Recent Streetsblog MASS posts about Springfield

Governor Baker, MassDOT Secretary Stephanie Pollack, and MBTA General Manager Steve Poftak celebrated the new Orange Line train at Wellington Station on August 14, 2019. Photo by Joshua Qualls, courtesy of the Governor's Press Office.

Baker Vetoes Key Policies In Transportation Bond Bill

By Christian MilNeil | Jan 18, 2021 | No Comments

Baker used his line-item veto power to delete many of the bill's policy proposals, including language that would have established a low-income transit fare program, guidelines and financing for the massive Allston Multimodal Project, and a proposal to raise more money for transportation projects with increased fees on Uber and Lyft rides.

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

Baker’s Climate Plans Presume A Future With Lots of Driving

By Christian MilNeil | Jan 18, 2021 | No Comments

Governor Baker's climate plan focuses most of its attention on subsidizing electric car purchases, and generally dismisses the potential of reducing pollution with transit-oriented development or expanded transit services.

In Case You Missed It: Watch Our ‘Right of Way’ Book Discussion With Angie Schmitt

By Christian MilNeil | Jan 15, 2021 | No Comments

On Wednesday evening, about 50 Streetsblog readers got together virtually for a discussion of Angie Schmitt's new book, "Right of Way: Race, Class, and the Silent Epidemic of Pedestrian Deaths in America."

A double-parked Lyft driver waits outside of the South Station bus terminal on Thursday, August 8, 2019.

Higher Uber/Lyft Fees Could Boost Funding for Street Safety and Transit

By Christian MilNeil | Jan 14, 2021 | No Comments

Historically, municipalities have used their share of fees on Uber and Lyft to finance local transportation improvements, including quick-build safety projects and small transit services. Under new legislation awaiting Governor Baker's signature, that funding could increase significantly.

A plot of fatal crashes (red circles) that involved a bike rider or pedestrian between 2018 and 2020 in the greater Brockton area. Of 11 fatal crashes in the region, 9 occurred in neighborhoods where Black residents make up 10 percent or more of the total neighborhood population.

Data Confirm That More Fatal Crashes Happen in Commonwealth’s Black Neighborhoods

By Christian MilNeil | Jan 12, 2021 | No Comments

Of the 210 fatal car crashes in Massachusetts where a driver killed a bike rider or pedestrian between 2018 and 2020, a quarter of those killings occurred in neighborhoods where the Black population makes up a higher-than-average proportion of the neighborhood population, according to a Streetsblog analysis of MassDOT fatal crash records. According to U.S. […]

A view of the Allston I-90 tollbooths and Beacon Yards in 2015. Photo by Nick Allen, licensed under Creative Commons BY-SA 4.0.

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Senate Considering $10B for Highway Teardowns

By Kea Wilson | Jan 11, 2021 | No Comments

The Restoring Neighborhoods and Strengthening Communities Program — known among advocates as the “Highways to Boulevards” initiative — would be available for projects located in regions with a high concentration of low income residents or residents of color.

An Esplanade Association rendering of what the Charles River waterfront could look like with a planned reconfiguration of Storrow Drive near the Longfellow Bridge. Courtesy of the Esplanade Association's "Esplanade 2020" report.

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Highway Boondoggles 2020: Boston’s Big Choice

By Gideon Weissman | Jan 4, 2021 | No Comments

Will the commonwealth will invest in a bold, transformative plan that will help it meet its transportation and climate goals, or will it rebuild the auto-intensive infrastructure of generations ago?