Recent Streetsblog MASS posts about Traffic congestion

An evening city street scene on Boylston Street near Copley Square. On the left side of the photo is a busy sidewalk and a Chick-Fil-A restaurant. On the street in front of the restaurant, four cars, three of them double-parked, occupy the multiple-lane street; a food delivery driver is stepping out of one of the cars while a second car is attempting to drive between the others to fit in closer to the curb.

Legislation Aims to Take the Measure of Traffic Impacts From App-Based Delivery Services

By Christian MilNeil | Mar 14, 2023 | No Comments

Because app-based food delivery services operate with very little oversight in Massachusetts, it’s difficult to estimate the scale of their impact.

A view from the Boston Public Library steps overlooking the festivities from day one of Copley Connect, a pilot project that will close one block of Dartmouth Street to motor vehicle traffic in order to expand the public space of Copley Square.

City Declares Copley Open Street Pilot a ‘Success’ and Plans Permanent Improvements

By Christian MilNeil | Jan 19, 2023 | No Comments

72 percent of survey respondents expressed a "very positive" opinion about making the car-free plaza permanent.

Uber and Lyft Ridership May Be Faring Even Worse Than Transit

By Christian MilNeil | Jul 22, 2022 | No Comments

In 2021, Uber and Lyft only carried 44 percent as many trips as they did in 2019, before the pandemic.

New signage presages faster buses on I-93 northbound lanes of I-93 north of Boston. Photo by Ari Ofsevit, used with permission.

Buses Will Get A New Bypass Around I-93 Traffic Jams North of Boston

By Christian MilNeil | Oct 12, 2021 | 1 Comment

The autumn winds have unwrapped some new signage on Interstate 93 north of Boston, revealing MassDOT’s plans to allow buses to run in the breakdown lane on one of the region’s most congested highways. On Tuesday morning, an MBTA spokesperson confirmed that the T had collaborating with MassDOT to allow buses to run on the […]

Google Street View imagery of Main Street in Reading shows the street before (from 2019) and after (from 2020) a road diet that reduced the number of vehicle lanes on the roadway. Images courtesy of Google.

A Reading Road Diet Moves From Pilot to Permanent

By Christian MilNeil | Aug 31, 2021 | No Comments

According MassDOT data, the removal of one traffic lane from Route 28 did not affect travel times or traffic volumes on other streets nearby, and early data suggest that fewer drivers are causing crashes.

A double-parked Lyft driver waits outside of the South Station bus terminal on Thursday, August 8, 2019.

As Uber and Lyft Pivot to Deliveries, Customers Face Longer Waits, Higher Prices

By Christian MilNeil | Aug 19, 2021 | No Comments

Passenger rides are down, but evidence suggests that the apps' drivers are still on the roads, delivering takeout and packages instead of riders.

Show More Stories