There are lots of streets changing in the City of Cambridge. These are critical changes, as many streets have previously been designed to move cars, not people. We have noticed that people who ride the bus or other forms of transit have not been part of many of these conversations. We’re putting together this listserv with our partners at TransitMatters to help more people who rely on transit know what is going on, find opportunities to have your voice and experience be heard, and shape how our streets look and work. Sign up here to join the listserv and get involved!
Why?
- 29.8% of Cambridge residents use public transportation (Cambridge Community Health Assessment, 2020)
- Currently those who show up to public meetings are not representative leading to biased policy discussions, with a recent BU study finding that overwhelmingly meeting participants are older, male, homeowners.
- According to MAPC’s State of Equity Report, Black bus riders spend 64 hours more per year on MBTA buses relative to White bus riders.
- Bus lanes and other transit priority measures make a big difference in the speed and reliability of bus service!
- When bus lanes are introduced, bus ridership goes up. Broadway in Somerville, ridership increased by 36%-69% and on Brighton Ave in Boston ridership increased by 5%-8%.
- Bus lanes lead to faster bus trips. Adding the bus-bike lane on Washington st in Roslindale led to buses having 25% faster run times.
What + When
- You can expect emails from us ranging from a bi-weekly to monthly basis that will include updates and actions you can take.
- Actions will look like:
- Speaking up at a public meeting or council hearing
- Sharing written comments with city staff and/or city councilors
- Going in person to bus stops or T stops to speak with transit riders and collect their stories/experiences
- Conducting observations of streets to share how its working or not working
- Sharing information with your friends, neighbors, colleagues, or anyone you pass by.
How
Sign up here to join the Cambridge Transit Action listserv to hear from us and our partners at TransitMatters.