GOV. CHARLIE BAKER and the current and future mayors of Somerville took a joy ride on a portion of the new Green Line extension on Thursday — a preview of […]
Tracking Transportation
Posted inTransportation
Wu extends fare-free bus pilot another 2 months
BOSTON MAYOR Michelle Wu extended the fare-free pilot on the Route 28 bus for another two months as she tries to work out an arrangement with the MBTA that would […]
Posted inTransportation
Taylor: New T board different by design
THE NEW MBTA board is turning out to be very different from its predecessor, and chair Betsy Taylor says that’s by design. Some of the differences were mandated by the […]
Posted inUncategorized
About that I-90 throat section along the Charles
I SPENT A GOOD portion of my professional life, nearly 30 years, working hard to rescue the Charles River. When I started the job directing Charles River Watershed Association in […]
Posted inTransportation
T’s largest union signs new contract
THE MBTA board of directors on Thursday approved a new two-year contract with its largest union that provides 2.5 percent annual wage increases and one-time allotments per employee of $2,000 […]
Posted inTransportation
Wu raises fare-free snafu with Buttigieg
BOSTON MAYOR Michelle Wu took her bid for three fare-free bus routes to Washington on Tuesday, briefing US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg on a snag caused by guidelines issued by […]
Posted inOpinion
Deciphering T-speak on fare-free bus, capital transfer
RECENT REPORTS coming out of the MBTA illuminate deeply flawed thinking about Boston Mayor Michelle Wu’s free bus plan and raise serious concerns about the transit agency’s ability to leverage […]
Posted inTransportation
Wu’s $8m fare-free bus plan hits snag
BOSTON MAYOR Michelle Wu is still hoping to launch fare-free buses for two years on three MBTA routes, but it appears her proposal has hit a major snag. Federal Transit […]
Posted inOpinion
Free or cheap parking is the great enabler
WHAT WOULD YOU DO with your car if there was no place to park it? Everyone who owns a car must have a place to put it while it’s not […]
Posted inTransportation
T notes: Boston’s fare-free bus test runs afoul of fed rule
THE CITY OF BOSTON’S plan to launch a two-year test of fare-free buses on three MBTA bus routes may run afoul of federal rules limiting pilot projects to just six […]
Posted inTransportation
T board chair doubtful on cutting or eliminating fares
WITH MBTA officials projecting steadily rising budget deficits over the next five years, the chair of the transit authority’s board on Thursday put a damper on talk of reducing or […]
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 inTransportation
Business leader decries T service cuts
THE HEAD of a Boston-based business group called the MBTA’s plan to scale back service because of a shortage of drivers “a step in the wrong direction” and urged the […]
Posted inTransportation
Lacking drivers, T starts paring back service
THE MBTA is paring back service on 31 bus routes and the Mattapan trolley because it doesn’t have enough workers to provide the scheduled service. Starting December 19, T officials […]
Posted inTransportation
Wu names Franklin-Hodge chief of streets
BOSTON MAYOR Michelle Wu named Jascha Franklin-Hodge her chief of streets on Tuesday, elevating someone who is already familiar with City Hall and shares many of Wu’s transportation priorities. Franklin-Hodge […]
Posted inTransportation
Neal flexing muscles for east-west rail
US REP. RICHARD NEAL on Thursday signaled that he intends to use his considerable clout in Congress to deliver significant infrastructure funds for Massachusetts, particularly his personal priority — east-west […]
Posted inOpinion
Mass. urgently needs a Plan B for TCI
THE CANCELLATION of the Transportation Climate Initiative (TCI), a centerpiece of the Commonwealth’s efforts to combat climate change, is deeply disappointing, because transportation causes over 40 percent of all greenhouse […]
Posted inOpinion
The all-EV approach won’t work
THERE’S A LOT of federal and municipal leadership in Massachusetts working hard to address the existential problem of global warming and the local public health crisis being caused by long-term […]
Posted inOpinion
Mass. can play federal transportation funding game better
ON FRIDAY, we received the good news that Boston was awarded a $15 million federal “RAISE” grant for Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) and multimodal street improvements along Blue Hill Avenue. […]
Posted inTransportation
Rhode Island makes it trifecta on TCI
CONNECTICUT GOV. NED LAMONT dropped out on Tuesday, Gov. Charlie Baker of Massachusetts called it quits on Thursday, and now Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee is pulling his state out of […]
Posted inOpinion
This Sunday, think about ways to reduce traffic fatalities
ON SUNDAY, November 21, we recognize World Day of Remembrance — an international day of remembrance for those tragically killed or seriously injured on our roads. To mark the event, […]
Posted inTransportation
MBTA gives Dalton extension through end of 2022
THE MBTA extended until the end of next year the contract of the manager overseeing the Green Line extension, giving him time to wrap up work on the project. During […]
Posted inEnvironment, Transportation
Baker pulls the plug on transportation climate initiative
GOV. CHARLIE BAKER threw in the towel on his transportation climate initiative on Thursday just days after Gov. Ned Lamont of Connecticut did the same thing in his state. “The […]
Posted inTransportation
T notes: New phenomenon – GLX leftover money
AS COMPLETION of the Green Line extension approaches, it’s prompting a rare discussion at the MBTA – what to do with all the leftover money. Five years ago the project […]
