Coalition 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 moreGroups Urge Rainy Day Fund Diversion To Balance Budget
"The MBTA is facing an operating budget deficit of over $600 million in the upcoming fiscal year. The Commonwealth has over 600 structurally deficient bridges. The Commonwealth also needs to expand our EV charging infrastructure to meet our climate goals and address rural infrastructure for communities that rely on mostly gravel roads to get around," the coalition of more than two dozen groups wrote in a letter Tuesday to House and Senate budget chiefs. "Diverting $225 million from the Education and Transportation Fund only hinders our ability to address these investments moving forward."
Read moreGroups urge rejection of Healey budget maneuver using millionaire tax funds
“We believe that shifting funds from the Education and Transportation Fund [the account where surplus millionaire tax revenues are kept] to backfill accounts that were previously funded by the General Fund sets a bad precedent for future budgets,” the advocates said in their letter. “Using the Fair Share dollars to balance budgets rather than make new investments in transportation and education moving forward risks damaging public trust. We believe a much better approach would be to use funds from the Stabilization Fund, as historically has been done, to close out prior year’s budgets.”
Read moreBoston using Google AI in Green Light pilot program to improve traffic
"You want to make sure that the technology is thinking about everyone at the intersection whether they're walking, biking, using transit or taking a car. My understanding is that the city is considering all these users because that same impact happens regardless of your mode."
Read moreBoston implements traffic flow changes recommended by artificial intelligence
"That's a lot, when you think about the amount of time that you spend in a vehicle or maybe standing on a street corner waiting to get through the intersection," said Stacey Thompson, executive director of the Liveable Streets Alliance.
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 moreRide Island to present a public program on Cambridge street design for biking, walking, and transit
Former City of Cambridge employee and LivableStreets co-founder, Jeff Rosenblum, will speak on Cambridge's 2019 Cycling Safety Ordinance.
Read moreHouse budget plan spends big on the T, funds shelter system at half of expected cost
Stacy Thompson, Executive Director of LivableStreets, joins WBUR's Radio Boston to discuss a budget plan for the upcoming fiscal year released by the Massachusetts House Wednesday which calls for nearly $200 million more in direct assistance to the MBTA than in the proposal put forth by Gov. Maura Healey last year.
Read moreLowering Boston speed limit won’t slow cars down without street redesign, transit advocate says
“I think this is a really good conversation to be had,” Thompson said. “Having said that, we also know that when you don’t change the roadway design, people will still speed.”
Read moreUber and Lyft are say they're leaving Minneapolis. Could it happen here?
First, Uber and Lyft are threatening to leave Minneapolis in May, saying it's because of new local rules imposed on the companies. Evan Horowitz of the Center for State Policy Analysis at Tufts University, Axios reporter Kyle Stokes and Stacy Thompson of the transportation advocacy group Livable Streets join the show to discuss.
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