Recent Streetsblog MASS posts about COVID-19

Memorial Drive in Cambridge. Photo by John Phelan, licensed under Creative Commons CC BY 3.0.

In Turnaround, Cambridge Council Endorses Car-Free Memorial Drive

By Christian MilNeil | Apr 14, 2020 | No Comments

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. […]

A person riding a bike enjoys plenty of room on a section of Day Boulevard that was closed to car traffic for the weekend of April 11-12. Photo courtesy of the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation.

Eyes on the Street: Room to Breathe on DCR Parkways

By Christian MilNeil | Apr 13, 2020 | No Comments

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, […]

A Google Street View image of Francis Parkman Drive at its intersection with Perkins Street on the north shore of Jamaica Pond in Boston.

DCR to Block Drivers From More Parkways in Boston, Watertown

By Christian MilNeil | Apr 10, 2020 | No Comments

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.

Traffic congestion on I-93 southbound in downtown Boston, pictured around 2 pm on Thursday, August 8, 2019.

Study: Highway Pollution Contributes to Higher COVID-19 Death Rates

By Christian MilNeil | Apr 7, 2020 | No Comments

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.

An still from the livestream from the Cambridge City Council meeting of Monday, April 6, 2020. Most Councilors were participating via teleconference to abide by Governor Baker's stay-at-home advisory.

Cambridge Council Balks at Giving Residents Space to Physically Distance

By Christian MilNeil | Apr 6, 2020 | No Comments

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 […]

Chickatawbut Road in the Blue Hills Reservation, pictured in summer 2012. Photo courtesy of Lee Toma/Bike Milton.

DCR Starts Shutting Cars Out of Park Roads to Reduce COVID-19 Risk

By Christian MilNeil | Apr 5, 2020 | No Comments

The Department of Conservation and Recreation has announced new limits on vehicular traffic on Chickatawbut Road in the Blue Hills Reservation and a portion of Fellsway West in Medford.

Cambridge City Council Considers Opening Streets for Outdoor Exercise

By Christian MilNeil | Mar 31, 2020 | No Comments

On Monday evening, the Cambridge City Council (with most councilors calling in to participate by teleconference) discussed two policy orders that could give people walking and bicycling more space during the COVID-19 pandemic by closing city streets to car traffic. One order requested that the City Manager “confer with the Director of Traffic, Parking, and […]

The Massachusetts Avenue protected bike lane near Front Street and the Cambridge Bicycle shop, pictured in May 2019.

Bike Shops Deemed ‘Essential’ As Bike Transport Surges

By Christian MilNeil | Mar 24, 2020 | No Comments

Governor Baker ordered all “nonessential” businesses to close on Tuesday, but with a surge of people bicycling for recreation and transportation, bike shops are being allowed to stay open across Massachusetts this week. The Governor’s order is a sharp escalation in the Commonwealth’s efforts to fight the spread of COVID-19 as the number of confirmed […]

The Blue Hill Avenue Fairmount Line stop, pictured in spring 2019. Courtesy of the MBTA.

T Restores Early-Morning Commuter Rail Trips For Health Care Workers

By Christian MilNeil | Mar 23, 2020 | No Comments

Responding to issues raised in a StreetsblogMASS report last week, the MBTA has announced that it will bring back early-morning commuter rail trains that will allow health care workers to get to work for their 7 a.m. shift change, even as the rest of the transit system continues to run on a reduced schedule. Last […]

Joggers on the Somerville Community Path near Davis Square.

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Dealing With the Pandemic One Step at a Time: Practice Walking as Self-Care

By Mia Park | Mar 22, 2020 | No Comments

Congress Urged to Act as Pandemic Losses Threaten Transit Agencies

By Christian MilNeil | Mar 20, 2020 | No Comments

A $1 trillion draft economic stabilization plan from the U.S. Senate provides no financial assistance for the nation’s transit agencies, which have been bleeding red ink as the COVID-19 pandemic slashes fare collections and revenues from state sales and payroll taxes. Large transit agencies, whose budgets are generally more reliant on fare revenue, have taken […]

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