StreetsblogMASS

An still from the livestream from the Cambridge City Council meeting of Monday, April 6, 2020. Most Councilors were participating via teleconference to abide by Governor Baker's stay-at-home advisory.

Cambridge Council Balks at Giving Residents Space to Physically Distance

By Christian MilNeil | Apr 6, 2020 | No Comments

The Cambridge City Council narrowly voted down a proposal to give its residents more space to safely physically distance themselves on city streets during their regular meeting Monday night. In a 5-4 vote, with most Councilors participating by teleconference, the Council voted to table two policy orders that would have closed certain city streets to […]

An uninjured driver stands next to the SUV she flipped over while driving on Route 1 in Peabody on March 18, 2020. Photo courtesy of the Massachusetts State Police.

Pandemic’s Silver Lining: Less Bloodshed on Commonwealth’s Roads

By Christian MilNeil | Apr 6, 2020 | No Comments

Here’s a silver lining of the COVID-19 pandemic: with widespread “stay at home” orders in place, motor vehicle operators have fewer opportunities to maim and kill their victims on the Commonwealth’s streets. In the 18-day period from March 15 and April 1, there were 1,044 crashes logged in the state’s crash data portal. Drivers in […]

Chickatawbut Road in the Blue Hills Reservation, pictured in summer 2012. Photo courtesy of Lee Toma/Bike Milton.

DCR Starts Shutting Cars Out of Park Roads to Reduce COVID-19 Risk

By Christian MilNeil | Apr 5, 2020 | No Comments

The Department of Conservation and Recreation has announced new limits on vehicular traffic on Chickatawbut Road in the Blue Hills Reservation and a portion of Fellsway West in Medford.

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

Washington Sends Over $1 Billion in Relief Funds to Bay State Transit Agencies

By Christian MilNeil | Apr 2, 2020 | No Comments

Massachusetts transit agencies will get just over $1 billion in emergency funding to help sustain service through the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the Federal Transit Administration (FTA). The funding comes from a $25 billion line-item for transit assistance in the “Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act,” the bill that quickly moved through Congress […]

Photo by JeepersMedia, licensed under CC BY 2.0

Fuel Efficiency Rollbacks Will Put More Deadly Cars on the Streets

By Christian MilNeil | Apr 2, 2020 | No Comments

The Trump administration plans to scrap Obama-era legislation that required auto manufacturers to increase fuel efficiency by five percent every year until 2026.

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

Cambridge City Council Considers Opening Streets for Outdoor Exercise

By Christian MilNeil | Mar 31, 2020 | No Comments

On Monday evening, the Cambridge City Council (with most councilors calling in to participate by teleconference) discussed two policy orders that could give people walking and bicycling more space during the COVID-19 pandemic by closing city streets to car traffic. One order requested that the City Manager “confer with the Director of Traffic, Parking, and […]

Woman Drives SUV Into Family of 3 in Ipswich, Killing the Father

By Christian MilNeil | Mar 28, 2020 | No Comments

Police reported that the suspect in the vehicular assault, a 43-year-old Ipswich woman, remained on the scene and has so far been cooperating with the investigation.

Talking Headways Podcast: Great Bus Streets, Featuring Boston’s Lindiwe Rennert

By Christian MilNeil | Mar 26, 2020 | No Comments

This week's podcast features Lindiwe Rennert, a Boston transit planner, who chats about her work on the Warren Street corridor.

The Massachusetts Avenue protected bike lane near Front Street and the Cambridge Bicycle shop, pictured in May 2019.

Bike Shops Deemed ‘Essential’ As Bike Transport Surges

By Christian MilNeil | Mar 24, 2020 | No Comments

Governor Baker ordered all “nonessential” businesses to close on Tuesday, but with a surge of people bicycling for recreation and transportation, bike shops are being allowed to stay open across Massachusetts this week. The Governor’s order is a sharp escalation in the Commonwealth’s efforts to fight the spread of COVID-19 as the number of confirmed […]

The Blue Hill Avenue Fairmount Line stop, pictured in spring 2019. Courtesy of the MBTA.

T Restores Early-Morning Commuter Rail Trips For Health Care Workers

By Christian MilNeil | Mar 23, 2020 | No Comments

Responding to issues raised in a StreetsblogMASS report last week, the MBTA has announced that it will bring back early-morning commuter rail trains that will allow health care workers to get to work for their 7 a.m. shift change, even as the rest of the transit system continues to run on a reduced schedule. Last […]

Joggers on the Somerville Community Path near Davis Square.

Dealing With the Pandemic One Step at a Time: Practice Walking as Self-Care

By Mia Park | Mar 22, 2020 | No Comments

A CharlieCard on top of stacked dollar bills

Congress Urged to Act as Pandemic Losses Threaten Transit Agencies

By Christian MilNeil | Mar 20, 2020 | No Comments

A $1 trillion draft economic stabilization plan from the U.S. Senate provides no financial assistance for the nation’s transit agencies, which have been bleeding red ink as the COVID-19 pandemic slashes fare collections and revenues from state sales and payroll taxes. Large transit agencies, whose budgets are generally more reliant on fare revenue, have taken […]

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