THE STATE IS moving to cut Westwood off from several sources of funding – the first municipality to be penalized for submitting a zoning roadmap that doesn’t comply with the […]
MBTA Communities
Posted inThe Download
Healey shaking up MBTA oversight board
Just weeks after appointing a new general manager at the MBTA, Gov. Maura Healey is shaking up the transit authority’s oversight board. Thomas Glynn, MBTA general manager under former governor […]
Posted inHousing, State Government
Campbell warns municipalities MBTA zoning law not optional
MASSACHUSSETTS ATTORNEY General Andrea Campbell is wading into the MBTA communities dust-up, releasing an advisory Wednesday morning emphasizing that participating in the transit-oriented housing policy is not optional and raising the prospect […]
Posted inTransportation
MBTA not susceptible to magical solutions
LAST WEEK’S NEWS regarding T safety conditions and slowdowns took most people by surprise, as the hope associated with a new gubernatorial administration and the feeling that perhaps the absolute […]
Posted inOpinion
Solving the MBTA Communities zoning puzzle
IN 2021, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts adopted the MBTA Communities zoning law requiring municipalities served by the MBTA to zone districts “of reasonable size” for multi-family housing at a “gross density” of […]
Posted inOpinion
What the MBTA Communities law means for your town
First of a five-part series. THERE IS A NEW concept in zoning, invented this year by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. In promulgated guidelines, the concept has been dubbed “minimum multi-family […]
Posted inTransportation
3 steps for turning around the MBTA
MONTH-LONG SHUTDOWNS, frequent and serious accidents, a fire on the Orange Line, debilitating worker shortages, and a system so dysfunctional that it was facing takeover by the federal government — […]
Posted inOpinion
An MBTA to-do list for Gov. Healey
THE HEALEY/DRISCOLL administration will take office at a time when rider confidence in the MBTA and T employee morale have reached unprecedented lows. The necessary task of restoring confidence and […]
Posted inTransportation
MBTA: What went wrong and how to fix it
THE MBTA Advisory Board, the group representing cities and towns in the transit authority’s service area, held a series of fascinating panel discussions on Tuesday on the future of the […]
Posted inThe Download
Healey plans overhaul of MBTA management
Maura Healey, the lone Democratic candidate vying for governor, released a transportation plan on Tuesday that would overhaul top management at the MBTA, set aggressive electrification goals, and establish low-income […]
Posted inTransportation
Healey plans overhaul of MBTA management
MAURA HEALEY, the lone Democratic candidate vying for governor, released a transportation plan on Tuesday that would overhaul top management at the MBTA, set aggressive electrification goals, and establish low-income […]
Posted inOpinion
MBTA service levels need to be restored asap
LET THIS SINK IN for a second: The MBTA this week announced that it won’t be able to return the subway system to regular service frequencies before Labor Day, and […]
Posted inThe Download
Is it time to shake up the MBTA board?
A correction has been added to this story. In the debate over the future of the MBTA, very little attention has been paid to the relatively new board that oversees […]
Posted inOpinion
Transit riders and communities need better RTA service
AS THE 2021-22 legislative session draws to a close in Massachusetts, our constituents are overwhelmed. Overwhelmed by record high gas prices and inflation that too often force them to choose […]
Posted inOpinion
Legislature should fund low-income fares for MBTA, RTAs
IN OUR COMMUNITY of Chelsea, transit is a lifeline to thousands of people who rely on it to get to school, work, and other critical appointments. Often these are essential […]
Posted inTransportation
MBTA unveils redesign of its bus system
AFTER GOING NEARLY five decades without making any major changes to the MBTA’s bus route system, the transit authority on Monday unveiled a preliminary redesign that is expected to provide […]
Posted inHousing, State Government
Baker’s housing efforts meet resistance
IF COUNTLESS OPINION COLUMNS, university studies, and pledges by multiple governors were enough move the needle on housing costs, we’d live in one of the most affordable states in the […]
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 inThe Download
MBTA in no big rush on electrification
The MBTA is pushing ahead with electrification, but on its own terms. Transit advocates, climate activists, and many lawmakers are pushing the T to ditch its diesel buses and quickly […]
Posted inTransportation
MBTA in no big rush on electrification
THE MBTA is pushing ahead with electrification, but on its own terms. Transit advocates, climate activists, and many lawmakers are pushing the T to ditch its diesel buses and quickly […]
Posted inTransportation
Wu, MBTA each put own spin on fare-free bus results
In the policy battle over fare-free transit service, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu and the MBTA are portraying the same data in very different ways. The T kicked off the discussion […]
Posted inOpinion
Why the MBTA is key — to easing the housing crunch
MASSACHUSETTS IS EXPERIENCING a severe housing crisis. Talk to anyone who has tried to purchase a home in the past few years or tried to find an affordable apartment and […]
Posted inTransportation
MBTA not among transit agencies splitting $2.2b in fed aid
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT on Monday announced $2.2 billion in aid to states to preserve transit jobs and pay for daily train and bus operations, but Massachusetts […]
Posted inTransportation
MBTA board hears gloomy report on fare options
THE MBTA board of directors took no action Thursday on moving forward with any sort of alternative fare proposal after hearing a report from T staff that raised serious questions […]