🚸 These Boston streets are going car-free

It's Wednesday, Boston

🚨 PSA: The free fitness in the park series at Arsenal Yards and The Tall Ship in Eastie are back in business today! Nothing says spring like oysters and overhead presses.

👀 What’s on tap today:

• The T is falling

• Free Bluebikes

• The Boston Skittles Party

Up first...

DOWNTOWN

These streets were made for walkin'

Make way for pedestrians! Boston’s Open Streets program starts next month. The popular summertime initiative known for opening up throughways for people and cyclists kicks off June 25. And this year, it’s only getting bigger.

Here’s what to know:

📈 The program is expanding to more neighborhoods. Allston-Brighton and East Boston will join the lineup this year, with Jamaica Plain, Roxbury, and Dorchester returning. JP will host the first event on June 25 between 10:30 a.m. and 3 p.m., followed by Roxbury (July 15), Allston-Brighton (August 19), Dorchester (Sept. 17), and Eastie (Oct. 15). You can expect to find an assortment of food trucks, photo installations, kids’ hubs, and Pedicabs during the half-day events.

🍁 Open Newbury Street is also growing. To 16 consecutive weekends (up from six)! This means Newbury Street will be closed to cars from Berkeley Street to Mass. Ave. every Sunday from July 2 through October 15 from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Parking on Newbury and adjacent streets will also be restricted (and enforced!). You can stay up to date on traffic and parking restrictions as well as MBTA route changes here.

🤔 Why open up the streets? It’s a way to get more folks involved in their community and support local businesses. While Open Newbury has been around since 2016, last year was the first time the program was tested in other neighborhoods.

🤑 And it definitely worked. Small businesses that participated in last year’s Open Streets events saw an average increase in sales of between 10 and 50%, according to Segun Idowu, Boston’s chief of economic opportunity and inclusion. Newbury Street businesses have also seen a bump in sales.

🚸 The pedestrian-only street debate continues beyond Boston. Waltham didn’t hesitate to close a half-mile of Moody Street during the pandemic to keep local businesses alive. But with the public health emergency set to end next week, it was unclear whether it would return. Some local businesses complained that removing on-street parking pushed their customers to faraway lots and pummeled their profits. This year, Waltham made the decision to close the street to vehicular traffic in the evenings Thursday through Monday between May and Sept. And any businesses that want to use parking spaces in front of their shops can apply for a permit.

🏀 Want an early taste of the open street life? Canal Street is closed to vehicle traffic during home playoff games this season.

CITY

Quick & dirty headlines

🚇 The T is falling: The sequel. Corroded support straps were to blame for a utility box that fell and struck a woman at Harvard Station on Monday, according to the MBTA. The woman was taken to the hospital via ambulance and treated for minor injuries. As a result, the MBTA’s GM ordered an inspection of support straps at all Red Line stations as well as inspections on the Orange, Blue, and Green lines. At Harvard Station, this is the second time in two months that something fell from the sky that shouldn’t have. Remember the ceiling panel that nearly hit a patron? And riders are equal parts frustrated and nervous.

🏠 Rent control isn’t getting many bites on Beacon Hill. Mayor Wu’s city-backed bill to cap rent increases at 10% during high inflation years has been sitting on Beacon Hill for over a month with no lawmakers signing on to co-sponsor it. The last time the question of rent control was on the table, lawmakers gave it a resounding “no.” And that vote was only three years ago, so getting the bill to a floor session could be a challenge given the recent thumbs down. However, Wu’s admin says they’re not giving up as it’s still early in the process.

🏐 Beach volleyball is coming to Somerville. Assembly Row’s 75,000 square-foot addition dubbed “The Park” will welcome the city’s first beach volleyball destination this month. The Park will include four beach volleyball courts and 12 pickleball courts with corresponding sports leagues run on-site. Other parts of the park will be used for bocce and cornhole leagues. Plus, Downeast Cider will have a pop-up there all season. FYI: Registration for all May leagues closes today. You can sign up here.

🚲 Sundays are for free Bluebikes. To ring in Mental Health Awareness Month and National Bike Month, Blue Cross Blue Shield is sponsoring free and unlimited Bluebikes Adventure Passes every Sunday in May. These passes will be available across all 13 municipalities in the Bluebikes system (check the list here). Plus, BCBS is also providing Bluebikes riders with a free ride code every Sunday this month to share with a friend. The top 10 riders who log the most miles in May will also get a free annual Bluebikes membership. News you can use.

QUICK QUESTION!

👀 What’re your thoughts on Boston's rent control proposal?

ONE LAST THING

The Boston Skittles Party

Skittles just made some Boston enemies.

The candy brand tweeted on Monday, “My weekend wasn't great but at least I didn't choke away a 3-1 playoff lead. Anyways taste the rainbow,” referring to the Bruins’ Round 1 playoffs loss to the Florida Panthers (which still hurts to think about). And Bostonians had a lot of thoughts about the unexpected tweet.

Your Cousin From Boston, a Sam Adams advertisement character, tweeted back “NECCO wafers would never.” Others called Skittles a “trash candy,” and Liam Martin said “They’re like the worst of the candies,” on WBZ’s morning broadcast.

By Monday afternoon, Skittles tweeted again “Please stop throwing Skittles into Boston harbor. It was a joke,” and while we’re not sure if people actually took to the harbor, I think it’s a perfectly reasonable response.

🌈 Thanks for reading! It’s about time someone put Skittles in their place.

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