Transportation in Boston

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority provides services in five different modes (trolleybus not pictured) around Greater Boston.

Transportation in Boston includes roadway, subway, regional rail, air, and sea options for passenger and freight transit in

Big Dig
.

Road transportation

Road infrastructure

Zakim Bridge

Except for the

street grid. The City of Boston, composed of many smaller towns annexed over the years, retained most of the pre-existing street names, resulting in many duplicates throughout the city.[citation needed
]

Expressways and freeways in and around Greater Boston are laid out with two circumferential expressways:

. The circumferential routes are intersected by several radial highways, including:

By the early 1990s, traffic on the elevated downtown portions of I-93 and Route 1 (the Central Artery) was 190,000 vehicles per day, with an accident rate four times the national average for urban interstates. Traffic was bumper-to-bumper for six to eight hours per day, with projections of traffic jams doubling by 2010. Also, the elevated structure itself was decaying, after more than a half century of continuous use. For most of the 1990s and early 2000s, driving in Boston was disrupted by the Big Dig, the most expensive (roughly $14 billion) road project in the history of the US.

After more than 15 years of disruption, The Big Dig, along with other highway projects, provided less than 10 years of relief before congestion returned to the levels seen in "prerecession 2005, when the Big Dig was almost complete and marketed as the solution to gridlock for commuters ... analyses would conclude that the added capacity attracted more drivers, and pushed the traffic bottlenecks farther into the suburbs."[1] However even without the big dig the raised road was structurally deficient and needed rebuilding or replacement.

Boston remains one of the most congested metropolitan areas in the US. The complex and still-changing road network, with many one-way streets and time-based traffic restrictions, has led many Boston travelers to consider an up-to-date

GPS navigation
map system a necessity.

Walking and bicycling

Major US City Commute Patterns 2021
Compared to residents of other American cities, Bostonians have average commute times and high rates of public transit use.
Historical Commute Patterns in Boston 2006–2021
Bostonians shifted to driving alone, at the expense of public transit as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, but continued to walk at the highest rates of any US major city.

Boston is known to travel agents as "America's Walking City", has been rated as the third most walkable city in the US by Walk Score, and also has a high Transit Score.[2]

Boston is a compact city, sized right for walking or bicycling. According to a

US Census. This was the highest of any major US city, bested only by college towns such as nearby Cambridge. Most of the area's cities and towns have standing committees devoted to improvements to the bicycle and pedestrian environment. The first pedestrian advocacy organization in the United States, WalkBoston
, was started in Boston in 1990, and helped start the national pedestrian advocacy organization America Walks.

Cycling is popular in Boston, for both recreation and commuting. Some bicycle paths are marked on some roadways, but very few completely separated paths are available to cyclists. The

East Boston Greenway.[4] Many MBTA riders use a bicycle to get to a nearby station, and the number of bicycle racks and lockers has been increased.[5]

However Bicycling magazine, in its March 2006 issue, named the city as one of its three worst cities in the United States for cycling.[6] The distinction was earned for "lousy roads, scarce and unconnected bike lanes and bike-friendly gestures from City Hall that go nowhere—such as hiring a bike coordinator in 2001, only to cut the position two years later".[7] Neighboring Cambridge earned an honorable mention as one of the best cities for cycling with a population of 75,000-200,000.[8]

Since September 2007, when Mayor Thomas Menino started a bicycle program called Boston Bikes with a goal of improving bicycling conditions by adding bike lanes and racks and offering bikeshare programs, the city has improved accommodations for bicyclists in a number of ways.[9][10] The least visible improvement is zoning and building code changes to encourage showering and locker facilities in major office buildings. Better signage and lane markings for bicyclists are starting to appear. More visible enforcement of traffic regulations on motorists, bicyclists, and pedestrians has commenced.[11][12][13][14]

Boston has an active Critical Mass ride group, and MassBike is a bike advocacy group active in supporting cyclists in the area.[15][16] The LivableStreets Alliance, headquartered in Cambridge, is an advocacy group for bicyclists, pedestrians, and walkable neighborhoods.[17]

Maps and guides

Horse-drawn carriage at dusk on a city street
One of several horse carriages transporting tourists around the city

The Boston regional

Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) publishes a large and detailed "Greater Boston Cycling & Walking Map", which it distributes free of charge.[18]
The map is also available online and in downloadable form, and revisions are solicited from the general public.

In addition, a small private company called Rubel BikeMaps has for many years published and distributed an extensive lineup of books and maps covering Boston, the state of Massachusetts, and nearby areas of New England.[19] These publications are for sale at many bicycle shops, and online. Because of recent expansion of bike lanes and other facilities, plus increased input from the public, it is important to use the most recent editions of these maps and guides.

Rubel BikeMaps also publishes Car-Free in Boston:a Guide for Locals and Visitors, still in its 10th edition as of 2015.[20] Prepared by the Association for Public Transportation (APT), this book contains extensive information useful to bicyclists and pedestrians alike, including coverage of intermodal travel and handicapped accessibility. Although the general overview and travel tips are largely still relevant, this classic book has not been updated since 2003, and must be supplemented by current online information.

With widespread use of smartphones and tablet computers,

GTFS format.[21] As a result, many third-party apps are available on a number of hardware platforms, allowing riders a wide range of choices in obtaining travel information.[22]
Google Maps has started to present maps of the interiors of underground subway stations, and this information is available on Android and iOS smartphones, as well as web browsers.

Buses

An MBTA bus on Mount Auburn Street in 2019

162

seventh-busiest local bus agency in the country. Included within the MBTA system are four of the few remaining trackless trolley lines in the US (71, 72, 73 and 77A), although these principally operate in the adjoining city of Cambridge. The bus fare is $1.70 with a CharlieCard
, or $2 with a CharlieTicket or cash; monthly commuter passes are available, as are reduced fare transfers between most bus lines and the subway.

In an effort to provide service intermediate in speed and capacity between subways and buses, the MBTA has begun projects using bus rapid transit (BRT) technology. The MBTA has one BRT line, the Silver Line, although this operates in two discontinuous sections. The Silver Line operates in part via dedicated trolleybus tunnel, in part via on-street reserved bus lanes, and in part mixed with general street traffic. Service through the trolleybus tunnel is by dual-mode buses, which operate electrically in the tunnel and within a short section on the surface, and which use diesel power for the rest of the route.

Massport operates the Logan Express
, an express bus service between Logan International Airport and suburban park-and-ride lots.

Several privately owned commuter bus services take passengers between the city and suburbs.

Longwood Medical Area. The MASCO M2 shuttle between Harvard Square and the LMA via Massachusetts Avenue is available for public use, though tickets or cash card must be purchased in advance.[29]
Many colleges and universities also run private shuttles for students and employees.

In June 2014, the Cambridge-based startup Bridj began running "data driven" bus service in core neighborhoods.[30] It uses a mixture of fixed and dynamic routes and pricing, depending on where and when registered members say they want to go.[31]

Parking

Since automobiles did not exist in 1630, when Boston was first settled, parking was not a consideration. The city that sprung up around and away from the original North End neighborhood accommodates cars only awkwardly; parking comes at a premium throughout the city. Off-street parking spaces have sold for more than $160,000 on Beacon Hill.[32] On-street parking is the norm in many sections, and the city created a resident permit parking program to reserve street space for permanent residents in certain neighborhoods. The parking permits are free to Boston residents, however, and the program is overused; permitted spaces remain scarce.[33] Meters citywide are priced at $1.25 per hour, and metered spaces are also often difficult to find.

The number of public parking spaces downtown has been capped since the mid-1970s.[34] The number of parking spaces in East and South Boston, and the hours that they may be used, also is restricted by state regulation. This is part of the state Department of Environmental Protection's plan, approved by the United States Environmental Protection Agency to address the non-compliance of the region with the mandatory National Ambient Air Quality Standards for ozone.[35]

The MBTA operates several large park and ride facilities on its subway and commuter rail lines, close to major highways, providing access to downtown. While most of these tend to fill up with commuters on weekday mornings, they provide a good place for visitors to leave their cars and see the city without parking hassles on evenings and weekends.

Rail transportation

Boston has two discrete rail networks. One of these, the MBTA, widely nicknamed "the T", includes elements of

streetcar operation as well as traditional subway technology. (The Red, Orange, Blue, and Green Lines have no physical rail interconnections with each other, though they are all operated by the MBTA and exchange passengers in shared stations.) The second network forms the Boston area portion of the North American rail network
, and provides commuter rail, intercity passenger rail and freight rail services.

Although the two networks are essentially unconnected, they do in some places run alongside each other in the same right of way. Interchange stations allow interchange of passengers, but not trains, between subway and commuter rail services. Parts of the subway network also use former common user rail rights of way.

Subway network

Red Line subway train crossing the Longfellow Bridge
Green Line subway/surface train on street track
Blue Line subway train at the airport
Orange Line subway train at Massachusetts Avenue station

Boston has the oldest subway system in North America, with the first underground streetcar traffic dating back to 1897. Today the whole subway network is owned and operated by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA).

In the early 1960s, the then-newly-formed MBTA hired

New York City's 6.335 million average daily weekday trips.[36]

The one-way fare is $2.40. Monthly commuter passes, and day and week visitor's passes are also available for purchase.[37] There are four subway lines in the metropolitan Boston area: the Red Line, Green Line, Orange Line, and Blue Line. The colors of each line have a symbolic meaning: the Blue Line runs under Boston Harbor; the Red Line used to terminate at Harvard University (whose school color is crimson); the Orange Line used to run along Washington Street, which was once called Orange Street; and the Green Line runs along parts of the Emerald Necklace into the leafy suburbs of Brookline and Newton.[38]

The Green Line is actually four different lines; it starts as one trunk line but then splits into four different branches, the B (Boston College), C (Cleveland Circle), D (Riverside) and E (Heath Street) trains. Because the split is only relevant on the outbound direction of travel, one may take any train inbound, but when going outbound one must be careful to board the correct train. The Red Line splits as well, with southbound trains going either to Braintree or Ashmont.

Though most of Boston's

streetcars rather than typical multiple unit heavy railcar equipment. The Ashmont–Mattapan line uses refurbished classic pre-war "PCC" trolleys on an exclusive right of way; the Green Line relies on modern high-capacity LRV
cars from Japan and Italy.

Like the

Open Data protocol on the Internet, enabling a large number of third-party smartphone apps and web sites to display expected arrival times throughout the MBTA system. The Green Line relies more on operators than its signal system compared to other lines, especially where trams are driven across or even in automobile lanes on surface rails. Due to a sparsity of data collected by the existing system, real-time Green Line arrival predictions are not expected until tracking infrastructure upgrades are completed in 2015.[39][needs update
]

Elevated sections

Despite the first rapid transit segment being built underground, many later parts were built as

.

The Boston Elevated Railway was the company that owned all the elevateds and subways. The following Els once existed:

Common user rail network

Unlike the subway, which is owned and operated by the MBTA, the common user network is owned and operated by a mixture of various public and private sector bodies. In the Boston area, trackage is owned by a mixture of the MBTA and several freight railroads. Commuter rail services are operated by the

Trackage rights allow trains of one operator to make use of tracks owned by another.[41]

Commuter rail

Commuter Rail train at Wellesley Hills

The MBTA commuter rail system brings people from as far away as

fifth-busiest
commuter rail system in the country, outranked only by the various systems serving New York and Chicago suburbs.

There are two major

Porter
to South Station using the Red Line.

Intercity rail

Acela (left) and Northeast Regional (right) locomotives at South Station in 2019

Boston is served by four intercity rail services, all operated by Amtrak. The Acela and Northeast Regional services both operate on the Northeast Corridor to and from Washington, D.C., with stops in places such as New York City and Philadelphia. A branch of the Lake Shore Limited service operates to and from Chicago. The Downeaster service operates to and from Brunswick, Maine.[42]

The Northeast Corridor services terminate at South Station, as does the Lake Shore Limited. The Downeaster service terminates at North Station, primarily because the Downeaster Amtrak line is intended for points north of downtown. The Northeast Corridor and Lake Shore Limited services also stop at Back Bay station. The lack of a direct rail connection between North Station and South Station means that passengers transferring to and from the Downeaster are faced with a transfer between stations. Although most such transfers can be achieved using the Orange Line between Back Bay and North Station, Amtrak recommends passengers with luggage to use a taxi.[42][43]

Within the Boston area, most Amtrak services operate over commuter rail track owned by the MBTA, who also own the Northeast Corridor track as far as the Rhode Island state line.[41]

Freight rail

transload facility in Westborough.[44]

The other significant freight railroad in the Boston area is

Patriot Corridor, linking Boston to a newly refurbished intermodal yard in Mechanicville, New York, just north of Albany.[41][45]

Only a few rail freight customers remain in or near Boston, including a chemical packager in Allston, and food distribution facilities and a scrap metal processor in

Water transportation

Port of Boston

Long Wharf in waterfront downtown Boston was once the main commercial wharf of the port, but is now used by ferries and cruise boats.

The Port of Boston is a major

seaport and the largest port in Massachusetts. It was historically important for the growth of the city, and was originally located in what is now the downtown area of the city. Land reclamation and conversion to other uses means that downtown area no longer handles commercial traffic, although the US Coast Guard
maintains a major base there, and there is still considerable ferry and leisure usage.

Today the principal cargo handling facilities are located in the Boston neighborhoods of

The

Black Falcon Cruise Terminal
situated in South Boston, was renovated and expanded in 2010.
[51] During 2012, it served 117 ships and more than 380,000 passengers.[52]

Passenger boat services

A pair of water taxis operating on the waterfront of Boston

The MBTA Boat system comprises several

Charlestown. The other routes are commuter routes, linking downtown to Hingham, Hull and Quincy. Some commuter services connect via Logan International Airport. All services are operated by private sector
companies under contract to the MBTA.

Outside the MBTA system, seasonal passenger ferry services operate to the Boston Harbor Islands, to the city of Salem north of Boston, and to the town of Provincetown on Cape Cod. Water taxis provide on-demand service from various points on the downtown waterfront and from Logan Airport, and in particular between the airport and downtown.

Several companies operate tourist oriented cruise boats on the harbor and on the

Public Garden
.

Public transportation statistics

The average amount of time people spend commuting with public transit in Boston, for example to and from work, on a weekday is 83 min. 29% of public transit riders ride for more than two hours every day. The average amount of time people wait at a stop or station for public transit is 15 minutes, while 24% of riders wait for over 20 minutes on average every day. The average distance people usually ride in a single trip with public transit is 7 km, while 12% travel for over 12 km in a single direction.[53]

Aviation

An aerial photograph of Logan International Airport

Boston's principal airport is

Airport station
.

To help address overcrowding at Logan Airport, Massport operates two other airports in eastern Massachusetts:

In addition, MassPort has designated two out of state regional airports (which are administered independently) as reliever airports:[56]

Around 2010, the MBTA commuter rail initiated new train service from T.F. Green Airport to Boston.

There are also several

Beverly Municipal Airport
.

Since the

Halifax (Nova Scotia)
, or other Canadian airports.

Boston Vision Zero Plan

In 2015, mayor Marty Walsh announced that the city of Boston would become part of a worldwide program known as Vision Zero.[57] Vision Zero is a plan self described as “a new standard for safety on our streets.” The plan aims to eliminate deaths caused by transportation, whether that be pedestrians, personal vehicle riders, or cyclists.[58]

Since 2015, the city of Boston has adopted several different policies aimed to help bring down the number of fatalities caused by Transportation in Boston. These policies include the creation of a 25-mile per hour speed limit law citywide,[59] and the implementation of Neighborhood Slow Streets, a tool of Traffic calming designed to make personal vehicles slow down in residential areas.[60] Pedestrian deaths have fallen to 57 in 2019, down from the 2017 total of 82. Cyclist deaths have also fallen from 10 in 2017 to just 3 in 2019.[61]

Boston now seeks to expand this plan by committing more funds to the program, as they currently spend roughly five dollars per person annually on the Vision Zero plan, whereas cities like San Francisco spend upwards of seventy five dollars per person annually.[59] Boston aims to eliminate vehicle crash fatalities by 2030, while planning for more Neighborhood Slow Streets, speed humps, and curb extensions to help bring vehicle fatalities down to zero.[57] One area that the Boston Transportation Department specifically wants to focus on are the numerous Boston public schools, stating in their 2017/2018 vision zero report, that “We will be upgrading school zone flashers throughout the City and focusing on schools as we select locations for future safety improvements.” [57]

See also

References

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  2. ^ Walk Score. "About Boston". Walk Score. Walk Score. Retrieved May 2, 2013.
  3. ^ "DCR web page".
  4. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on November 18, 2014. Retrieved January 5, 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  5. ^ Sherwood Stranieri (April 25, 2008). "Mixed-Mode Commuting in Boston". Using Bicycles. Retrieved April 26, 2008.
  6. ^ MacLaughlin, Nina (2006). "Boston Can Be Bike City...If You Fix These Five Big Problems". The Phoenix – Bicycle Bible 2006. Archived from the original on August 11, 2011.
  7. ^ "Urban Treasures". bicycling.com. Archived from the original on July 7, 2007.
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  20. .
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  35. ^ EPA-Approved MA Regulations | State Implementation Plans (SIPs) | Topics | New England | US EPA
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  40. ^ http://www.mbta.com/about_the_mbta/news_events/?id=6442451214&month=1&year=14 MBTA press release on Keolis Commuter Services award
  41. ^ .
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  54. ^ Chapter 25 of the Acts of 2009. Archived October 7, 2012, at the Wayback Machine Section 148.
  55. on June 26, 2010. Retrieved June 26, 2010.
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External links