City, News

Boston transportation gets major overhaul

Boston Mayor Martin Walsh announced several transportation initiatives aimed at improving public safety to be implemented in the city, according to a Tuesday press release.

Boston Mayor Martin Walsh announced five transportation initiatives on Wednesday to improve public safety. GRAPHIC BY SAMANTHA GROSS/DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF
Boston Mayor Martin Walsh announced five transportation initiatives on Wednesday to improve public safety. GRAPHIC BY SAMANTHA GROSS/DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

The improvements include the implementation of the nation-wide Vision Zero initiative, sweeping replacements of technology-savvy parking meters, the elimination of towing during street cleaning, the addition of bike protection lanes on Commonwealth Avenue and a nationwide search for a new Active Transportation Director, the release stated.

“We’re implementing innovative and inventive transportation strategies and infrastructure upgrades in the City of Boston to improve travel safety and convenience,” Walsh said in the release. “Whether you walk, drive, take the T or ride a bike on our streets, we’re looking at solutions that can accommodate every mode of transportation in a meaningful way.”

Vision Zero has been implemented in a number of other cities before Boston, including New York, San Francisco and Chicago, Boston Transportation Department spokeswoman Tracey Ganiatsos said.

“The ultimate goal is to basically have zero fatalities on Boston streets, to eliminate traffic fatalities entirely in Boston,” she said. “We do see serious crashes, and to eliminate traffic fatalities is the goal of Vision Zero Boston.”

Vision Zero is an early-action item of the mayor’s initiative, Go Boston 2030, a comprehensive plan for transportation in the next 15 years, Ganiatsos said.

“With this project, we’re doing an awful lot of long-term planning and projects, but there are also going to be these early-action items that [are] along the progressions of the project,” she said. “Part of Go Boston is looking at utilizing updated technology and updating all of the city’s transportation network with new technology.”

Another aspect of the plan announced Tuesday includes the update of the city’s 8,000 metered spaces.

“With the addition of new intelligent multi-space and single space parking meters, drivers can pay through mobile phone, a credit card or pocket change,” the release stated. “This next generation of meters will also provide real-time data to the City to help BTD better manage the space at the curb.”

There is currently an app in use called ParkBoston  that allows people to pay for their meters via their phones, but it cannot be accessed by all neighborhoods in Boston, Ganiatsos said.

“Currently the ParkBoston app, which is the mobile payment app for parking meters in Boston, is only available in a portion of the Back Bay, because other City of Boston meters are not programmed to accept that app,” she said.

Ganiatsos said the Transportation Department utilizes the information collected by the meters to improve parking around Boston.

“For the general public, they’re customer service improvements. For the Transportation Department, those smart meters allow us to collect data, to see how meters are used, the timing involved, to determine what people need, what their parking meters are, and how we can work that information in to the city’s parking meter program,” Ganiatsos  said.

The Commonwealth Avenue Multi-Modal redesign was also announced, calling for separated bike tracks running from the Boston University bridge to Packard’s Corner, the release stated.

The street sweeping pilot will eliminate towing during cleaning, instead increasing the fine for not moving a vehicle from $40 to $90, the release stated.

Several residents said transportation issues affect multiple aspects of life in the city.

William Wei, 24, of Kenmore, said inefficiencies in the transportation system affect work and school for many residents.

“During classes a lot of times, students and professors have to go out to feed the meters, and it’s kind of disturbing,” he said. “It will definitely make a big change, also considering the Olympics potentially coming in the future. Transportation needs quite a big change.”

Ada Wong, a graduate student in Boston University’s College of Communication, said she hopes Go Boston 2030’s initiative to change transportation will improve traffic.

“It’s great because Boston is a metropolitan city,” she said. “I work near Newton, so every time I drive, I see a long line of traffic, so we hate that traffic. Everyone hates it. I hope this approach will improve the situation.”

Anna Gribble, 25, of Brighton, said new forms of transportation would be beneficial for everyone.

“Any bike safety that we can provide, and any alternative ways we can get people commuting through the city are positive,” she said. “I applaud Mayor Walsh for doing that.”

One Comment

  1. The BTD has really made some strides, and they just won a national planning award for their work! (despite Utile’s claims of being the transportation lead) Congrats BTD, Congrats Toole, Boo Utile