Wanted: New MBTA fuel efficient, enviro-friendly buses for Meridian Street Routes

This just in from Paul Howes of the Friends of Meridian Street

We the residents of Meridian Street of East Boston would sure love to see these new MBTA buses replace the older MBTA buses that run along the Meridian Street route. There are 115 bus trips traveling on Meridian Street through East Boston weekdays Monday through Friday. The fumes from these older buses are a major pollution and health risk to all the residents. 

The Umana and East Boston School children are all effected by this daily. Living on Meridian Street myself the MBTA always seems to have the older MBTA buses running this route. It sure would be a blessing to have the older fleet replaced by these new higher technical, less polluting buses running the 115 routes through Eastie. 

Let's upgrade Eastie and make it a better place to live. MBTA route numbers 114, 116, 117.

Thank you for your help.
Friends of Meridian Street

Friends of Meridian Street take on the Canton Eatery again

Paul Howes addresses the following to EastBoston.com:


This is again about the Canton Eatery at 339 Meridian St. East Boston, MA 02128 putting trash on the public sidewalk daily in front of their store. 

The Friends of Meridian Street has sent multiple letters to the owner asking that since the store is now open until 4am, seven days a week, that he please wait until 2am or 3am before he puts the trash out. He has completely ignored our requests without response. 

We spoke to the city about this and were told he has a contract with a private contractor and is allowed to put his trash out from 6 pm in the evening until 8am in the morning seven days a week. 

We know of no other contract in the city that allows a business to put there trash out on the public sidewalk at these hours. Or any respectable business that would do it. 

These are large trash bags filled with food trash, empty 5 gallon buckets of oil and large bags of trash. 

This so unsanitary as it draws dogs, rats, cockroaches, flies and gives the opportunity for our resident children to play with this trash. 

Everyone that drives down Meridian St. past the Canton Eater, walks by the Canton Eatery sees this as an example of how East Boston lives!!! The residents of East Boston are outraged about this having our public sidewalk blocked with trash on a daily basis. This is what we see looking out the windows of our homes. 

This is what our children see waiting for their school bus. This is what every vehicle (tourist, MBTA bus, taxi, residents driving)sees driving down Meridian Street. We are just asking that the trash not be put out until after 3am in the morning. Please pass this on to our public elected officials in East Boston and see if they will help. If you can talk to and convince the owner (and all his employees) of the Canton Eatery to do the right thing for the betterment of the "quality of  life" for our families this would be great.

Friends of Meridian Street