Recent Streetsblog MASS posts about Legislation

Rep. Ayanna Pressley, U.S. Representative for Massachusetts's 7th congressional district, rides the MBTA's 1 bus in a 2018 campaign ad.

Rep. Pressley Announces New ‘Future of Transportation’ Congressional Caucus

By Aaron Short | Oct 17, 2019 | No Comments

Pressley says that the current system for spending federal money on transit is "antiquated and contributing to the inequities and disparities when it comes to access to affordable, reliable, and rapid transit."

Jillian Kaplan (left), a survivor of a crash involving a cellphone-distracted driver, and Jerry Cibley, whose son died after dropping his cellphone while driving, were among the speakers advocating for quick passage of the "hands-free" bill at the State House on Thursday, Sept. 26, 2019.

Legacy of Racial Profiling By Police Holds Up Distracted Driving Law

By Christian MilNeil | Sep 26, 2019 | 2 Comments

The Massachusetts legislature is on the verge of passing a new law that would outlaw people from holding cellphones while driving motor vehicles, but the bill has stalled as lawmakers hammer out details of how to collect data on traffic stops related to the new law in order to prevent racial profiling by police. Both […]

Senators John Barrasso and Tom Carper (left) introduced a $287 billion transportation infrastructure plan Monday.

Senate’s $287B Roads Bill Offers Just 0.4% for Walking and Biking

By Aaron Short | Jul 30, 2019 | No Comments

Believe it or not, that's nearly double what the feds set aside in the last big transportation bill.

Pioneer Valley Transit Authority buses at the Springfield Union Station in July 2017. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons user Newflyer504, licensed under Creative Commons.

Beacon Hill Boosts Regional Transit Authorities, With a Catch

By Christian MilNeil | Jul 30, 2019 | 1 Comment

A new budget passed in the Massachusetts State House last week would increase funding for the state’s fifteen Regional Transit Authorities, which operate transit services for the millions of Bay State residents who live outside of the MBTA’s fixed-route service area in greater Boston. The fiscal year 2020 budget passed last week in the Massachusetts […]

Lisa Ford walks her grandchildren, Cannon Castell; Jada Ford; and Chastity Castell, across a temporary crosswalk.

Sen. Markey Introduces Federal Complete Streets Bill

By Gersh Kuntzman | Jul 11, 2019 | No Comments

The Markey-Cohen bill would also require grant recipients to adopt and prioritize a “Complete Streets” policy — and it would require the federal government, the states and federal “metropolitan planning organizations” to adopt design standards for all highway projects “that provide for the safe and adequate accommodation of all users of the surface transportation network, including motorized and non-motorized users, in all phases of project planning, development, and operation.”