Recent Streetsblog MASS posts about Jamaica Plain

Attorney General Maura Healy speaks at an event launching her campaign for governor outside the Maverick Blue Line station earlier this year.

What Maura Healey’s Climate Plan Reveals About Her Transportation Priorities

By Sam Mintz | May 13, 2022 | No Comments

The framework contains a number of ideas about how to decarbonize the transportation sector, which generates roughly 40 percent of the state's climate-heating pollutants.

A map illustrates bus shuttle stops for the upcoming April 2022 closure of the Blue Line between the Airport station and downtown Boston. Courtesy of the MBTA.

The Blue Line’s Rough Ride Will Continue One More Week

By Christian MilNeil | May 13, 2022 | No Comments

On Thursday, the MBTA announced that its suspension of Blue Line service between the Airport station and downtown Boston will extend one more week, through Tuesday, May 17.

Highway Pollution Is Surging Back Towards Pre-Pandemic Levels

By Christian MilNeil | May 12, 2022 | No Comments

Tax collection data from the Massachusetts Department of Revenue suggest that gasoline consumption and its associated air pollution is rebounding towards pre-pandemic levels, undermining hopes that increased work-from-home arrangements can have a major impact on meeting the state’s climate goals. Massachusetts residents burned through roughly 596 million gallons of gasoline during the first three months […]

Two Green Line trains collided on Commonwealth Avenue on the evening of Friday, July 30, 2021. Courtesy of the Boston Fire Department.

Feds’ Safety Review Could Impact Local Governance Over the T

By Christian MilNeil | May 10, 2022 | No Comments

"FTA leadership recently discussed the pattern of safety incidents with MBTA executive leadership, yet it remains unclear what actions the MBTA Board and executive team are implementing to prevent and address the system's safety violations," wrote federal officials.

The northern entrance to the new Charlestown Seawall bike path, pictured from Draw 7 Park in Somerville. The Alford Street Bridge and the spire of the Saint Vincent de Sales Church on Bunker Hill are visible in the distance.

Two New Trail Links Open, Connecting Greenways North of Boston

By Christian MilNeil | May 9, 2022 | No Comments

A tour of the new Charlestown Seawall trail, which connects Draw 7 Park in Somerville to Alford Street in Boston, and the new Watertown-Cambridge Greenway, which connects the Alewife Red Line station to Watertown Square.

A hazardous materials warning sign reading "DANGER: Asbestos may cause cancer, causes damage to lungs, authorized personnel only, wear respiratory protection and protective clothing in this area" hangs from a post in front of an uncovered pile of construction debris.

MassDOT Under Fire for Stockpiling Hazardous Debris Next to Public Housing in Chelsea

By Christian MilNeil | May 6, 2022 | No Comments

"Folks always say what is environmental justice? What is environmental racism? Here it is. This is a prime example of it. The state is dumping contaminated material next to low-income communities and communities of color,” said Rosanne Bongiovanni, the executive director of GreenRoots, a Chelsea-based environmental justice advocacy organization.

A photo illustration of a Tesla parked at a charging station with hundred-dollar bills flying around

Study: Most of the Commonwealth’s EV Rebates Had No Effect on Buyers’ Choices

By Christian MilNeil | May 5, 2022 | No Comments

Surveys of program participants found that more than half of rebate recipients were "free riders" - car buyers who would have chosen an electric car with or without the state's cash, but took the money anyhow.

A middle-of-the-road bus station served by buses with left-side doors in Cali, Colombia. Photo by Karl Fjellstrom, courtesy of ITDP.

MBTA’s New Electric Bus Order Could Support More Center-Running Busways Regionwide

By Christian MilNeil | May 4, 2022 | No Comments

The T is shopping for new buses that would allow boarding on both sides of the vehicle, which could facilitate more center-running busways across the region. "It recongnizes the potential that we don't need to rip up a whole street, if we can just change the bus instead," says Maya Mudgal, a BTD transit planner.

STREETSBLOG USA

Why Sustainable Transportation Advocates Need to Talk About Abortion Access

By Kea Wilson | May 3, 2022 | No Comments

Our auto-centric transportation system already poses a barrier to abortion care — and the likely rollback of the constitutionally protected procedure could make that hurdle virtually insurmountable for countless U.S. residents, advocates say.

A crowd gathers in front of the Massachusetts State House next to a handful of pedal-assist electric bikes.

Baker Administration Developing E-Bike Incentive Program

By Christian MilNeil | May 2, 2022 | 1 Comment

"We're placing more emphasis on strategies to reduce total vehicle miles traveled," said Judy Chang, the Undersecretary of Energy for Governor Baker's Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs.