December 2018 Update:
Almost two years after the launch of Go Boston 2030, it's not clear what progress the City of Boston has made toward reaching the access, safety, and reliability goals laid out in the plan.
Today LivableStreets is pleased to announce that we will be building an accountability framework in order to evaluate the City's progress on implementation of the plan, made possible through generous funding from the Barr Foundation. Through this process, we will solicit input from community members and stakeholders, produce a public report, and host two public events in order to share our findings. Throughout 2019, we will be asking for feedback from LivableStreets members and other stakeholders on the accountability framework and progress report. A final version of the report will be released to the public in the spring of 2020.
LivableStreets will be committed to reviewing the City's performance every two years to ensure public accountability in reaching its Go Boston 2030 goals. The biannual report is intended to provide the public with a barometer with which to measure and understand the City's progress. The reports will also help the City recognize any gaps and improve their results.
The City of Boston released its Go Boston 2030 Vision and Action Plan in March 2017, an unprecedented roadmap for the region’s mobility future. This ambitious plan encapsulates our vision for a Boston where streets are safe, equitable, and vibrant places for people.
The future of Boston is in your hands. Here are a few ways you can help us make this plan a reality:
- Volunteer as a Street Ambassador and help build support for Go Boston 2030 projects and policies. Click here to learn more.
- Join our Advocacy Committee to help track and influence Go Boston 2030 ongoing and proposed street projects.
- Support our work by becoming a LivableStreets member or make a donation.
What is Go Boston 2030?
- A City of Boston initiative to envision a bold transportation future for Boston for the next 5, 10, and 15 years.
- An ongoing dialogue between the City and the wide range of people who rely on its sidewalks, streets, and transit system to get where they need to go.
- A far-reaching vision that proposes transformative policies and projects to improve transportation for the city's residents, businesses and visitors.
“What we really wanted to do is open the process to people we might not have had a chance to encounter....In many cases, we found out, they hadn't been engaged in any city processes. For them, it was a real eye-opener.”
– Vineet Gupta, Director of Policy and Planning for the Boston Transportation Department | Boston Globe
Why Go Boston 2030?
- For decades, transportation planning in Boston has used a conventional model for public input— community meetings. But not everyone has the time or means to get to such meetings.
- Go Boston 2030 has used a colorful truck people can write on, a bicycle powered trailer, and other creative ways to gather input by meeting the public right where they are: on the streets and sidewalks.
“For decades, the response to Boston's lack of real progress in traffic planning has often been something like: 'What do you expect? Our roads were built on cow paths, not a traffic grid.' Given today's technology and innovative thinking, that stock answer no longer holds."
– Mike Ross | Boston Globe
Why Now?
- The city's last comprehensive transportation plan was completed more than a decade ago.
- Now is the time for the city to develop a big vision as well as a concrete list of immediate improvements and long term investments to ensure that our transportation system is safer, greener, and more equitable for everyone traveling in Boston.
What's Happening?
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Mayor Marty Walsh announced a commitment of $5 million additional funds for transportation staffing and projects for FY19. This investment comes with a commitment to implement 15 miles of protected bike lanes, 15 total Neighborhood Slow Streets zones, and 15 high-crash intersection improvements by 2022.
- The Go Boston 2030 Vision and Action Plan was released in March 2017. You can view the full report here.
Here are some key proposals LivableStreets is especially excited to see included:
Better Buses
- Overall bus service reliability improvements on 30 busiest routes
- Rapid bus service along Washington St in Roslindale, Mass Ave, between North Station and the South Boston Waterfront, between Mattapan and the LMA, and more!
- Transit signal priority along key bus and Green Line routes.
- Implementing a network of neighborhood mobility hubs.
Emerald Network
- All three of our Boston Greenway Partners’ projects are part of the Action Plan, including Roxbury to Fenway, Arboretum to Roslindale, and the American Legion Parkway.
- Improving Columbia Road so that it better serves the surrounding community and completes Olmsted’s vision of the Emerald Necklace.
- Southwest Corridor extension to Back Bay and MGH via Charles St.
Vision Zero
- Expansion of Neighborhood Slow Streets program.
- Complete streets overhauls for Dorchester Ave in South Boston, Washington St/Columbus Ave in JP & Roxbury.
- Implementing better bike corridors by rebuilding streets with protected, low-stress bicycling facilities.
What You Can Do
Volunteer as a Street Ambassador this spring and help build support for Go Boston 2030 projects and policies. RSVP now for an upcoming training sessions! Click here to learn more.
Join our Advocacy Committee: help track and influence Go Boston 2030 ongoing and proposed street projects.
Stand up and be counted: Attend a public meeting. See LivableStreets calendar— it’s updated daily!
Become a member: Join our growing community of people invested in creating safe streets and livable communities. Become a member of LivableStreets today!
Contact: [email protected]
Like our work? Donate today!