Elections and Politics
News topics:
Evidence Suggests That Driver’s Licenses for Undocumented Immigrants Will Improve Street Safety
This November, Massachusetts voters will decide whether to keep or repeal a new law that supporters say make our roads safer by allowing undocumented immigrants to apply for a driver’s license.
October 19, 2022
Gov.-Elect Healey’s Plans to Clean Up Charlie Baker’s Messes
The gubernatorial front-runner endorses low-income fares and “outlining a pathway to fare free buses throughout the Commonwealth.”
August 16, 2022
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