Recent Streetsblog MASS posts about Somerville

An Amtrak train waits to depart from Springfield Union Station in January 2020. Photo by Trains in the Valley, licensed under Creative Commons BY-SA 4.0.

MassDOT Multiplies Ridership Forecasts, Narrows Alternatives for East-West Rail

By Christian MilNeil | Aug 5, 2020 | No Comments

The three remaining service options under study would upgrade and double-track an existing freight rail line between Worcester and Pittsfield to support between 7 and 9 round trips a day between Pittsfield and Boston, with travel times between Springfield and Boston reduced to under two hours.

Guest Column: Biking With Babies

By Carol Ann Young | Aug 5, 2020 | No Comments

As most first-time parents do, we scour the internet to find answers to questions about our baby. Sifting through websites, blogs, and comments can be tough, because there are rarely clear answers, and you often have to weigh all the information, trust yourself, and make a decision. Deciding whether we would bike with our infant […]

Cargo bikes and trailers are parked on the sidewalk outside the Whole Foods Market on Houston Street in New York City in this 2019 file photograph. Courtesy of StreetsblogNYC.

Boston Tests the Waters for Cargo e-Bike Deliveries

By Christian MilNeil | Aug 3, 2020 | No Comments

Citing climate goals and a surge of curbside delivery traffic, the City of Boston has issued a “request for information” from potential vendors and delivery companies “to understand how e-cargo bikes could fit into Boston’s delivery landscape.” “Parcel delivery services must be reconstructed to support our goal of carbon neutrality, get goods to our residents […]

Courtesy of the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs.

New Climate Bill Commits to Reduced Tailpipe Emissions

By Christian MilNeil | Aug 3, 2020 | No Comments

The Massachusetts House of Representatives passed a significant new climate bill on Friday night that commits the state to cutting greenhouse gas emissions by “at least 50 percent below the 1990 level” within the next decade. The Senate passed a bill with similar goals at the end of January. The two chambers, which recently agreed […]

The Wayside Trail, part of the Massachusetts Central Rail Trail, passes an abandoned trail station at the Church Street underpass in Weston.

MassTrails Program Announces $4 Million in Grants for 55 Trail Projects

By Christian MilNeil | Jul 31, 2020 | No Comments

This year's MassTrails grants will distribute about $4 million to 55 trail projects across the state.

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.

“The Chain” Bike Lane Delineator, designed by team Culture House lead by Aaron Grenier, features a bike lane shielded from car and bus traffic by a large, waist-high lane delineator that resembles a large bicycle chain. The links in the chain form the barrier while the pins of the chain are anchored into the ground.

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Designing Protected Bike Lanes That Any City Can Afford

By Kea Wilson | Jul 29, 2020 | No Comments

The 'Build a Better Barrier' competition sought new ideas for low-cost protected bike lane barriers.

Poll Finds Strong Support for ‘Big Changes’ in Commonwealth’s Transportation Systems

By Christian MilNeil | Jul 29, 2020 | No Comments

Two-thirds of respondents agreed that the state should "make big changes to the transportation system coming out of the COVID-19 crisis."

MBTA staff disinfect fare gates in an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19 and other viruses in early March 2020. Courtesy of the MBTA.

Lawmakers Are Poised to Reform Fare Enforcement on the T

By Christian MilNeil | Jul 28, 2020 | No Comments

In addition authorizing debt spending for hundreds of infrastructure projects across the Commonwealth, the multi-billion dollar bond package that the Massachusetts Senate passed earlier this month would also make significant reforms to how the MBTA enforces fare payments on its trains, buses, and ferries. The Commonwealth’s current fare evasion law sets large penalties for people […]

Aerial imagery of Boston's Chinatown neighborhood in 1952, before urban renewal, and in 1969, after the construction of the Central Artery. Imagery by USGS, courtesy of MapJunction.com

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Guest Column: A Call for Reparations in the Built Environment of Cities

By Dr. Destiny Thomas | Jul 27, 2020 | No Comments