Faster bus commutes in Boston? That’s the goal with coming traffic signal upgrades.
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.
Read moreCoalition drops report on dire state of mass transit in Massachusetts
"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.”"
Read moreReversing Course Again, Sec. Tibbits-Nutt Says Allston Project Will Include Multi-Acre Train Yard After All
"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.""
Read moreMBTA launches new reduced fare program for low-income riders
“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.
Read moreWhere the T Meets the Streets w/ Stacy Thompson from LivableStreets
On this episode of Spilling the T, we speak with Stacy Thompson from LivableStreets Alliance about transit advocacy, transit oriented development, and how LivableStreets is trying to help shape the region into an affordable, connected and climate resilient community.
Read moreSlow down: Boston is installing more than 2,000 speed humps on city streets
"Lowering the speed limit alone, unfortunately, doesn't necessarily change driver behavior," Gleason said. "Having that physical addition to the road that really forces drivers to think about how fast they're driving and slow down their speed so that they don't experience any, you know, discomfort when they're driving over it or potential damage to their vehicle."
Read moreTHE MBTA’S ‘BILLION-DOLLAR QUESTION MARK
“How much are we actually spending at the end of the day, and what are we getting out of it? This is something the T is continually unable to make clear to the public,” Thompson said. “The finance side is unnecessarily complicated, it’s hard to get answers.”
Read moreHow can new fareboxes be this expensive?
It’s work has not been without hiccups. Stacy Thompson, the executive director of LivableStreets Alliance, a transit advocacy group, said in an interview that Cubic “has a terrible track record nationally and internationally for delivering projects on time and within budget, and we’re seeing that bear out in Massachusetts and for the MBTA.”
Read moreBoston wants food delivery services to better police their drivers
Stacy Thompson with LivableStreets Alliance says the business model for these corporations is part of the problem. “They basically don’t care if these folks have appropriate vehicles, and they have to go fast as they can to earn a buck,” she said.
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