Recent Streetsblog MASS posts about Advocacy Opportunities

Advocates say that these upgrades to the commuter rail network would allow trains to run every 15 to 30 minutes on most lines. Courtesy of TransitMatters.

TransitMatters Issues Detailed Game Plan for Regional Rail Upgrades

By Christian MilNeil | Jun 22, 2020 | 1 Comment

Advocates from TransitMatters have released a detailed, $2.6 billion strategy for upgrading key commuter rail lines to attain 15-minute, all-day service to Beverly, Providence, and along Boston’s Fairmount Line. Last November, the MBTA’s Fiscal and Management Control Board (FMCB) endorsed an aspirational vision to electrify the MBTA commuter rail network to provide all-day, rapid-transit-style service […]

Some of the organizations sponsoring a petition to the MBTA for the agency to acknowledge police brutality and prevent law enforcement from using the transit system to limit its riders' freedoms.

Broad Coalition Calls for Reduced Police Influence in MBTA Management

By Christian MilNeil | Jun 15, 2020 | No Comments

A large coalition of community groups, environmental organizations, and transit advocates are petitioning the MBTA to acknowledge the threats of police brutality and take steps to ensure that the region’s transit system will not be used as a tool for law enforcement. “Transit is a public good and necessity at all times. The T must […]

Pedestrians take advantage of expanded walking areas on Beacon Street in Brookline in mid-April. Brookline officials have repurposed on-street parking areas to provide additional space for safe physical distancing in commercial districts and on key routes to area hospitals; City of Boston officials may soon follow suit. Photo courtesy of the Brookline Transportation Department.

Boston Plans Expanded Sidewalks, Expedited Bike Projects for Pandemic Recovery

By Christian MilNeil | May 12, 2020 | No Comments

City of Boston staff are proposing to expand pedestrian space into on-street parking areas, build pop-up bike lanes, expand waiting areas at busy bus stops, and close some residential streets to through traffic in a wide-ranging strategy to support car-free mobility in a new era of physical distancing. City officials discussed these strategies and several […]

A photo illustration of what a new Northern Avenue Bridge would look like with a dedicated lane for privately-operated shuttles. Photo montage by StreetsblogMASS, based on bridge renderings from the City of Boston.

Will Northern Ave. Bridge Project Use Public Funds to Benefit Private Shuttles?

By Christian MilNeil | May 6, 2020 | No Comments

The City of Boston will spend millions of dollars more on a larger design that allows private commuter shuttles on the new Northern Avenue Bridge across the Fort Point Channel, in spite of what project managers had previously characterized as “overwhelming” public support for a cheaper bridge designed for bikes and pedestrians. Last year, engineers […]

Boston Council to Host Hearing on Pandemic Street Safety Improvements

By Christian MilNeil | Apr 28, 2020 | No Comments

"This is very much about safeguarding everyone's health in the immediate term. We are finding it impossible to practice distancing on narrow sidewalks," said Councilor Michelle Wu.

Congress Urged to Act as Pandemic Losses Threaten Transit Agencies

By Christian MilNeil | Mar 20, 2020 | No Comments

A $1 trillion draft economic stabilization plan from the U.S. Senate provides no financial assistance for the nation’s transit agencies, which have been bleeding red ink as the COVID-19 pandemic slashes fare collections and revenues from state sales and payroll taxes. Large transit agencies, whose budgets are generally more reliant on fare revenue, have taken […]

Show More Stories