Recent Streetsblog MASS posts about Promoted

The under-construction protected bike lane on Commonwealth Avenue, photographed on May 8, 2019.

Many Holdups, Little Accountability For Delayed Street Projects

By Christian MilNeil | Nov 27, 2019 | No Comments

Some delays in complex construction projects may be inevitable. But in a state with serious traffic and transportation challenges, and with millions in taxpayer funds at stake, it’s reasonable for Massachusetts citizens to expect better outcomes.

A group of Lime e-bikes parked on a sidewalk. Courtesy of MAPC.

Bikesharing Data Reveal Latent Demand For Suburban Bike Infrastructure

By Christian MilNeil | Nov 8, 2019 | No Comments

Route data from shared LimeBikes suggest that users use suburban off-street paths extensively, but frequently strike out along connecting arterial streets that lack safe bike infrastructure.

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

MBTA Board Endorses Major Upgrades to Commuter Rail System

By Christian MilNeil | Nov 4, 2019 | No Comments

The MBTA Fiscal and Control Management Board has endorsed an aspirational vision to electrify the MBTA commuter rail network to provide all-day, rapid-transit-style service throughout eastern Massachusetts, with an initial phase focused on upgrading Boston’s Fairmount Line, the Boston-Providence line, and the Rockport line through Chelsea, Revere and Lynn. The vote caps off a year-long […]

An electronic tolling gantry on the Massachusetts Turnpike. Courtesy of MassDOT.

Business Groups, Advocates Agree: Drivers Need To Pay More

By Christian MilNeil | Oct 30, 2019 | No Comments

As legislators on Beacon Hill start working on a new transportation funding bill this week, business groups and sustainable transportation advocates are finding common ground on proposals to raise new funds for the state’s transportation infrastructure with new fees, taxes and tolls on motor vehicle users. This morning, the Massachusetts Business Coalition on Transportation, which […]

Bicyclists on the Somerville Community Path cross Massachusetts Avenue in North Cambridge in May 2019.

Cambridge to Reduce Speed Limit to 20 MPH On Most City Streets

By Christian MilNeil | Oct 29, 2019 | No Comments

This winter, the City of Cambridge will start installing new signs across the city to reduce the speed limit on most city-owned streets to 20 mph. In a press release announcing the move, the City cited the new speed limits as a “key part” of it its Vision Zero strategy to eliminate crashes that cause […]

Rep. Ayanna Pressley, U.S. Representative for Massachusetts's 7th congressional district, rides the MBTA's 1 bus in a 2018 campaign ad.

Rep. Pressley Announces New ‘Future of Transportation’ Congressional Caucus

By Aaron Short | Oct 17, 2019 | No Comments

Pressley says that the current system for spending federal money on transit is "antiquated and contributing to the inequities and disparities when it comes to access to affordable, reliable, and rapid transit."

Photo by JeepersMedia, licensed under CC BY 2.0

Report: Higher Gas Tax, Like Higher Transit Fares, Could Increase Inequality

By Christian MilNeil | Oct 17, 2019 | No Comments

While many sustainable transportation advocates champion higher gasoline taxes as a way to pay for transportation improvements, a new report from the Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center (MassBudget) warns that higher gasoline taxes will exacerbate the state’s growing income inequality – unless the state simultaneously passes other tax policies to benefit low-income families. A 10-cent […]

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

Awful Commutes Have Biotech Workers Seeking Greener Pastures

By Christian MilNeil | Sep 25, 2019 | No Comments

Highly-paid life sciences workers have a keen financial interest in not wasting their valuable time stuck in traffic.

Passengers wait to board the 50 bus to Forest Hills Station on Washington Street in Roslindale. Courtesy of LivableStreets.

LivableStreets: Bus Network Perpetuates Racial Inequality

By Christian MilNeil | Sep 23, 2019 | 3 Comments

A new report from the LivableStreets Alliance is drawing renewed attention to inequities in the region’s bus network, which forces riders of color to lose significantly more time getting around the region than their white counterparts. The report, titled “64 Hours: Closing the Bus Equity Gap,” calls on the MBTA to aggressively prioritize equity in […]

Filmmaker Liz Canning, director of the "MOTHERLOAD" documentary, riding with her twin children in 2011. Photo © Miguel Farias, used with permission.

‘MOTHERLOAD’ Documentary Chronicles Parenting on Two Wheels

By Christian MilNeil | Sep 11, 2019 | No Comments

This Sunday at the Brattle Theater, Green Cambridge will host a screening and discussion of “MOTHERLOAD,” a new documentary about bicycling, feminism, and parenting from California filmmaker Liz Canning. As a new mom living in the hills above Fairfax, California, Canning had been feeling stressed out and isolated until she bought a cargo bike that […]

Pavement and motor vehicle waste heat are two of the major components of the "urban heat island" effect.

Exhaust Pipes Are Making Boston’s Heat Waves Much, Much Worse

By Christian MilNeil | Aug 20, 2019 | 1 Comment

The long-term climate impacts of the climate pollution from cars and trucks are well documented, but the daily short-term effects of the wasted heat energy radiating from engine blocks and exhaust pipes are making this summer’s heat waves much more miserable for city-dwellers. As anyone who’s walked or biked across a busy street knows, cars […]

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