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An outbound MBTA Fairmount Line train stops at the Talbot Avenue station in December 2012. Photo by Wikimedia Commons user Pi.1415926535, CC BY-SA 3.0.

T Board Approves Scaled-Back Package of Transit Service Cuts

By Christian MilNeil | Dec 14, 2020 | No Comments

"We're glad to see them walk back some of the cuts, but we still believe these cuts are rushed and unnecessary," said TransitMatters executive director Jarred Johnson.

The MBTA's proposed service cuts for 2021 would eliminate five stops at the end of the Green Line's E Branch in Boston's Mission Hill neighborhood.

It’s Decision Day for MBTA Service Cuts: Here’s What to Watch

By Christian MilNeil | Dec 14, 2020 | No Comments

To help fill a $600 million budget gap, the agency has proposed eliminating ferry service, ending dozens of lower-ridership bus routes, eliminating commuter rail service on nights and weekends, and closing several rail stations, including a portion of the Green Line in Mission Hill.

An unrealistically traffic-free rendering of MassDOT's proposed new interchange at I-495 and I-90, a federally-funded project that's expected to cost about $300 million.

Rep. Pressley Calls on Feds to Fund Highways, Transit Equally

By Christian MilNeil | Dec 11, 2020 | 2 Comments

Since 1982, federal transportation funding has been governed by the "80-20 split," which restricts the federal Department of Transportation from spending more than 20 percent of its Highway Trust Fund money on transit projects, leaving the majority of federal funding for highway projects.

A relic Green Line sign at Forest Hills Station, pictured in 2011. The Green Line's E Branch service to Forest Hills was suspended in the 1980s and never returned. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons user Pi.1415926535.

Guest Column: ‘Temporary’ Transit Cuts Will Likely Last

By John Stout | Dec 11, 2020 | No Comments

Across the U.S., transit agencies often roll out deep service cuts under the guise of “temporary” service adjustments. Sadly, these cuts are rarely reversed. Whether it’s cutting late-night bus routes, lower-ridership subway lines or historic trolley networks, these services almost never return, especially in times of a budget crisis, because it’s far easier to stop […]

A new shared bus and bike lane has been installed on Florence Street in downtown Malden. Photo courtesy of the MBTA.

Malden Joins the Dedicated Bus Lane Club

By Christian MilNeil | Dec 10, 2020 | No Comments

Malden, in collaboration with the MBTA and MassDOT, has painted a red shared bus-and-bike lane on Florence Street northeast of the Malden Center Orange Line station to benefit the MBTA's routes 104, 105, and 99.

A view of the Allston I-90 tollbooths and Beacon Yards in 2015. Photo by Nick Allen, licensed under Creative Commons BY-SA 4.0.

Highway Teardowns Make Great Investments

By Kea Wilson | Dec 10, 2020 | No Comments

In a groundbreaking new policy proposal, nonprofits Transportation for America and Third Way recommended that the next administration create a new, $5-billion competitive grant program that states could draw on to tear down their misguided downtown highways and redevelop the land that’s left behind in better ways.

A bus driver at Sullivan Square. Courtesy of the MBTA.

Checking the T’s Math, Advocates Cast Doubt on Need for Transit Cuts

By Christian MilNeil | Dec 8, 2020 | No Comments

Proposed service cuts would have a massive impact to the T's riders, but would make a relatively minor dent in the T's budget shortfall.

Our Next Book Club Event Discusses ‘Right of Way’ with Angie Schmitt

By Christian MilNeil | Dec 7, 2020 | 1 Comment

Schmitt’s book provides a detailed investigation into how pedestrian deaths have increased by 50 percent in the past decade, and how our nation's persistent patterns of racism and economic inequality play into this under-reported public health crisis.

T Board Approves Scaled-Back Package of Transit Service Cuts

It’s Decision Day for MBTA Service Cuts: Here’s What to Watch

Rep. Pressley Calls on Feds to Fund Highways, Transit Equally

Guest Column: ‘Temporary’ Transit Cuts Will Likely Last

Malden Joins the Dedicated Bus Lane Club

Highway Teardowns Make Great Investments

Checking the T’s Math, Advocates Cast Doubt on Need for Transit Cuts

Our Next Book Club Event Discusses ‘Right of Way’ with Angie Schmitt

How have pandemic bus lanes worked out in Chicago, Boston, and SF?

Poll Finds Strong Statewide Opposition to MBTA Cuts

Green Line Amputation: T Cuts Would Mothball Light Rail in Mission Hill

How A Cargo Bike Quashed My Car Habit