Elections and Politics
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Last-Minute Legislation Legalizes (Some) E-Bikes, Axes Low-Income Fares, and Throws More Cash At EVs
Despite a late effort by the Senate to revive legislation requiring the MBTA and regional transit authorities to implement low-income fare discounts, the provision went missing from the final agreement.
August 1, 2022
Mass. Senate Revives Low-Income Fare Legislation
The low-income fare legislation still needs approval from the House of Representatives, whose leadership snubbed similar language when it voted on its own version of the bond bill last month.
July 15, 2022
Advocates Lobby Senate for Low-Income Fares, E-Bikes In Transportation Bond Bill
The state’s bond bill authorizes public borrowing for new infrastructure projects, but transportation advocates hope that the legislation can also be a venue for the legislature to enact new policies and programs.
July 13, 2022
House Bond Bill Includes E-Bike Rebates, Snubs Low-Income Fares
State officials have been keen to pass a larger bond authorization this year to take advantage of higher federal spending that was authorized in Washington's 2021 infrastructure bill.
June 30, 2022
Windshield Bias Afflicts Broadcast Media’s Coverage of Cambridge Bike Lane Projects
A StreetsblogMASS analysis of six recent broadcast news stories about bike lanes in Cambridge found that just two sources took up the majority of airtime.
May 24, 2022
What Maura Healey’s Climate Plan Reveals About Her Transportation Priorities
The framework contains a number of ideas about how to decarbonize the transportation sector, which generates roughly 40 percent of the state's climate-heating pollutants.
May 13, 2022
Feds’ Safety Review Could Impact Local Governance Over the T
"FTA leadership recently discussed the pattern of safety incidents with MBTA executive leadership, yet it remains unclear what actions the MBTA Board and executive team are implementing to prevent and address the system's safety violations," wrote federal officials.
May 10, 2022
Baker Administration Developing E-Bike Incentive Program
"We're placing more emphasis on strategies to reduce total vehicle miles traveled," said Judy Chang, the Undersecretary of Energy for Governor Baker's Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs.
May 2, 2022
Two Factions Square Off Over Housing Issues in Brookline Town Meeting Races
A once-in-a-generation redistricting shakeup means that nearly every member of the Brookline Town Meeting is up for re-election this year, and two factions are squaring off over town zoning laws that prohibit affordable housing.
April 26, 2022
Mass. Senate Passes Climate Bill With Mandates (But No Funding) for Electric Trains, Buses
The Senate's legislation, titled "An Act driving climate policy forward," is, true to its name, mostly focused on driving.
April 15, 2022
