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Planners from the City of Boston solicited ideas for a reconstruction project on State Street in downtown Boston on Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2019.

Car-Free State Street Is A Possibility In City Reconstruction Project

By Christian MilNeil | Oct 31, 2019 | No Comments

On Thursday, planners and engineers from the City of Boston installed a pop-up park on State Street in downtown Boston to solicit ideas and feedback from passerby about a planned reconstruction project that would completely rebuild the street between the Old State House and the Rose Kennedy Greenway. State Street is a heavily-trafficked pedestrian route […]

An electronic tolling gantry on the Massachusetts Turnpike. Courtesy of MassDOT.

Business Groups, Advocates Agree: Drivers Need To Pay More

By Christian MilNeil | Oct 30, 2019 | No Comments

As legislators on Beacon Hill start working on a new transportation funding bill this week, business groups and sustainable transportation advocates are finding common ground on proposals to raise new funds for the state’s transportation infrastructure with new fees, taxes and tolls on motor vehicle users. This morning, the Massachusetts Business Coalition on Transportation, which […]

The Massachusetts State House in downtown Boston.

Advocates Host ‘Call To Action’ As State House Ponders New Transportation Funds

By Christian MilNeil | Oct 29, 2019 | No Comments

The Transportation for Massachusetts coalition will host a “Call to Action” in the State House on Wednesday afternoon in anticipation of a major new state transportation funding bill that could face a vote in the House of Representatives as soon as next month. According to a report from the State House News Service, House Speaker […]

Robert Scott, 55, of Holbrook was arrested on charges of assault after allegedly driving through a crosswalk while a pedestrian was crossing, then exiting his SUV to physically assault the victim, then fleeing the scene.

Road-Raging SUV Driver Arrested For Assault

By Christian MilNeil | Oct 29, 2019 | No Comments

Robert Scott, 55, of Holbrook allegedly nearly hit a pedestrian in a crosswalk, then exited his vehicle and violently assaulted the victim when he was called out for his irresponsible driving.

Bicyclists on the Somerville Community Path cross Massachusetts Avenue in North Cambridge in May 2019.

Cambridge to Reduce Speed Limit to 20 MPH On Most City Streets

By Christian MilNeil | Oct 29, 2019 | No Comments

This winter, the City of Cambridge will start installing new signs across the city to reduce the speed limit on most city-owned streets to 20 mph. In a press release announcing the move, the City cited the new speed limits as a “key part” of it its Vision Zero strategy to eliminate crashes that cause […]

Bluebikes docked at South Station in downtown Boston.

Bluebikes Negotiating Expansion to Five Suburbs, Including Newton and Chelsea

By Christian MilNeil | Oct 24, 2019 | No Comments

A memo to the Newton City Council reports that Bluebikes has made "an attractive offer" to expand to Newton and five other municipalities in the region.

Orange Line bus shuttles wait on Rutherford Avenue to make the turn into the Community College station on the morning on Monday, October 21, after a construction accident during weekend track work delayed the reopening of the Orange Line into midday Monday. Photo courtesy of Ari Ofsevit.

Advocates Demand Better Emergency Response Plans For Subway Failures

By Christian MilNeil | Oct 24, 2019 | No Comments

This Monday, for the second time this year, commuters woke up to the unexpected rush-hour closure of a subway line after delays to weekend track work kept the Orange Line’s downtown tunnel closed well into Monday afternoon. The T diverted riders onto shuttle buses running between Sullivan Square and Haymarket, and asked riders to crowd […]

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The aftermath of a truck crash on I-290 in Worcester.

Report: Drivers Keep Getting Safer — The Rest of Us Get Slaughtered

By Gersh Kuntzman | Oct 22, 2019 | No Comments

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 ‘Rail Vision’ Comes Into Focus

By Christian MilNeil | Oct 21, 2019 | No Comments

Electrifying the commuter rail network could have profound effects on transit ridership and transportation emissions in the region, according to the MBTA’s formal analysis of possible capital improvements to the commuter rail system. For the past year, the MBTA’s “Rail Vision” study has convened state transportation planners and a public advisory committee to analyze the […]

Boston public school students in the city's Youth Cycling Program visit the East Boston Harborwalk in June 2017. Courtesy of the City of Boston.

Boston Suspends Popular Youth Cycling Program

By Christian MilNeil | Oct 17, 2019 | No Comments

The City of Boston has temporarily suspended its popular Youth Cycling Programs this fall because of staff turnover at the Boston Transportation Department, according to city officials. The city’s Youth Cycling Program brought bikes, helmets and cycling safety educators to Boston public school classrooms for multi-day bike safety classes, including group rides around city neighborhoods […]

Rep. Ayanna Pressley, U.S. Representative for Massachusetts's 7th congressional district, rides the MBTA's 1 bus in a 2018 campaign ad.

Rep. Pressley Announces New ‘Future of Transportation’ Congressional Caucus

By Aaron Short | Oct 17, 2019 | No Comments

Pressley says that the current system for spending federal money on transit is "antiquated and contributing to the inequities and disparities when it comes to access to affordable, reliable, and rapid transit."

Photo by JeepersMedia, licensed under CC BY 2.0

Report: Higher Gas Tax, Like Higher Transit Fares, Could Increase Inequality

By Christian MilNeil | Oct 17, 2019 | No Comments

While many sustainable transportation advocates champion higher gasoline taxes as a way to pay for transportation improvements, a new report from the Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center (MassBudget) warns that higher gasoline taxes will exacerbate the state’s growing income inequality – unless the state simultaneously passes other tax policies to benefit low-income families. A 10-cent […]

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