Bus rapid transit advocates transformed a bus shelter on Broadway in Everett Tuesday evening into an arbor of dried flowers, evergreen boughs, and lights to celebrate the city's bus lanes and "to elevate the bus experience" for the city's bus riders.
The "flowerbomb" was organized by BostonBRT, an organization dedicated to bringing bus rapid transit (BRT) to the Boston region and a major booster of Everett's bus-only lanes (editor's note: BostonBRT is a program of the Barr Foundation, which is also a major financial supporter of StreetsblogMASS).
During the day on Wednesday, Everett Mayor Carlo DeMaria visited the bus shelter to meet riders and boast about the bus improvements his administration has delivered.
“Broadway is one of Greater Boston’s highest-potential transit corridors, so it’s important that we not only prioritize but really celebrate our buses and the people who ride them,” said Mayor DeMaria in a press release.
About 10,000 bus riders travel along Broadway every day. Since installing its rush hour bus-only lane at the end of 2016, the average travel time from Everett Square to Downtown Boston was declined by more than 20 percent, according to BostonBRT. Since then, Everett has also begun installing elevated platforms at key bus stops along Broadway to make boarding easier for riders and to reduce the amount of time buses spend at stops.
In recognition of these efforts, the MBTA is now considering adding additional service to several bus routes along Broadway so that buses would run every 10 minutes between Sullivan Square and downtown Everett during rush hours.
