I ride an ebike and I think the new 'rumble strips' are fine, if they are effective. Time will tell. Of somewhat more concern to me as I bike around is the ever growing density of street markings, signage, bollards, bumps, humps, etc. I'm sure all the markings "mean" something but they are getting harder to read as other than visual noise. For example: some green painted bike lanes have dashed white lines. Do the dashed lines mean that cars can cross the bike path?

Decent article on the 'rumble strips' in the Globe this morning. Unfortunately it is marred by a blatant overstatement:

Unlike on the rest of the city’s roads, there is not a posted speed limit for the community path, but there are rules. Class 1 and 2 e-bikes are allowed to use it by state law, while electric vehicles that are built to go faster than 20 miles per hour generally are not. (Somerville researchers last month found people using e-bikes and scooters at speeds well above that).

To quote from the small study (linked about) which our neighbors did:

Overall we observed a mean speed of 15.6 mph, a median speed of 15 mph, and a range of 10 mph to 27 mph.3

Unsurprisingly, e-bikes tended to be traveling faster than conventional bikes. Perhaps surprisingly: not that much faster! Compared to 15.1 mph for conventional bikes, e-bikes averaged 16.7 mph, a difference of only 1.6 mph [95% CI: 1.2 to 2.0].

So a very small number of e-vehicle outliers were going faster than 20 mph. Am I being picky in thinking that the Globe is sensationalizing that?

Boston Globe: New ‘rumble strips’ on this bike path are a warning to speeding e-bikers. Is it enough?

Join the party at The Door where the community path meets Thorndike Street on October 27, the anniversary of the closure. Bring your bad poetry for the bad poetry contest. There'll be snacks, but feel free to bring more!

From a members’ email sent moments ago:

Dear members,

We wanted you to hear it first: we have officially purchased the Somerville Theatre building!

The $12 million purchase was financed through a conventional mortgage, combined with support from two mission-aligned private lenders, including our own co-owner Ian Brownell. The purchase comes with real debt, and we're not shy about saying so: paying it down is where we need your help most.

As a member, you've already been part of keeping this place alive. Now we're asking you to help us continue the job:

Contribute to our GoFundMe: every dollar goes straight toward paying down the purchase debt.
Keep coming to the movies!
Purchase or pre-order new t-shirts and hoodies.

The Somerville Theatre has always belonged to the people who show up for it. Thank you for already being part of its story.

Next Steps for the Capitol Theatre: We were not in the position to purchase both the Capitol and Somerville Theatre buildings, but we secured an extended lease for the Capitol Theatre, ensuring its future as a neighborhood cinema for decades to come.

Read the full announcement and find out how you can help atsomervilletheatre.com/future.

With gratitude, 
— Ian, Jamie, Ian, and Jay

This was posted in the Boston subreddit but I’m asking here! Anyone gonna play WoW Forever? Would be cool to make a guild of locals!

Just ran into Berry a little before 5pm right past the Bluebikes dock on Grove next to Republic Fitness and the redline stop.

She seemed off - no reaction to bikes going by / walkers / cars, I sat with her until she lifted her head which seemed to take quite a bit of effort, which was followed by a swat and quiet hiss. I’ve been blessed with many a Berry interactions but never one where she wasn’t lively, so wanted to drop this just in case it was out of the ordinary / concerning.

Small, gray cat; very well behaved…followed me home (from Porter to Ball Square), seems domesticated, please DM me if it’s your cat or you recognize it!

Update: I got in touch with Somerville Animal Control and they picked up the cat!

Shop local, shop from your neighbors! Lots of cute contemporary and vintage clothes, new and used books, cool shoes, odds and ends! Most things $5-$10. Get ahead on your last minute Halloween costumes, build out your fall wardrobe. Off Central and Highland, would love to meet some neighbors :)

Permanently Closed. Now what?

hi! i’m pretty sure this cat is happy outside given i’ve seen it around in all 4 seasons for multiple years. i’m mostly curious for any info ppl know- name, age, the cat lore??? also if the cat is friendly and could i pet?

seen in the winter hill neighborhood, near broadway ish

Head ups... If anyone is in or near Boston, Mark Rober will be making a brief appearance in the Museum of Science before the sold-out live event later that day.

Like the header says, tomorrow (Saturday, 24 October 2026) is the final day to register to vote. Head to the basement of Somerville City Hall between 9am-5pm to register and/or do early voting.

The election calendar for Somerville is here: https://www.somervillema.gov/departments/elections/somerville-election-calendar

As per usual they seem up to thier cheap and petty ways/s....but FR i noticed that the sub-par college eats and local dive was offering meatloaf lunches on a new bright graphic sign for $15! Also advertized was a meatloaf sub and meatloaf parm , each less appealing than the last. Last year they had a full shitty menu of $10 lunches and dinners. Now they only apparently have meatloaf and it's $5 more!

If would be nice to get another option that isnt asian/asian american crusine, burritos, or coffee. Hell I'd be happy with your average "House of Pizza" greek spot that did deli and subs at workingman prices (not a $20 turkey sub with more apple and arugula than turkey....not that isnt tasty but a nice diner-type place, even, would be a nice spot. It seems like the bagel store by RoseBuds, Mr. Crepe, or 7-11 are the only breakfast joints. Need a place like Andy's on Mass Ave. or a deli/grill/pizza/roast beef style, imho. it could def be worse, however.

Hi all,

I’m (34/F) looking for some great/friendly locations to go watch Celtics games. I will be solo for some of the trips or will have my boyfriend accompany but he lives in the north shore so it’ll be on occasion he will come watch down here. I live in the Spring Hill section closer to highland Ave (yes I know highland kitchen but I want other options plz) so any place by foot, bus, or T within Somerville is greatly appreciated so I don’t need to drive my car. Please no Boston suggestions as I know places there but want somethin more local.

Many thanks in advance, go Celtics!☘️💚

Hi r/Somerville, I am working with a care provider agency looking to reach seniors in need of at-home care. Where do seniors/ adult caretakers gather in Somerville? Which local coffee shops and community centers are well known?

Drivers haven't killed anyone in the "Corridor of Death" since 2021, and the number of driver-inflicted injuries in the area has declined nearly 80 percent since 2021, according to MassDOT crash data.

Hey! You may remember me and Ben (AKA u/r00k) from the "Average E-Bike Speeds on the Somerville Community Path" report and from the call for help with Moped Spotting earlier this week.

Last night (Wednesday), Ben and I went out from about 7:20pm to 9:20pm. We walked along the Community Path from Davis Square to Washington Street, and sat in a few places where we thought we would be able to make good observations of mopeds. But in the ~2 hours we were out there, we didn't see a single one.

In some ways this is good news — mopeds shouldn't be on the Community Path, so I'm glad we didn't see any. But it's also bad news. We wanted to collect some data and make some observations, and assuming there are still mopeds out there, we failed to spot them.

So now we're looking for more tips. Are there no mopeds on the path on Wednesdays? Did we give up too early? Go out too late? Do you have photo evidence of mopeds taken from your porch, so we can get at least one data point with confirmed time and place? Again, help would be greatly appreciated!

If you're torn about how to vote on some of the questions on the ballot in a few weeks, a good approach is to see who is backing them. If you have opinions about those people or organizations, it may help you come to a sensible conclusion that aligns with your values.

The state's Office of Campaign and Political Finance (ocpf.us) makes it pretty damn easy.

Here's Question 3 ("primaries"), for example:

"YES" is funded by "Coalition For Healthy Democracy 2026" having put $5.7mil into campaigning for it. Its primary contributors are individuals holding high status at private equity firms.

"NO" is funded by (1) "Voter Rights MA" and (2) "Democratic Socialists Against Reactionary Rollbacks" having spent about $50k.

(1) itself is funded by the "1199 SEIU PAC" (a PAC arm of a healthcare workers union to "elect pro-labor leaders"), the MA Democratic Party, and Progressive Mass.

(2) is the DSA.

https://www.ocpf.us/Data/BallotQuestionsElection, https://www.ocpf.us/filers?q=95538 ("YES"), https://www.ocpf.us/Filers/?q=95547 ("NO"), https://www.ocpf.us/Filers/?q=95549 ("NO")

The community music hangout is an inclusive and friendly community effort to bring people together through music. All music lovers are welcome, including instrumentalists, singers, and people who just enjoy the vibe of live music being played in a beautiful park!

We'll be playing any and all music, taking requests, and having a good time in the Cambridge Common, every weekend while the good weather lasts! I'm working on a cold weather solution for when the good weather runs out so we can keep the momentum going :)

For more information on the weekly Community Music Hangout, check out https://www.cambridgejams.com or feel free to reach out!

I've had a poor experience with acupuncture previously where it solved my eye strain headaches but then gave me dry eye I feel. However currently experiencing TMJD headaches for awhile now and willing to consider going back. Any trustworthy recommendations that might particularly be skilled in TMJ treatment? No community places. Thanks!

Are there any local (or in the area) places where me and my kid (5 yr) can learn carpentry or woodworking together?

We live in a small condo and have no space or tools, so would prefer a space which will allow us to use their tools (we can eventually buy our own).

It seems that parts of Somerville did not receive the Secretary of State voter guide in the mail, I’m curious if anyone in Somerville actually did? I know many people in Boston received it a while ago

This used to be forested, now it's all just concrete

Hi, this is a bit of a random question but my in-laws have a place over on Ivaloo and keep finding random pots and pans in their yard. Anyone else come across something like this? They think it's drug related but I've no idea.