Makayla Comas, co-executive director of the advocacy group LivableStreets Alliance, welcomed the plan for the new signals as a “great investment,” particularly for areas where dedicated bus lanes may not be the strongest option available, or even viable. The majority of folks who take the bus, which Comas called “the unsung hero of the system,” are low-income, people of color, disabled, and older adults.

“If we are trying to think about, ‘How do we make Boston streets work?’ and ‘How do we make sure that folks who deeply rely on public transportation are able to take it and feel like they want to take it consistently?’ — I think we need to do a deep evaluation of our bus system," she said.

"That’s one of the few positive notes in “Funding Our Future: A Roadmap for Equitable and Sustainable Transportation Action in Massachusetts,” a publication of the Transit Is Essential coalition. Thoroughly reported and backed by more than 40 organizations spanning Transit Matters, Walk Massachusetts and Livable Streets to the Conservation Law Foundation, Boston Center for Independent Living and MassBike, the overall assessment is clear: “The current state of transportation is unsustainable for our climate and public health, our economy and ultimately for the people of Massachusetts.”"

"In a March letter co-signed by advocates from TransitMatters, the LivableStreets Alliance, Boston Cyclists Union, and several neighborhood groups called the proposed Allston layover "unnecessary, inconsistent with the MBTA’s Regional Rail vision, (and) incompatible with economic development.""

“That group of folks 18 to 64, you know, they're in the midst of life and working every day and dropping kids off at child care and, you know, working poor," said Makayla Comas of the Livable Street [sic] Alliance.