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Christian MilNeil
Recent Posts
New ‘Controlling Criteria’ Will Make Sidewalks, Bike Lanes a Default Feature In Massachusetts State Road Projects
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While many state highway bureaucracies treat bike, pedestrian, and transit infrastructure as an afterthought, new MassDOT highway engineering guidelines will require traffic engineers to include sidewalks, crosswalks, bus stops, and high-quality bike facilities when they design upgrades for the Commonwealth's major roadways.
How to Build a Cheap Homemade Speed Camera
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Most drivers in the North End go under 20 mph - but reckless speeding over 40 mph was distressingly common.
Boston’s Bluebikes Bucks National Trend of E-Bike Share
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Bikeshare systems across North America have been adding thousands of pedal-assist electric bikes to their fleets this summer, but the Bluebikes system of greater Boston won't be embracing this new technology anytime soon.
Debate Begins Over the Next U.S. Transportation Funding Bill
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Yesterday, House Democrats released a draft bill that establishes a $494 billion, 5-year plan for the nation’s transportation infrastructure – but in spite of language to address climate change, and significant funding increases for rail and transit programs, the lion’s share of the bill’s funding would still go to roads and highways. The proposed legislation, […]
Streets Need to Be Safe for Black Lives
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It’s been one week since Derek Chauvin, a white police officer, choked George Floyd to death in a Minneapolis street, and three months since a retired Georgia cop and his son gunned down Ahmaud Arbery on a quiet street in Georgia. Both killings were caught on videos that contain damning indictments not only of the […]
Pols Seek Higher Corporate, Gas Taxes for Transit
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It's not yet clear whether the House bill will provide a sufficient amount of funding to meet the MBTA's needs for additional staff and new capital projects.
Boston Installing More Dedicated Lanes for Bikes and Buses Downtown
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The city is preparing to paint new bus lanes and bike lanes on Washington Street between Herald Street and Downtown Crossing, according to Boston Transportation Department officials. The project area includes some of the most congested segments of the Silver Line’s SL5 (Dudley Square to Downtown Crossing) and SL4 (Dudley to South Station) bus routes. […]
Exhaust Pipes Are Making Boston’s Heat Waves Much, Much Worse
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The long-term climate impacts of the climate pollution from cars and trucks are well documented, but the daily short-term effects of the wasted heat energy radiating from engine blocks and exhaust pipes are making this summer's heat waves much more miserable for city-dwellers.
Massachusetts Climate Emergency Plan Could Deliver A Big Payday to Transit
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Massachusetts officials said that they are committed to improving air quality and funding better transit options, particularly in low-income and racially diverse communities, while they design a new "cap and invest" program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from cars and trucks.
Dedicated Bus Lanes Prove Successful in Massachusetts
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The "pilot" phase for the new Mount Auburn bus lanes in Cambridge and Watertown is over, and the two municipalities are making the new bus lanes and transit-priority traffic signals a permanent amenity for riders of the 71 and 73 MBTA's "trackless trolley" bus routes.
Photos: Boston Advocates Form ‘People-Protected’ Bike Lane
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A crowd of over 100 street safety advocates formed a people-protected bike lane in one of Boston's parks.
Study: People of Color Suffer Higher Health Risks From Highway Pollution
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Thanks to decades of planning decisions that routed highways through Asian, black and Latinx neighborhoods, and a lack of affordable housing in transit-accessible locations, air pollution from tailpipes is significantly more likely to harm communities of color across Massachusetts, according to a new study from the Union of Concerned Scientists.