A FEW YEARS AGO I started dating someone who joked that if she ever asked me to marry her it would have to be on the 111 bus because I […]
Tracking Transportation
Keeping track of transportation
Posted inOpinion
Low-income commuter rail fares are a no-brainer
LAST MONTH, members of the MBTA Fiscal and Management Control Board took one last stand to advance a low-income fare program before their tenure over the agency expired. The board […]
Posted inEconomy
Brockton looks to jump-start economy with free weekend bus service
IN LATE MAY, Brockton Mayor Robert Sullivan, whose city has been hit hard by the COVID pandemic, launched an effort to aid the reopening as restrictions were lifted and businesses […]
Posted inOpinion
Mass. needs to prioritize shovel-worthy projects
THE AMERICAN JOBS PLAN marks a huge opportunity for our state and country. These funds, in addition to those provided by the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), could bring a […]
Posted inTransportation
Worcester commuter rail line targeted for upgrades
THE FRAMINGHAM-WORCESTER commuter rail line, which could become a lifeline into Boston if the I-90 Allston project gets launched, is getting some major improvements. The MBTA is planning two major […]
Posted inOpinion
5 ways to make buses more reliable
THE REMARKABLE RESILIENCE of bus ridership through even the worst months of the pandemic has underscored the critical importance of this surface transportation mode to provide access to jobs and […]
Posted inTransportation
T notes: New subway cars still in limbo
MBTA GENERAL MANAGER Steve Poftak said the new Orange and Red Line cars will remain in limbo for the time being as the T continues to try to reach consensus […]
Posted inTransportation
Members of T control board say goodbye
THE MEMBERS of the MBTA’s Fiscal and Management Control Board bid a final farewell on Monday as lawmakers on Beacon Hill continued to trade proposals about what a successor board […]
Posted inTransportation
GLX to come in under budget, opening slightly delayed
MBTA OFFICIALS say the $2.3 billion project extending the Green Line into Somerville and Medford will come in under budget and be finished slightly later than expected, with the Union […]
Posted inOpinion
Requiring masks on public transit makes no sense
THERE ARE FACTS and there are perceptions. These are often very different things. And when you are trying to guide and inform human decision-making, perceptions often matter more than facts. […]
Posted inTransportation
COVID’s impact on transportation ridership uneven
THE PANDEMIC depressed travel on most modes of transportation, but the impact has not been the same everywhere. On the MBTA, ridership remains way down on the bus, subway, and […]
Posted inTransportation
Uber, Lyft rides plunged to record lows in 2020
THE NUMBER of Uber and Lyft rides in Massachusetts plunged to record lows during the pandemic of 2020, with the total number of rides across the state falling to 35 […]
Posted inTransportation
Less driving = better lives
WARM WEATHER, open storefronts, and one of the nation’s highest vaccination rates have given many the feeling that life is returning to normal here in Massachusetts. Unfortunately, going back to […]
Posted inTransportation
Gulliver’s challenges, rising traffic and I-90 Allston
STATE HIGHWAY Administrator Jonathan Gulliver is facing two major challenges: traffic levels that are rising rapidly and an Allston I-90 project that is currently 4 feet too wide to fit […]
Posted inOpinion
Reviving the Inland Route to NYC
WE WERE MIDDLE-AGED and lifelong residents of the Boston area when we moved to the Pioneer Valley in 2002 in search of more affordable housing. The smaller towns and cities […]
Posted inTransportation
DCR unwilling to ease I-90 Allston space crunch
STATE TRANSPORTATION officials looking for some extra space to put all of the roadways and train tracks associated with the Allston I-90 project at ground level are facing resistance from […]
Posted inOpinion
Replacing Long Island Bridge isn’t only option
I’VE READ WITH GREAT INTEREST recent news stories that may signal a shift in Boston’s hard-lined stance on the Long Island Bridge issue. It seems that Boston’s acting mayor, Kim […]
Posted inTransportation
Poll: Boston traffic congestion to return or get worse
A NEW POLL indicates three of every four Greater Boston voters think traffic will return to previous levels or get worse as the state reopens, and most are in favor […]
Posted inTransportation
New MBTA board picks up some momentum
THE MOVE TO REPLACE the expiring MBTA Fiscal and Management Control Board with a new oversight agency appears to be picking up steam, as a House spending plan released on […]
Posted inTransportation
We must guard against human isolation
Second of two parts. THERE’S NO STATUS QUO for a river. That’s what’s behind the old saying that you can’t step in the same river twice. Rivers are inherently dynamic, […]
Posted inTransportation
T derailment blamed on ‘series of contributing factors’
IT’S BEGINNING to look like the MBTA may never pinpoint the cause of a March 16 derailment of one of its new Orange Line trains. At a meeting of the […]
Posted inTransportation
T notes: Compromise on income-based fares
THE MBTA’S Fiscal and Management Control Board voted unanimously on Monday to direct the transit authority’s staff to develop two options for testing income-based fares, leaving the decision on whether […]
Posted inTransportation
T estimates Red-to-Blue connector cost at $850m
THE MBTA unveiled an $850 million cost estimate for connecting the Red and Blue subway lines at Charles/MGH, a project that, if funding is found, could break ground in 2025 […]
Posted inOpinion
With transportation, we must not return to ‘normal’
First of two parts Welcome back. Welcome back to the post-pandemic world. Welcome back to being with family and friends in person and without masks. Welcome back to dining in […]