MASSACHUSETTS ALWAYS ranks high in national survey categories for education, health care, and technology. The Commonwealth has a lot to be proud of, but we have glaring deficiencies in other areas such as income inequality, cost of living, childcare, and housing. We also consistently receive poor marks for traffic congestion and infrastructure.  

This year, we again ranked 4th worst for traffic in the country according to INRIX, and the American Society of Civil Engineers gives Massachusetts a C grade for infrastructure. The Commonwealth should prioritize Investments in communities with the most persistent barriers to transportation to address congestion, public health and safety, and access to opportunities. 

Traffic and infrastructure improvements take time, investment, and intentional planning to fix roads and bridges, improve transit, and reduce congestion. All of these factors play an important role in the everyday lives of Massachusetts’s residents and how they go about their daily lives.  A recent Transportation for Massachusetts (T4MA) survey shows that 69 percent of residents believe that the transportation system in the Commonwealth is either in poor or fair condition.   

These numbers show we have work to do to help residents access essential services, commute to work or school, and stay connected to family and friends. It’s easy to look at poll numbers and try to extrapolate what they mean for everyday residents, but Transportation for Massachusetts and the MassINC Polling Group also tried to focus on the lived experience of the residents in the Commonwealth by asking about transportation insecurity. 

The Transportation Security Index, modeled after the Poverty Index, developed at the University of Michigan, is a validated survey instrument composed of items that focus on the symptoms of transportation insecurity (for example, taking a long time to plan out everyday trips, or rescheduling appointments).  The Transportation for Massachusetts survey asked residents about their transportation insecurity and found that the results here are no better than national averages. 

Nationally, about 1 in 4 adults experience transportation insecurity. In Massachusetts, the T4MA poll found that 36 percent of residents report some level of transportation insecurity. 

That means people experience anything between constrained travel or severe travel limitations. The number rises to 46 percent in Suffolk County. This translates to the inability to access opportunities like jobs or education, or missing health care appointments or relying on friends or family to get around. In all, 29 percent of respondents said that they skipped going somewhere in the past 30 days because of a lack of transportation. Those who experience the greatest transportation insecurity are non-white residents, under 30 years old, and making less than $50,000. 

When people can’t get where they need to go, barriers to basic needs like education, employment, and health care persist. 

When policymakers are prioritizing how we spend transportation dollars in the Commonwealth, we hope they think beyond the physical infrastructure and focus on people — on how people need real access.  

This means safe roadways to protect pedestrians and cyclists, robust funding for public transportation, and funding for innovative transportation solutions like on-demand or demand-response microtransit in areas without other options.  

By viewing our funding priorities through the lens of those on the margins, not only will we break down barriers for those who experience transportation insecurity, but we will be able to equitably improve our transportation systems for everyone. 

Pete Wilson is senior policy director at Transportation for Massachusetts.