, trips from and to Wellesley are about 9 miles, a little less than twice as long as the average Massachusetts ridesharing trip. Given that, and the fact that Wellesley only spans 10 square miles, it’s not surprising that only a quarter of Wellesley’s origin and destination trips are confined within town lines.

The average miles per hour of rideshare trips in Wellesley is 26.6, above the state average of 18.6.

You can check out all of the data in the sortable spreadsheet below.

Overall,there were about 81.3 million ridesharing trips in Massachusetts in 2018, with the biggest increases in raw numbers taking place in Boston, Cambridge and Somerville. The largest percentage increases took place in smaller communities such as Provincetown (up 181%) and New Bedford (up 155%). And while ridesharing continues to flourish, note that such trips still pale in comparison to the billions of trips people take in their own vehicles.

With the MBTA jacking up commuter rail and subway fares come July 1 despite continued struggles with service performance, it’s easy to imagine even more Wellesley-ites opting for ridesharing down the road. The town has begun taking ridesharing into account too as it plans for the future. It’s mentioned in both Wellesley’s Unified Plan and the Wellesley Square Redevelopment plan.

Got thoughts on ridesharing in Wellesley? Feel free to comment on this post or email us: [email protected]

Download (XLSX, 75KB)

MORE: Where Wellesley ranks in use of Uber, other ridesharing services (based on 2017 report)

 

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Improper Wellesley: What’s to become of Improper Bostonian boxes now that magazine’s gone?

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improper bostonian
Improper Bostonian box alongside those of assorted illustrious publications on Washington Street in Wellesley

 

While I was sorry to see the Improper Bostonian magazine fold after 28 years — I’d pick it up in order to give my eyes a screen break on the train — I imagine locals won’t be sorry to see the blue plastic boxes go away now that they no longer contain the publication.

It’s now been a month-plus since the magazine’s farewell, and boxes remain on the streets of Wellesley. I also pass by at least 9 of the blue boxes on my sub-mile morning and evening walks in Boston between South Station and my office (though think a few have disappeared over the past week or so).

improper bostonian box wellesley hills
Wellesley Hills train station Improper Bostonian dispenser once offered respite from cellphone viewing

The boxes always remind me of a college antic that I may or may not have been party to long past the statute of limitations involving the transport of a heavy metal USA Today newspaper box from a Commonwealth Avenue sidewalk to a dorm room…

Who’s in charge of getting rid of such boxes in Wellesley?

It depends on where they are. Those on town property, such as the sidewalk by Marathon Sports on Washington Street in Wellesley Hills, are owned by the town. The one at the Wellesley Hills train station is the MBTA’s concern.

The town used to issue permits for the boxes but hasn’t done so in quite some time, perhaps because there are fewer requests to distribute print publications. The Department of Public Works has picked up defunct ones in the past.

Improper Bostonian publisher Wendy Semonian Eppich got right back to me when I inquired about plans for the boxes, and she asked me if I had any good ideas. I’d be glad to take one off her hands to store stuff in, but Mrs. Swellesley has given that a hard and fast “No.”

Semonian Eppich says: “We have had some interesting requests for them. I just need to take some time to explore them further.”

Got any ideas? Let us know: [email protected]

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Wellesley Police log: Amazon driver says guy broke mirror off truck; take my antique guns, please

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Wellesley police stationWellesley, Mass., Police log for the week of 6/2/19-6/9/19

Arrests

On June 5, 2019 at 10:35 a.m. Officer Shore was on patrol on Washington Street when he observed a Chevrolet sedan abruptly pull into a parking space along Washington Street, the vehicle then reentered traffic and then abruptly pulled into another parking space. Officer Shore conducted a query of the vehicle’s registration which showed that there was an active warrant for the owner of the vehicle. Officer Shore observed the male operator on the sidewalk and called him by name. The male identified himself as the registered owner of the vehicle. He was taken into custody, transported to the station, booked in the usual manner, afforded all rights and transported to Dedham District Court.

On June 9, 2019 at 12:25 p.m. Officer Lindelof was on patrol on Worcester Street when he observed a Ford van and conducted a random query of the vehicle’s registration. The query showed that the registration was revoked due to lack of insurance. He stopped the vehicle and asked the operator for his license and registration. He indicated he did not have a license with him and provided Officer Lindelof with a fraudulent name and date of birth. A query of his information indicated that he did not possess a valid license in Massachusetts. He was taken into custody, transported to the station, booked in the usual manner, afforded all rights and later released on $100 bail.

Incidents

On June 5, 2019 at 9:45 a.m. Officer Kane was dispatched to a residence on Sagamore Road to speak with a resident who wished to turn in an antique rifle for destruction. The resident indicated that it had belonged to another family member and had been stored at his residence for a long period of time, but that he did not wish to keep the antique rifle. Officer Kane took possession of the rifle and brought it to the police station where it will be securely stored until it can be destroyed.

On June 5, 2019 at 2:45 p.m. Officer Mankavech was dispatched to the area of Maugus Hill Road for a report of a tractor trailer causing damage to the roadway. Officer Mankavech met with an employee from the Department of Public works who stated that the truck had caused large groove marks and gouges in the pavement. Officer Mankavech spoke with the driver of the truck who stated he was unaware that he had caused damage when turning around in the cul-de-sac.

[Read more…]

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Wellesley native Michael Thorbjornsen teeing it up at US Open this week

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Update (6/15/19): It was a rough day for Thorbjornsen, who bogied 12 of 18 holes, including a 9 on the par 5 14th hole. He finished with an 83, which puts him at +13 through 3 rounds. One highlight: This sweet approach shot on the 8th hole, which he birdied in 3 shots and just missed eagling it. More good news: The young Wellesley golfer still has Sunday to finish strong.

Update (6/14/19): Thorbjornsen shoots 2 over par, for a 73 on Day 2, and 144 overall. He had 3 birdies, 5 bogies. The projected cut to play the final 2 days had been a score of +1 or better, but Thorbjornsen made the cut. The amateur golfer tees off Saturday at 12:26 eastern standard time alongside Chip McDaniel.

Update (6/13/19): Thorbjornsen hits even par on Day 1, sandwiching himself between Tiger Woods at -1 and Phil Mickelson at +1.

We’ll barely have time to recover from the Bruins’ Stanley Cup finale on Wednesday before the next big sporting event of interest to Wellesley fans takes place: The U.S. Open Championship in Pebble Beach, Calif.

Wellesley native Michael Thorbjornsen, who has been honing his golf skills at Florida’s IMG Academy in recent years, is scheduled to tee off just after 4pm eastern standard time on Thursday, June 13. Americans Chez Reavie and David Toms will be playing alongside him.

The teenager last year earned his way into the tournament, which runs June 13-16, by winning the U.S. Junior Amateur title. He’s scheduled to graduate from high school next year and has verbally committed to attending Stanford University and playing golf there. The Boston Globe reports that Thorbjornsen is actually slated to move back to Wellesley for his senior year in high school.

We reached out to Wellesley Country Club to see if they might have anything special going on to rally members around Thorbjornsen. They didn’t indicate any such thing in their reply, but did issue this statement: “The Wellesley Country Club community would like to congratulate Wellesley’s own Michael Thorbjornsen on making it to the US Open and we wish him much success!”

We did reach out to Michael via his Facebook page as well, and will share any of his pre-tournament thoughts with you if we hear back…

 

MORE: The time Arnold Palmer graced Wellesley with his presence

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