Despite a proud history of innovation, we’ve resigned ourselves to complacency, While other cities and countries tackle transportation challenges with courage and a long-term vision, Boston and the Metro Boston region are losing their edge.
Jarred Johnson
Posted inOpinion
Let’s start the conversation about congestion pricing
We must remember the $3.2 billion a year lost by Boston-area drivers to congestion.
Posted inOpinion
Worrisome lack of progress at transportation task force
This pivotal moment cannot be squandered on yet another commission presenting policymakers with “transportation revenue options” or a mere “tool kit.” We know the available options, backed by countless reports outlining various revenue sources.
Posted inOpinion
Troubling signs at Healey’s transportation funding task force
Virtually every piece of news since the launch has been more disappointing than the last. The commission may not even issue any recommendations and important tools (some might call them essential) are reportedly being taken off the table.
Posted inOpinion
Pause the search for a new GM at the MBTA
THE SEARCH for a new MBTA general manager and all the hype around it is at best a distraction and, at worst, obscures the difficult work needed to turn around […]
Posted inOpinion
MBTA’s Widett plans don’t make sense
THE MBTA’S recent announcement of a $155 million land purchase at Widett Circle is an opportunity for the agency to consolidate its wide footprint of bus and rail facilities in […]
Posted inOpinion
The Orange Line roadmap for commuter rail
DURING THE ORANGE LINE shutdown, the commuter rail network proved its tremendous value to Greater Boston’s transit system. It also showed exciting potential for the future. Last month, the MBTA […]
Posted inTransportation
A guide for getting through the MBTA shutdowns
WELL, THAT was the week that was. No, we aren’t referring to the 1960s irreverent TV satirical review of the news. We’re talking about the week when MBTA leaders decided […]
Posted inOpinion
MBTA is missing big opportunity with commuter rail
A FEW WEEKS AGO I, along with hundreds of others gathered at the opening of the first phase of the Green Line extension, felt a huge sense of pride seeing […]
Posted inOpinion
Why can’t Logan get bus pickup right?
MY LAST THREE FLIGHTS into Logan Airport have all ended the same way: with disappointment. It has become painfully clear that Massport, a state agency claiming to be green and […]
Posted inOpinion
MBTA has a bad plan for electrification
THE MBTA says that it is committed to an emission-free future bus system, but its plans suggest otherwise. Recently, the T published a document justifying its decision to abandon its […]
Posted inOpinion
Don’t replace electric trolley buses in N. Cambridge
THE MBTA’S BUS electrification plans, which set a misplaced priority on replacing existing zero-emissions electric trolleybuses in North Cambridge, fail to respond to the urgent need to begin reducing emissions […]
Posted inOpinion
MBTA needs to get on decarbonization train
MASSACHUSETTS IS ADVANCING its efforts to decarbonize by 2050, and the general consensus around the need to address climate change and the negative public health impacts of carbon emissions is […]
Posted inTransportation
Extend the Keolis contract another 4 years
KEOLIS’S CONTRACT to operate commuter rail for the MBTA expires in 2022, with two options to extend it for two years. It takes about two years to solicit bids and […]
Posted inOpinion
Add homes at train stops, reduce traffic
HIGH HOME PRICES and soaring rents. Countless hours spent sitting in traffic. This is all par for the course for Massachusetts residents, but it doesn’t have to be. Allowing modest […]
Posted inOpinion
Time to step it up on bus rapid transit
NEW DATA RELEASED recently by the MassINC Polling Group demonstrates the toll that traffic congestion and long commutes are taking on Massachusetts residents. Sixty-six percent of poll respondents believe that […]
Posted inOpinion
Transportation equity: Is it a good thing?
What do we think about when we think about transportation equity? There is regional equity – the question whether every region in a state, or every neighborhood in a city, is equitably treated from […]