Recent Streetsblog MASS posts about Boston

Plan for Franklin Park Would Ban Cars From Circuit Drive

By Christian MilNeil | Mar 10, 2021 | No Comments

"We want to elevate multimodal routes for bikes and pedestrians," said Lydia Gikas Cook, a landscape architect working on the plan, on Wednesday.

The proposed Northampton Street Residences is one of the handful of housing developments that Boston approved in 2020 that will include no on-site parking lots or garages. The project will replace a surface parking lot with 47 new affordable apartments adjacent to the Southwest Corridor Park and the Mass. Ave. Orange Line station. Rendering by Höweler + Yoon Architecture, courtesy of the BPDA.

Boston Planners Approved Over 11,000 New Parking Spaces in 2020

By Christian MilNeil | Mar 9, 2021 | 1 Comment

The development projects that Boston planners approved in 2020 would add enough parking to store up to 11,162 more cars within the city limits – and the vast majority of new parking garages will be built in areas within easy walking distance of an MBTA rail station.

Flooding on Morrissey Boulevard in Dorchester during a "king tide" event

One More Study Will Try to Save Morrissey Boulevard From Drowning

By Christian MilNeil | Mar 5, 2021 | No Comments

"The study will prioritize infrastructure designs that meet the City and Commonwealth’s net-zero emissions targets, including maximizing opportunities for sustainable transportation such as walking, bicycling, and transit use," according to the press statement.

A rendering of a future Dorchester Avenue, looking north from Alger Street. As new apartments and office buildings replace warehouses along Dorchester Ave. in South Boston, the BPDA plans ask abutters to set aside space for protected bike lanes and wider sidewalks. Courtesy of the BPDA.

Boston Plots ‘Complete Streets’ Upgrades for Andrew Square Neighborhood

By Christian MilNeil | Mar 4, 2021 | No Comments

The BPDA is planning major upgrades to sidewalks, bus service, and bike infrastructure to accommodate anticipated growth along Dorchester Avenue in South Boston.

Adam Balsam's homemade speed camera consists of a webcam, a $35 hobbyist computer, and some free open-source software that can analyze speeds from the images of moving cars. Photo courtesy of Adam Balsam.

How to Build a Cheap Homemade Speed Camera

By Christian MilNeil | Feb 26, 2021 | No Comments

Most drivers in the North End go under 20 mph - but reckless speeding over 40 mph was distressingly common.

New Role for Chief Osgood Leaves Another Leadership Vacancy at Boston Transportation Dept.

By Christian MilNeil | Feb 22, 2021 | No Comments

It's not apparent who would lead Boston's transportation departments in Osgood's absence.

New flexible-post bollards have been installed on the Massachusetts Avenue bike lanes through the Boston Medical Center campus. The posts replace sturdier concrete barriers that were removed in December after motorists crashed into them. Photo courtesy of the City of Boston Transportation Department.

Building Back Flimsier: Flexposts Replace Concrete Curbs for Mass. Ave. Bike Lanes

By Christian MilNeil | Jan 26, 2021 | No Comments

The Boston Transportation Department (BTD) has installed flexible-post plastic bollards along the Massachusetts Avenue bike lanes through the Boston Medical Center campus, one of the city’s most dangerous street segments, to replace more robust concrete curbs that were removed in December. The entire length of Massachusetts Avenue is part of the city’s “high crash network,” […]

An Esplanade Association rendering of what the Charles River waterfront could look like with a planned reconfiguration of Storrow Drive near the Longfellow Bridge. Courtesy of the Esplanade Association's "Esplanade 2020" report.

Bond Bill Boosts Proposal to Reconfigure Boston’s Charles Circle

By Christian MilNeil | Jan 7, 2021 | No Comments

"It would be the largest expansion of Esplanade parkland in decades," says Rep. Jay Livingstone, the state representative for the neighborhood.

The MBTA's proposed service cuts for 2021 would eliminate five stops at the end of the Green Line's E Branch in Boston's Mission Hill neighborhood.

Green Line Amputation: T Cuts Would Mothball Light Rail in Mission Hill

By Christian MilNeil | Dec 2, 2020 | No Comments

The shortening of the Green Line would eliminate 5 stops along a 0.75 segment of Huntington and South Huntington Avenues, the only remaining segment of the T's rapid transit network where trains share space with cars and trucks.

The Morrissey Marshes: Where Boston’s Climate and Transportation Challenges Collide

By Christian MilNeil | Nov 17, 2020 | No Comments

Major redevelopment schemes and the city's climate resiliency strategy all hinge on a plan that doesn’t exist yet: how Morrissey Boulevard will be rebuilt for a future with higher sea levels and fewer motor vehicles.

Protesters gather on the Boston Common on May 31, 2020 at a protest against police brutality and the killing of George Floyd. Photo by Wikimedia Commons user GorrillaWarfare, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license.

Going to Post-Election Protests? Don’t Count On the T

By Christian MilNeil | Nov 4, 2020 | No Comments

If you’re considering attending a protest, start thinking about contingency plans for getting home safely in case the T isn’t available.

Eyes On the Street: The New American Legion Bikeway

By Christian MilNeil | Oct 23, 2020 | No Comments

This week, Boston Transportation Department crews are busy painting a new roadway layout on American Legion Highway that will add a new 2-mile-long link in Boston’s growing network of protected bike lanes. Your StreetsblogMASS editor took a ride on the street on Monday morning to check out the progress. Even though more work remains to […]

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