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Memorial Drive in Cambridge. Photo by John Phelan, licensed under Creative Commons CC BY 3.0.

DCR to Reboot Its Planning Process for Memorial Drive

By Christian MilNeil | Aug 14, 2020 | 1 Comment

The state's "Memorial Drive Phase 3" project is intended to complement recent improvements to Memorial Drive between the Longfellow Bridge to the DeWolfe Boathouse just east of the B.U. Bridge.

A derailed Red Line car blocks the tracks at the JFK/UMass station on June 11, 2019. Photo courtesy of the Boston Fire Department.

The Red (Bottom) Line: The T’s Bleak Long-Term Budget Outlook

By Christian MilNeil | Aug 13, 2020 | No Comments

Editor’s note: this story was originally published in August; we’re featuring it again today to provide some context to the T’s proposed service cuts. Some of the budget projections for 2021 and 2022 have changed, but those projections remain very uncertain. Budget experts and T advocates warn that dire structural budget shortfalls could force major […]

A screenshot from the new TransitMatters data dashboard, which illustrates on-time performance for specific MBTA trains over the course of each day.

TransitMatters Releases ‘Data Dashboard’ to Visualize T Delays

By Christian MilNeil | Aug 11, 2020 | No Comments

TransitMatters hopes the data visualizations will help advocates "more effectively keep tabs on the T operational performance and capital delivery projects."

3368 Washington rendering credit RODE Architects/BPDA

Brewery Landlord Sues to Block Housing for the Homeless, Because Parking

By Christian MilNeil | Aug 11, 2020 | 1 Comment

The Jamaica Plain landlord of Turtle Swamp Brewing is arguing that his tenant’s “ability to find parking” on Washington Street is more important than housing over 200 homeless people. That’s one of the arguments in a lawsuit filing from Monty Gold, the owner of Turtle Swamp’s building at 3377 Washington St., who wants to overturn […]

Unarmed "safety ambassadors" have patrolled the Bay Area Rapid Transit system since February. Courtesy of BART.

If the T Decriminalizes Fare Evasion, What’s Next for Its Transit Police?

By Christian MilNeil | Aug 10, 2020 | No Comments

While the Massachusetts State House ponders significant reforms to fare enforcement on the MBTA, and – in separate legislation – to policing in general, the MBTA’s in-house police force faces a reckoning. The Transit Police attracted intense criticism earlier this summer for their closures of downtown subway stations during Black Lives Matter protests and for […]

An Amtrak train waits to depart from Springfield Union Station in January 2020. Photo by Trains in the Valley, licensed under Creative Commons BY-SA 4.0.

MassDOT Multiplies Ridership Forecasts, Narrows Alternatives for East-West Rail

By Christian MilNeil | Aug 5, 2020 | No Comments

The three remaining service options under study would upgrade and double-track an existing freight rail line between Worcester and Pittsfield to support between 7 and 9 round trips a day between Pittsfield and Boston, with travel times between Springfield and Boston reduced to under two hours.

Guest Column: Biking With Babies

By Carol Ann Young | Aug 5, 2020 | 1 Comment

As most first-time parents do, we scour the internet to find answers to questions about our baby. Sifting through websites, blogs, and comments can be tough, because there are rarely clear answers, and you often have to weigh all the information, trust yourself, and make a decision. Deciding whether we would bike with our infant […]

Cargo bikes and bike trailers parked on a sidewalk outside a Whole Foods Market in New York City

Boston Tests the Waters for Cargo e-Bike Deliveries

By Christian MilNeil | Aug 3, 2020 | No Comments

By encouraging bike-powered deliveries, the city hopes “to counter the rise of vehicle traffic and ensuing air pollution tied to consumer preference for at-home delivery.”

Courtesy of the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs.

New Climate Bill Commits to Reduced Tailpipe Emissions

By Christian MilNeil | Aug 3, 2020 | 1 Comment

The Massachusetts House of Representatives passed a significant new climate bill on Friday night that commits the state to cutting greenhouse gas emissions by “at least 50 percent below the 1990 level” within the next decade. The Senate passed a bill with similar goals at the end of January. The two chambers, which recently agreed […]

The Wayside Trail, part of the Massachusetts Central Rail Trail, passes an abandoned trail station at the Church Street underpass in Weston.

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