Recent Streetsblog MASS posts about Promoted

A bus driver at Sullivan Square. Courtesy of the MBTA.

Guest Column: Yes, Transit and Dense Urban Places Are Safe – Even In a Pandemic

By Nina Weiss and Dr. Tracy A. Corley | Sep 18, 2020 | No Comments

It's now clear that the density of cities isn't a major risk factor in the COVID-19 pandemic. But another factor – crowding within households, which disproportionately affects lower-income and historically marginalized communities in big cities and rural areas alike, is a real culprit.

A walking school bus makes its way to Ellis Elementary School in Roxbury. Courtesy of Sam Balto.

Guest Column: 'Walking School Buses' Need To Be Part of Reopening Plans

By Sam Balto | Sep 9, 2020 | No Comments

A Walking School Bus program would conservatively save one school about $200,000 a year in student transportation costs – and that’s without counting other benefits like cleaner air near schools, safer neighborhood streets, and healthier students.

3368 Washington rendering credit RODE Architects/BPDA

Brewery Landlord Sues to Block Housing for the Homeless, Because Parking

By Christian MilNeil | Aug 11, 2020 | No Comments

The Jamaica Plain landlord of Turtle Swamp Brewing is arguing that his tenant’s “ability to find parking” on Washington Street is more important than housing over 200 homeless people. That’s one of the arguments in a lawsuit filing from Monty Gold, the owner of Turtle Swamp’s building at 3377 Washington St., who wants to overturn […]

A historic photo of the Boston Parks and Recreation Department's Foster Street Playground in the North End, compared with its condition today, after being taken over by car owners. Both images courtesy of Peter Petrigno.

How Did the North End’s Car Owners Steal a Public Playground?

By Christian MilNeil | Jul 30, 2020 | No Comments

An overlooked parking lot in the North End is technically a public park.

A new bike lane and dedicated bus lane for Silver Line buses have been painted on Washington Street in downtown Boston, as seen in this July 7, 2020 photo. The city plans to install bollards soon to prevent double-parking in the bike lane.

Eyes on the Street: Downtown Crossing’s New Bus and Bike Lanes

By Christian MilNeil | Jul 7, 2020 | No Comments

Washington Street in Downtown Crossing has been transformed from a traffic jam into a street that sets aside most of its space for bikes and transit users.

Pedal People member Annie Doran with a fully loaded bike trailer from her Northampton trash hauling route. Courtesy of Annie Doran.

Meet the Pedal People, Northampton’s Bike-Powered Cargo Haulers

By Karen Corday | Jul 6, 2020 | No Comments

Pedal People, a cooperative started by Alex Jarrett and Ruthy Woodring in 2002, uses bicycles and bike trailers to transport goods and provide services in the Pioneer Valley.

A new survey of Massachusetts residents found that many people expect to walk and drive alone more often - and use transit less - than they did before the pandemic. Courtesy of MassINC Polling Group.

New Poll Forecasts Fewer Trips, Large Mode Shifts on the Streets This Summer

By Christian MilNeil | May 28, 2020 | No Comments

A new poll from the MassINC Polling Group shows that many Massachusetts residents expect to make fewer trips once the state begins to reopen this summer, and when they do travel, they expect to ride transit much less often – and walk or drive more – than they did before the pandemic. MassINC conducted a […]

A protected bike lane and 20 mph "safety zone" on Massachusetts Avenue in Cambridge. Courtesy of the City of Cambridge.

MassDOT Begins Reexamining Deadly Speed Limit Policies

By Christian MilNeil | May 21, 2020 | 1 Comment

Ultimately, the new policies should make it easier to implement traffic calming measures, and provide a data-driven process to prioritize speed reduction efforts.

Pedestrians take advantage of expanded walking areas on Beacon Street in Brookline in mid-April. Brookline officials have repurposed on-street parking areas to provide additional space for safe physical distancing in commercial districts and on key routes to area hospitals; City of Boston officials may soon follow suit. Photo courtesy of the Brookline Transportation Department.

Boston Plans Expanded Sidewalks, Expedited Bike Projects for Pandemic Recovery

By Christian MilNeil | May 12, 2020 | No Comments

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 […]

Rush-hour bike traffic takes the lane on Boylston Street, a heavily-used bike route with no dedicated bike facilities, on the morning of Friday, May 3, 2019.

Portents of a Post-Pandemic Walking and Cycling Boom

By Christian MilNeil | May 12, 2020 | No Comments

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 […]

Foot and bike traffic in Coolidge Corner. Courtesy of the Town of Brookline.

Brookline Boards Endorse Car Lane Closures to Give Pedestrians More Space

By Christian MilNeil | Apr 8, 2020 | No Comments

The town will close on-street parking lanes on Brookline Avenue, Longwood Avenue, and Harvard Street, plus one motor vehicle travel lane on Beacon Street in the vicinity of Coolidge Corner.

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