Jay Luker

@jluker.bsky.social

246 Followers 877 Following

I Was Dancing in the Pedestrian Bar Ah-ooh Ah-ooh - Lexington, MA - he/him

But it is not so simple to achieve these objects, especially the latter. You can't make people use streets they have no reason to use. You can't make people watch streets they do not want to watch. Safety on the streets by surveillance and mutual policing of one another sounds grim, but in real life it is not grim. The safety of the street works best, most casually, and with least frequent taint of hostility or suspicion precisely where people are quene tant of hostility or suspicion precisely where people are using and most enjoying the city streets voluntarily and are least conscious, normally, that they are policing
Selectmen's Meeting minutes, January 22, 1979 The Recreation Committee and Mr. Wathen-Dunn met with the Board to discuss the proposed bicycle by-law. Chairman Battin said the state statute does say bicycles may be ridden on sidewalks outside business districts when necessary in the interests of safety unless otherwise directed by local ordinance. Our by-law says that no person unless authorized by regulation shall use or operate on any sidewalk any bicycle or vehicle unless propelled by hand except on such as are designated by the Selectmen and marked as bicycle paths or routes. So, they are excluded in Lexington unless otherwise specified, and the state allows the reverse to happen, that they are permitted everywhere unless it is specifically excluded.
It has been reported that in July 1967 a pedestrian was struck and killed by a cyclist near the present-day CVS, and that the Lexington by-law prohibiting cycling on Center sidewalks was a direct consequence of this incident. After extensive research, we have not been able to find any mention in the historical record of such an incident, but it remained an open question of why and when our current bike by-law was enacted that prohibits cycling on business district sidewalks.
planner complaining to jane jacobs that the north end is a slum because the density is 275 units per acre
Variances Now Weigh The Public Need For Housing The old variance standard was one of the strictest in the country. You had to prove a "substantial hardship" from the soil, shape, or topography of your specific lot. Now a board must grant a variance where strict enforcement would cause a "practical difficulty," weighing the benefits to the applicant and the public, explicitly including "the interest in supporting the production of housing," against detriment to neighborhood health and safety.
Promotes Trust in Food Trucks. Supports the vibrant food truck industry by calling for appropriate health regulations that promote public trust. Directs the Commissioner of Public Health to create regulations that include annual health inspections of food trucks and standards for cleanliness.
article headline reads Traffic Accidents Increase the Day After a Mass Shooting Findings suggest distress, fatalities extend to roadways nationwide
2. Move to grant a special permit from the parking design standards to accept the applicant's proposed snow storage plan. The Board finds the Applicants proposal to temporarily use and sign 3 parking spaces for storage and to remove snow from the property to be an acceptable snow management plan. 3. Move to waive the required amount of parking spaces required for future commercial uses by granting relief of 4 spaces (6 if #2 doesn't pass) according to the requirements for a medial office or eating establishment use. The Board finds that the site’s proximity to public transit, nearby on-street parking, and municipal parking lots in Lexington Center, and the Minuteman Bikeway reduce the need parking demand.
Picture of gable with and without extension. TExt reads, Summary of Historic District Commission’s (HDC) Review: On September 9, 2025, the Applicant applied to the HDC. The Applicant met with the HDC on September 4, October 9, December 4, February 5, March 5, April 2, May 7, and June 4 and July 2, 2026. On July 2, 2026, the HDC voted 3-2 to approve the demolition of the existing 1960 structure and approve the construction of the mixed-use building, with the sole condition that the gable projection be removed. The Certificate of Appropriateness (or “COFA”) is being prepared the week of July 6, 2026.
a crosswalk on concord ave in lexington that terminates into an embankment/trees on the south side of the road
sign outside my office building “ARCTIC ICE DELIVERY”
the text reads, "Arcologies: Picture a tall skyscraper-mall complex surrounded by nature. Good weather, close to beaches and other cities, but not close enough to be blocked by zoning regulations."
green painted bike lanes on massachusetts ave
six MWRA maintenance access points in a very short stretch
minuteman bikeway looking west from around bow street
The Lex Residences Ribbon Cutting Thursday, July 9, 2026 3:30 PM The Lex - 89 Bedford Street 89 Bedford Street, Lexington, MA 02420 Hosted by Finnegan/Katz Development & Lester Savage Message from the Host Please join us for a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony at The Lex Residences - Lexington's first project permitted under the Village Overlay District, a resounding success for all.
sunset mangoes $5.99 ea
parklet on waltham street in lexington center
kenshiro from nintendo fist of the north star boxing says things that are painful alone are more fun together
David Hockney - A Bigger Splash
screencap quote that reads “ The proposal to place 180 units on land bordering our conservation corridor does not merely raise questions about traffic or infrastructure—it raises a profound question about who we are. A development of this density, on this land, sends a signal that Wellesley has crossed a philosophical line: that we are willing to trade the character that made us desirable for the appearance of compliance with a state agenda that is indifferent to the people who call this town home. Governor Healey’s office counts units. It does not count what is lost when a family that was choosing between Wellesley and neighboring towns sees the headlines and quietly drives past.”
goose holding a knife
The bridge scenarios are projected to cut travel times by more than 40%. “The numbers don’t lie,” Cataldo told The Concord Bridge after the meeting ended.
Texts saying Did you see this from Marblehead about housing? I love it so much there are no words
Interior of shuttle bus
king of the hill cult meme. hank asks are ya’ll the folks that don’t want anything to work? and the cultists say Execution, therefore, must preserve public oversight at every stage. Work should be phased, decisions revisited at defined checkpoints, and reporting made intelligible to non-experts. Expertise is necessary, but it should inform decisions, not replace them. Efficiency cannot come at the expense of accountability; a project that depends on insulating itself from scrutiny risks losing its legitimacy.
picture of a 3-story orphanage restored into a residence
Picture os the HVAC system installation
S13411: MAPC- Joint Municipality Bluebikes Expansion, New Project This project includes 17 new Bluebikes stations in Boston, Cambridge, CMAQ $0 $5,944,032 $5,944,032 1500 Ebikes, 25 Classic Bikes, 17 Stations Somerville, Brookline, Watertown, and Salem. Most stations will be in Cambridge. Twenty-five classic bikes and 1,500 e-bikes are also included in the request. This is a joint request led by MAPC.
Screenshot of a real estate condo market summary for Lexington with two snippets hightlighted: "it is very likely that Lexington will see hundreds of additional condominiums being built", and then, "These additional units will put downward pressure on both condominium prices and rental returns".
email notification from jira says "[redacted] invited you to cry"
leo decaprio excitedly pointing meme
Picture of someone wearing a hat that is also headphones
Probably the most significant conclusion of the planning board in this policy statement is that, depending on scale, siting and con- centration, multi-family dwellings can be compatible with detached houses and can be assimilated in predominantly single family neighborhoods.
Although the intersection does not specifically meet the warranted under MUTCD Section 2B.13 – Warrant A [Crash Experience], the crash history at the intersection does denote two (2) pedestrian and two (2) bicycle crashes over the past 7-years at a location that is a direct connection to the Lexington High School. The 2024 traffic counts measured at least 650 pedestrians crossing at the intersection on both days of measurement, much of which is school related. This level of pedestrian traffic merits further consideration of enhanced traffic control beyond the existing TWSC conditions
screencap text: This conception of what it means to be part of a community is zero-sum. It treats neighbors not as people, but as fixed entities. It treats communities as consumer products, not as dynamic, living things. Most of all, it definitionally fails to count “I live in this town and I am in favor of this new housing” as a valid answer, and so the notion that “nobody wants this” becomes circular. Anybody who wants it isn’t really part of the community. You aren’t proving that some members do want it; you’re just proving that you’re one of those nefarious “they.” This notion of neighborliness and community is akin to basing fellowship on excommunication.
The most basic curb extension possible with an accessible ramp on a normal two-lane street
This is objectively correct. I’m not a math wiz or anything but I happen to know the odds of getting killed in a car crash are 12/100,000 nationally and about 11/100,000 in Ohio. That’s just off the top of my head. In Cleveland, we have 72 deaths per year — I consider that unacceptably high. But in a city of about 400,000, I did the math. It is .00018. So this lawmaker, he is not wrong on the facts. And this is what people think when they drive. Other authoritative groups do this as well. NHTSA uses deaths per million miles traveled. And again, it ends up being a tiny fraction — NBD, nothing to worry about. It matches our observed experience, we’re mostly safe, until one day, we aren't. The thing is, these odds add up over time. Most people don’t live their entire lives in one year. They live for 60 or 80 years if they’re lucky. Risks compound. This is math also. If we were to take those tiny fractions and add them up year over year, guess what? They start getting bigger. In the U.S., using 2022 data, the odds of being killed in a car crash over a lifetime are 1 in 93. More than 1 in 100 Americans can expect to die in a car crash over the course of their lifetimes. To make matters worse, traffic deaths are concentrated among young men in their teens and early 20s. And so compared to like a heart disease, they take a lot of “good” years off a person’s life. They cut people short in their primes — more often than not. These kind of sudden deaths to people of working age are especially traumatic for families and communities.
A Verizon work truck parked fully in the space for the bus to pull over
Governor Healey’s office number is 617 725 4005
The janky grill in place at the new house
Rolling a grill through my neighborhood
Screen cap of a section of a Chicago Tribune op-ed by Jenny Toomey: "When we talk about Big Tech’s responsibility to artists, the usual counterargument goes something like this: “But look at all the exposure they provide! Ten million artists can now reach audiences!” This is the digital equivalent of being paid in exposure — a currency that, last time we checked, isn’t accepted by landlords or health insurance companies. The paradox of the internet platforms is that every artist’s work can be available, but only a few superstars get noticed. It might seem like a fair competition. But the reality of who’s getting what in online music is more complex and more insidious. Take Spotify, as brilliantly documented in Liz Pelly’s book “The Mood Machine.” Many millennials have never known a different way of consuming music. But behind their sleek interfaces, the music streaming platforms are massive black boxes, with opaque algorithms and secretive payment systems. It’s not just that we can’t see how the sausage is made — we also can’t even be sure of what’s being counted as sausage. Self-dealing flourishes in darkness: Platforms can promote their playlists, favor certain artists over others and manipulate rankings, all without meaningful oversight or accountability."
a picture of a box of “Compostic” compostable cling wrap
Pano shot showing the ominous abandoned school buildings on one end and the colorful crowded playground on the other
Gross bullshit anti-bikelane messaging by a PAC funded by Jim Davis, CEO of New Balance, in support of Josh Kraft's mayoral campaign.
neal.fun internet roadtrip showing the interior of a wine shop in bar harbar, maine
Quote from an April 2023 Lexington Observer op-ed: "The bill that brought Housing Choice also brought MBTA Communities, a statute that charged “the department” (DHCD, reporting to me) with developing compliance guidelines. We worked for months, again with a broad coalition, to develop the policy, which has enormous potential. More housing near transit and in downtowns is hugely positive in 5 areas — housing, transportation, climate, economic development, and diversity. Article 34 doesn’t just get us in compliance, it allows Lexington to do what we’ve always aspired to do – lead."
GIF from the kidnapping sequence in After Dark, My Sweet (1990)
The purposes of the Village Overlay (VO, MFO, and VHO) Districts are: 1. To provide family housing and ensure compliance with MGL c. 40A § 3A; 2. To promote multifamily housing near retail sales and services, office, civic, and personal service uses; 3. To reduce dependency on automobiles by providing opportunities for upper-story and multifamily housing near public transportation such as bus stops, the Minuteman Commuter Bikeway, and major transportation routes; 4. To ensure pedestrian-friendly development by permitting higher-density housing in areas that are walkable to public transportation, shopping, and local services; 5. To respond to the local and regional need for affordable housing by permitting a variety of housing types with inclusionary housing requirements; 6. To encourage economic investment in the redevelopment of properties; 7. To encourage residential and commercial uses to provide a customer base for local businesses; and 8. To meet the goals of the housing element of the 2022 Lexington NEXT Comprehensive Plan.
Notice of Intent: 231 Bedford Street OpenGov Permit# CNOI-24-27, DEP #201-1335 Applicant/Property Owner: Richard Beliveau Project: Construction of a multi-family residential structure and associated site appurtenances within the 200-foot Riverfront Area and the 100-foot Bordering Vegetated Wetlands buffer zone Previous Hearing Dates: 10/21/24, 11/4/2024 (no testimony), 11/18/2024, 12/2/2024 (no testimony), 12/16/2024 (no testimony) *Applicant has requested a continuance without testimony to 2/3/2025
Announcement of single use plastic water bottle ban taking effect in Lexington, MA.
donut chart showing rough voter preferences between D(emocrat) and R(epublican). D=33.5%, D (est)=47.7%, R=6%, R (est)=12.4%.