Recent Streetsblog MASS posts about Councilor Michelle Wu

Easy commute, no place to live: the MTBA commuter rail station at West Hingham on the Greenbush Line.

Suburbs Face Their First Deadline for New Transit-Oriented Zoning Law

By Christian MilNeil | Jan 30, 2023 | No Comments

Where many suburbs currently only allow single-family homes with large lawns, the new rules will require new zoning districts "of reasonable size," and generally within a half-mile of transit stops, where builders would be allowed to construct at least 15 homes per acre.

a clear trail lined by snow next to trees and a restaurant.

Leominster and Fitchburg’s New Rail-Trail Gets Creative With Winter Maintenance

By Grecia White | Jan 27, 2023 | No Comments

Winter can be rough for pedestrians, bicyclists, and anyone attempting to wheel around on sidewalks and bike lanes through the ice and snow. Even heavily-used trails like the Minuteman Bikeway, which links Cambridge to Bedford, can struggle to maintain paths clear of snow and ice during the winter months: https://twitter.com/minutemanbiker/status/1617873960603095041?s=20&t=0yE3eUuRMg7ISjf95BuYtw One trail advocacy group in […]

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu answers questions from the press after delivering her first State of the City address at MGM Music Hall in Fenway.

Mayor Wu Promises More Housing and Zoning Reform in State of the City Address

By Grecia White | Jan 26, 2023 | No Comments

Last night, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu delivered her first State of the City address to a large audience inside MGM Music Hall in Fenway. Top on the list of priorities was housing, which dominated a large part of her speech. Mayor Wu made big declarations supporting a shift in the status quo and how planning […]

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What It’s Like to Be a Woman Transit Operator

By Tonya Abernathy | Jan 26, 2023 | No Comments

Editor’s note: A version of this article appeared as part of the Subtext Zine from Transit Center and is republished with permission. Across the U.S., transit agencies are grappling with a shortfall of operators. These operators — frontline workers that keep buses and trains running are essential to a functioning transit network that actually gets riders where […]

A person riding a bike along a sunny one-way street next to some two-story buildings with stores on the ground floor.

In Chicopee, Drivers Have Killed 8 People Since September

By Christian MilNeil | Jan 25, 2023 | No Comments

Even in the context of record-setting bloodshed on Massachusetts roadways last year, Chicopee has seen an unusually high rate of violence from drivers.

Riders in Chelsea and an MBTA outreach worker wait to board the bus at Bellingham Street in downtown Chelsea. T staff shared information about the Bus Network Redesign project with members onboard.

Advocates Set An Agenda For Salvaging the T’s Troubled Buses

By Christian MilNeil | Jan 25, 2023 | No Comments

One of the report’s key arguments – and the reason for its title – is that the region’s current bus fleet is actually smaller than it was in the early 1970s, even though the region has added 1.7 million new residents since then.

Deodhar's e-bike leans against the wall as he exits the storage shed.

Zipping Through Town On An E-bike with Aseem Deodhar

By Grecia White | Jan 24, 2023 | No Comments

Last fall, Rad Power Bikes, an e-bike vendor who envisions “a world where transportation is energy-efficient, enjoyable and accessible to all,” offered a sweet deal on one of their popular bikes – just irresistible enough to prompt many people to leap into the electric bike world. In October, the company’s RadMission e-bike went on sale […]

Gov. Healey’s Job #1 for the T: Better Union Contracts

By Christian MilNeil | Jan 23, 2023 | No Comments

"The combination of overworked staff and aging assets has resulted in the organization being overwhelmed," wrote agents for the Federal Transit Administration in a scathing report this August.

An MBTA recruiting ad on a trash can in downtown Boston.

The MBTA’s Bus Driver Shortage Is Getting Even Worse

By Christian MilNeil | Jan 19, 2023 | No Comments

After a year of intensified recruiting efforts, nearly one in four bus operator positions at the MTBA remains unfilled, and the shortage appears to be getting worse.

Mientras la extensión de la Línea Verde estaba bajo construcción, la MBTA también rehabilito el Viaducto de Lechmere sobre el Charles River para reforzar los arcos de concreto de más de un siglo con cobertura de fibra de carbono y remplazar la infraestructura de las vías sobre el viaducto. El viaducto volvió a abrir para servicio de tránsito junto con el resto de la nueva rama de la Línea Verde a Union Square el lunes, marzo 21, 2022.

Zona Lenta ‘Temporaria’ En la Línea Verde Pronto Cumple Un Año

By Grecia White | Jan 19, 2023 | No Comments

La zona lenta que tercamente persiste en el Viaducto de Lechmere en la Línea Verde, el puente arqueado sobre el Charles River, ofrece un ejemplo de lo difícil que es para la MBTA mantener credibilidad con pasajeros los cuales tienen que aguantar proyectos de construcción disruptivos pero sin ver todavía los beneficios. Desde el 2020, […]