Recent Streetsblog MASS posts about Equity

A bus driver at Sullivan Square. Courtesy of the MBTA.

Guest Column: Yes, Transit and Dense Urban Places Are Safe – Even In a Pandemic

By Nina Weiss and Dr. Tracy A. Corley | Sep 18, 2020 | No Comments

It's now clear that the density of cities isn't a major risk factor in the COVID-19 pandemic. But another factor – crowding within households, which disproportionately affects lower-income and historically marginalized communities in big cities and rural areas alike, is a real culprit.

A City of Boston rendering illustrates the center-running bus lane concept for Blue Hill Avenue near Walk Hill Street. Under the plan, bus lanes and dedicated stations would run in the middle of the street, away from double-parked cars and turning vehicles. Pedestrian crossings would also be significantly shorter. Courtesy of the City of Boston.

Washington Snubs Dorchester Bus Riders In Favor of a Suburban Highway Interchange

By Christian MilNeil | Sep 17, 2020 | No Comments

New bus lanes on Blue Hill Avenue would benefit roughly 20,000 bus riders in Dorchester and Mattapan, reduce their collective commuting times by 800 hours every day, and allow the T to make over 100 additional daily bus trips along existing routes using the same number of buses and drivers, according to a rejected application for federal funding.

An outbound MBTA Fairmount Line train stops at the Talbot Avenue station in December 2012. Photo by Wikimedia Commons user Pi.1415926535, CC BY-SA 3.0.

MBTA Board Update: More Baby Steps Toward All-Day Regional Rail Service

By Christian MilNeil | Sep 15, 2020 | No Comments

Trains to Lynn will depart every 30 minutes starting in November (up from every 30 to 90 minutes last year), and trains on the Fairmount Line will run every 45 minutes (up from every 60 minutes last year).

An Open Streets event in Red Hook, Brooklyn. Source: Street Lab via Creative Commons.

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NACTO Grants to Fund Open Streets As Tools for Equity and Resilience

By Kea Wilson | Sep 3, 2020 | No Comments

“It seemed prudent to lift up examples of projects that balanced that tension between the need to respond rapidly to this crisis and the need to be thoughtful about the people who live in cities,” said NACTO’s Jenny O’Connell.

Rep. Ayanna Pressley Makes Surprise Appearance at Boston’s ‘Ride for Black Lives’

By Christian MilNeil | Sep 1, 2020 | No Comments

On Sunday, hundreds of riders gathered in Franklin Park for the summer’s third Ride for Black Lives in Boston, which featured an appearance by Rep. Ayanna Pressley, co-chair of the Congressional Bike Caucus and a co-founder of Washington’s Future of Transportation Caucus. Before the ride started, Pressley told the crowd that “you are writing the […]

A battery-powered school bus. Photo courtesy of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.

Electric Trucks and Buses Are Coming… Just Not Fast Enough to Save the Climate

By Olivia Box | Aug 31, 2020 | No Comments

Massachusetts has signed a multi-state pact to make zero-emission vehicles at least 30 percent of new bus and truck sales by 2030, and 100 percent by 2050 – but there’s considerable uncertainty about whether the pledge is ambitious enough to help Massachusetts meet its latest climate goals.

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