The Full Story on Getting Around in Greater Boston

We got some tough news recently. A transportation company put out a report saying the Greater Boston metro region had the worst traffic congestion in the U.S. last year. We know that doesn’t come as a shock to Boston drivers. But that doesn’t mean we’re okay with the status quo — far from it. We want to let you know what this ranking means, what we’re doing about congestion at the city level, and what we can all do — city, state, private companies, and residents — to make moving around our city a better experience.

First, a little context about the report. Independent analysts have pointed out that this annual report, historically, prioritizes fast driving over steady progress and punishes older, denser cities, where distances are shorter and alternatives to driving are more plentiful.

In Boston, for example, fewer than 50% of commuters travel by car, so a drive-time study is telling less than half the story. Our focus is on helping people move safely and reliably, not just in cars and trucks but on foot, on bikes, and on public transit.

Second, the report’s data doesn’t just come from the City of Boston, it comes from across our metro region. That makes sense, because our transportation network is regional. Most of our commuters come from outside of City limits and, inside the city, our biggest roadways and our public transit system are owned and operated by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Simply put, we can’t solve this by ourselves; we must work in partnership. We need a more comprehensive and reliable regional public transit system — as well as transit-oriented housing in the suburbs — to give more commuters a viable alternative to driving. And ultimately, our federal government must make a long-overdue investment in national infrastructure.

Still, there’s no doubt that congestion is an issue right here in Boston. Our road network is one of the oldest and densest in the country, we’re one of the only cities with a major international airport right by downtown, both our economy and population have been growing at a steady clip — and now rideshare companies and delivery-on-demand services have added a whole new layer of vehicles.

So we can’t wait for others to act. Excessive congestion is harming our environment, our economy, and our quality of life right now. That’s why we made reducing it a priority — in Go Boston 2030 (our groundbreaking transportation plan) and in our city budget.

Here’s some of what we’re doing in the City to make our roadways work better for all users, and make biking, walking, and riding the T more appealing and accessible alternatives to driving.

Adaptive Traffic Signals. We are working on a system that uses software to adjust timing at intersections based on real time traffic conditions, resulting in fewer stops and starts, less traffic congestion, and reduced emissions from idling vehicles.

Bicycle infrastructure. Last year we brought the total separated bike lanes in our city to 5.1 miles, by completing new lanes in Roxbury, Jamaica Plain, the West End, Charlestown, and South Boston. This year we’ll continue construction on 3.3 miles more, and begin design on another 5.8 miles. And we plan to add even more in next year’s budget. We’ve also expanded the Bluebikes bike share program. By the end of this year, the system will provide 3,000 bikes at 300 stations.

Public transit. We’ve been working with the MBTA on things like dedicated bus lanes to make transit more accessible and efficient on our streets. Last year, we laid the foundation to go much further: we increased parking fine revenues to create a new, $5 million annual budget investment aimed at upgrading our transportation infrastructure to improve every mode of travel. One of the highlights is a new Transit Team of specialists who will work full time with the MBTA to improve transit access and the bus riding experience on our streets.

There’s much more that we’re doing, from making sidewalk repair more equitable, to upgrading pedestrian plazas, to redesigning key intersections.

At the same time, we are advancing our partnership with the state on regional action. We made transportation and the environment one of the major packages in our state legislative agenda this year.

It’s headed by measures that will reduce congestion and reduce emissions, including:

• Updating surcharges on rideshare companies like Uber and Lyft to encourage shared trips, encourage walking, biking, and transit, and discourage solo trips, especially during rush hour. These companies, along with on-demand delivery services, are a big driver of the rise in congestion. The state found last year that nearly 100,000 rideshare trips originate in Boston every single day. Another study found that over 40% of users would have otherwise used public transit. We’re working to limit curbside pickups to designated areas where they will cause fewer backups. But we also need to make sure the surcharge system discourages them from needlessly clogging city streets.
• Photo enforcement to address “blocking the box” and school bus violations. As you know if you travel during rush hour, drivers who enter intersections without a clear path through worsen congestion and create a safety hazard for pedestrians and cyclists. We also want to use this technology to catch drivers who zip around the “stop” arm of a school bus that’s picking up or dropping off students.
• Regional ballot initiatives. We think Massachusetts should join the ranks of states where residents in a particular area can vote to raise revenues for specific transportation projects.

Here are some things you can do to advocate for reduced congestion and better transportation options across our region.

• Learn more about these proposals and the rest of our legislative package on the environment and transportation.
• Contact your state legislators to help advocate for these measures.
• Take the MBTA’s Rail Vision survey and let them know what you need from the Commuter Rail.
• Look into whether your employer provides tax-advantaged MBTA passes, and if not, show them how easy it is to sign up.
• Learn more and get involved in Boston’s transportation progress. Go Boston 2030, Vision Zero, the newly updated Climate Action Plan, Imagine Boston 2030, and neighborhood planning initiatives offer many opportunities to play an active role in shaping and improving your city.
• Reflect on your own travel choices; consider steps you can take to reduce peak congestion in our region.

We’ll keep pushing to learn more, to invest more, to do more to reduce congestion and make moving around our city easier and safer. We need all hands on deck if we’re going to move forward — and move better — as a region.