Pandemic Adds to Delays for New Orange and Red Line Cars
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The new Orange and Red Line cars are a key element in the T's ambitions to reduce crowding on its two busiest subway lines.
Recent Streetsblog MASS posts about COVID-19
Boston Plans Expanded Sidewalks, Expedited Bike Projects for Pandemic Recovery
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City of Boston staff are proposing to expand pedestrian space into on-street parking areas, build pop-up bike lanes, expand waiting areas at busy bus stops, and close some residential streets to through traffic in a wide-ranging strategy to support car-free mobility in a new era of physical distancing. City officials discussed these strategies and several […]
Portents of a Post-Pandemic Walking and Cycling Boom
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As Governor Baker’s administration prepares its phased reopening plan, ongoing physical distancing requirements present a stark choice for the region’s political leaders: will people returning to work physically distance themselves in massive traffic jams, or will cities and towns give them they space they need to travel safely with widened sidewalks, protected bike routes, and […]
Demands of ‘Essential’ Work Put Boston’s Neighborhoods of Color at Higher Risk
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'Essential' workers are more likely to live in the Boston region’s neighborhoods of color, according to an analysis by the ACLU of Massachusetts.
Guest Column: Pandemic Puts Tow Drivers in Limbo
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Tow truck drivers are still considered "essential" workers during the COVID-19 pandemic, but with declining traffic, fewer tows, and bigger health risks, drivers in the industry are facing difficult financial decisions.
Mixed Signals: ‘Beg Buttons’ and the Pandemic
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In the past month, several municipalities in the region, including Brookline, Cambridge, Arlington and Providence, RI, have acknowledged the uselessness of push-to-walk buttons at crosswalks, and have reprogrammed traffic lights to make walk signals automatic. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, those “beg buttons” were merely one of the hundreds of inconveniences that engineers forced upon pedestrians […]
In Turnaround, Cambridge Council Endorses Car-Free Memorial Drive
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On Monday night, the Cambridge City Council voted to endorse the closure of Memorial Drive to car traffic for the duration of the stay-at-home order associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. With most City Councilors participating by teleconference, the order passed by a 5-3 margin, with Councilors Marc McGovern, E. Denise Simmons, and Timothy Toomey opposed. […]
Eyes on the Street: Room to Breathe on DCR Parkways
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This weekend, the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) closed off segments of several Boston-area park roads to give people more room to recreate with safe physical distancing in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. While a number of local officials have been reluctant to endorse outdoor recreation in the midst of the pandemic, […]
DCR to Block Drivers From More Parkways in Boston, Watertown
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DCR hopes that the closure of parking areas and certain road segments to motor vehicle users will reduce crowding and give park users more space to spread out.
Study: Highway Pollution Contributes to Higher COVID-19 Death Rates
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The study's results are especially concerning for many of communities of color in Massachusetts, where the legacies of racist planning policies expose Asian, Latinx and Black neighborhoods to higher levels of tailpipe pollution.
Cambridge Council Balks at Giving Residents Space to Physically Distance
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The Cambridge City Council narrowly voted down a proposal to give its residents more space to safely physically distance themselves on city streets during their regular meeting Monday night. In a 5-4 vote, with most Councilors participating by teleconference, the Council voted to table two policy orders that would have closed certain city streets to […]