Recent Streetsblog MASS posts about Springfield

Easy commute, no place to live: the MTBA commuter rail station at West Hingham on the Greenbush Line.

Who’s Allowed to Live Near Transit?

By Christian MilNeil | Oct 21, 2020 | No Comments

Wellesley is the kind of place lots of people would love to call home – it’s got great schools, beautiful parks, and three commuter rail stations that give the town’s residents an easy 45-minute ride into downtown Boston. Unfortunately, Wellesley’s town government has enacted policies that make it almost impossible for ordinary people to move […]

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

Labor, Environment, and Business Groups Call on Lawmakers to Forestall Transit Cuts

By Christian MilNeil | Oct 19, 2020 | No Comments

A coalition of over 30 organizations is calling on lawmakers on Beacon Hill to support the T with the funding it needs to avoid shutting down critical services.

Drivers crashed into two South Boston buildings in crashes on Oct. 16 and Oct. 17, 2020. Photos courtesy of the Boston Fire Dept.

Motorists Are Demolishing South Boston

By Christian MilNeil | Oct 19, 2020 | No Comments

It’s been many years since highway bureaucrats have been allowed to bulldoze neighborhoods to pave the way for high-speed car traffic – so some car owners are taking matters into their own hands. The Boston Fire Department has had to respond to two crashes in recent days after car drivers crashed into and caused major […]

Washington Street in Newton, which runs along the Worcester commuter rail line and Massachusetts Turnpike embankment, currently lacks sidewalks and crosswalks to bus stops like this one. Courtesy of the City of Newton.

Newton Scrubs A Bike Lane From Washington Street, But Others Are In the Works

By Christian MilNeil | Oct 18, 2020 | No Comments

In the face of vocal opposition, City of Newton officials are removing a short-lived bike lane that was recently painted on Washington Street between West Newton and Newtonville, but the city’s safe streets advocates are hoping that a better, more protected version could be installed next year, when the city is expected to pilot a […]

Traffic from major highways increases the health risks of fine particulate pollution exposure in the Commonwealth's biggest cities. Courtesy of the Union of Concerned Scientists.

Research Predicts Large Public Health Benefits From Cap-and-Trade Program

By Christian MilNeil | Oct 14, 2020 | No Comments

Researchers found that that devoting more cap-and-trade funds to transit and active transportation generated significantly greater public health benefits, particularly by encouraging more physical activity with better bike and pedestrian infrastructure.

Signs indicate the entrance to London's congestion pricing zone.

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In London, Congestion Pricing Reduces Traffic – And Saves Lives

By Colin Green | Oct 13, 2020 | No Comments

Research concludes that introducing a congestion charge led to a 40 percent reduction in traffic crashes in Central London.

A rendering of a bike and pedestrian overpass to the Charles River under A Better City's proposed at-grade alternative for the Allston I-90 project. Courtesy of A Better City.

Growing Coalition Presses for ‘At-Grade’ Allston Turnpike Alternative

By Christian MilNeil | Oct 13, 2020 | No Comments

Boston University is joining a growing chorus of business organizations and advocacy groups in calling for an “at-grade” alternative in response to MassDOT’s latest proposal to rebuild the massive, eight-lane-wide Turnpike viaduct along Allston’s riverfront. MassDOT, which has so far insisted on preserving all 12 lanes of highway traffic through the area in spite of […]

An MBTA bus, heading to bed at a reasonable hour. Photo by Osman Rana.