Roadmap to Better Transportation

Jake Auchincloss’ plan for massachusetts

Climate change is our planet's biggest problem. Transportation is the biggest problem for Massachusetts, and the 4th District in particular. And because the transportation sector is the state’s largest emitter of carbon pollution—driving roughly 40% of total emissions—the two are inextricably linked.

JA_Logo_Democrat slash copy.png

ADD YOUR NAME IF YOU AGREE WITH
JAKE’S PLAN FOR MASSACHUSETTS

 
 
 
 

Introduction

New Spotlight Team reporting from the Boston Globe emphasizes just how severe traffic has become. Greater Boston’s transportation infrastructure is buckling—and frequently, breaking—under the weight of 300,000 additional cars per day over the past five years. The commuter rail is outdated and unreliable for those who have access to it, and entire regions of the state are shut out of economic opportunity because neither driving nor rail is workable.

Meanwhile, climate-and-congestion-friendly efforts to increase the use of dedicated bus and bike lanes have taken a backseat to cars. Our failure to commit to bold action is threatening our planet’s future. It is stifling our economy. And it is compromising our health and our quality of life. 

We need a path to a better future for transportation, a roadmap that will leverage the power of the federal government to reinvent transportation and expand economic opportunity for Massachusetts’ Fourth District, while ensuring that we do our part to save the planet by reducing carbon pollution.

To make this a reality, we need to do two things:

  1. Pass a Green New Deal at the federal level that features a 21st-century Eisenhower Plan to transform public transportation infrastructure across the United States. 

  2. Reinvent transportation in Massachusetts by partnering across federal, state and local governments. Federal funds should be tied to standards and practices proven in best-in-class public transportation elsewhere in the world.

Part 1: Pass the Green New Deal

The Green New Deal is usually painted in sweeping, national brush-strokes. Transportation is a state and local issue. Connecting the two is vital to reduce pollution and traffic. Yet, federal transportation spending "largely supports roads, rather than transit, walking, and biking... a continuation of the status quo of a car-centric transportation policy." [Transportation for Massachusetts] 

That needs to change. The federal government can lead by raising funds and incentivizing state and local governments to adhere to best practices, while allowing local governments to lead the change that’s right for their communities. 

Here’s how we do it:

  1. Reward intergovernmental cooperation. Transportation doesn’t work in a vacuum—it’s a regional network. Direct Green New Deal funds to the state agencies and local governments that mutually advance solutions to move more people, more quickly:

    1. Prioritized, connected bus lanes
    2. Protected, connected micromobility lanes
    3. Electrified regional rail with reliable, 15–30 minute headways
    4. Partnerships with first-and-last-mile providers for transit, including micromobility companies

  2. Incentivize the politically toughest, but most effective policies by fully or partially matching with federal dollars each state dollar raised through solutions like:
    1. Equitable congestion pricing for traffic-clogged arteries
    2. Increased state gas tax
    3. Vehicle-miles traveled fees on ride hailing companies

  3. Increase the federal gas tax, which has not been raised since 1993 and now lags far behind inflation.

  4. Charter a federal infrastructure bank. Union pension systems can provide significant capital to an enterprise that could create thousands of union jobs rebuilding our public transportation system.

  5. Increase the percentage of the Highway Trust Fund dedicated to mass transit from the current 15%.

  6. Extend and Enhance President Obama’s FAST Act to maintain existing road and bridge assets, while requiring all new projects to reduce vehicle-miles-traveled.

Part 2: Reinvent Transportation in Massachusetts

The federal government can provide a major influx in funding and create the right incentives, but state and local governments need to lead the way on implementing this transformation. The 4th District's next Member of Congress should act as a bridge between the federal and state government. This means conveying to constituents, state and local policymakers, and federal stakeholders a substantive vision for more functional, equitable, and climate-friendly transportation infrastructure. Here are five components of that vision:

  1. Build a zero-emissions, statewide 24/7 rail service. Reinventing transportation requires an accessible, reliable, affordable rail service. Specifically:

    1. Transform commuter rail into regional rail that offers frequent, all-day service. The goal: no more than 30 minutes between trains—and no more than 15 in the densest areas. Reduce fares and offer free transfers between rail and buses. Electrify the system to increase reliability and reduce pollution, noise, and maintenance. Improve passenger experience and speed up boarding with raised, accessible platforms.

    2. Make the South Coast Rail a reality. Taunton, Fall River and New Bedford are the only major cities within 50 miles of Boston that do not currently have commuter rail access to Boston. We must move faster to get this project done and bring economic opportunity to the South Coast.

    3. Make the MBTA and the RTAs work. Transit needs to be reliable. We must get to a state of good repair and efficient service on all lines, including RTA routes, invest in the North-South Rail Link, and finish the Silver Line, so that commuters can get to the rapidly growing Seaport.

  2. Glorify the humble bus. Buses are much cheaper and more flexible than fixed rail. Right now, they are a workhorse; their ridership in Greater Boston already exceeds commuter rail. We need to make buses a showhorse with a series of rigorous improvements, big and small, that make the bus an attractive primary option. Specifically:

    1. Design a unified, high-frequency regional bus network. Start with bus-rapid-transit (BRT) on the five corridors recommended by the Barr Foundation. Ridership will bloom with unimpeded travel lanes, off-board fare collection, and platform-level boarding.

    2. Upgrade routes without BRT lanes. Expand frequency and span of service, ultimately aiming for 15-min headways and 24/7 service. And smaller adjustments compound: traffic-signal prioritization, queue-jumps in turning lanes, floating lanes on targeted stretches of road, fewer stops, shoulder-access on highways. By partnering with local public works to engineer upgrades riders get more speed and reliability. Local partners get more complete streets funding.

    3. Solve the coordination challenge for local governments by prioritizing buses on arteries that knit together the network, like the Mass Pike. Plug in private shuttles, like those operated by the 128 Business Council, where needed.

  3. Incentivize development that reduces demand for cars. Frequent, all-day regional rail will boost land values farther from Boston—including large parts of the 4th District. Planners and developers there should build safe, comfortable, and useful environments for pedestrians. Specifically:

    1. Support local planning that is geared towards greener, less congested downtowns. Earlier versions of the Housing Choice Bill would have funded technical support for municipalities drafting walkable zoning codes. That should be revived, whether in that bill or another. And in addition to training and personnel, support should include subscriptions to state-of-the-art planning software like UrbanFootprint, as California has done.

    2. Prioritize walkability in housing and infrastructure grants. Walkability should be a prime criterion in housing and infrastructure grants. MassWorks, the Housing Development Incentive Program, the Commonwealth Site Readiness Fund, the Workforce Housing Initiative, and the Transformative Development Initiative should compel developers to build for humans, not cars.

  4. Fast-track job-creating projects. A national effort to reinvent our country’s transportation infrastructure means new jobs in communities across our country, including those within the 4th District where opportunity has been limited. There should be strong standards in place for responsible employment, including safety standards and wage theft provisions.

  5. Repair roads and bridges. While our priority should be funding transportation investments that move our infrastructure away from cars, we can’t ignore our crumbling roads and bridges. Funding should be directed with a focus on equity, toward communities with the highest need—often those outside of Greater Boston.

Conclusion

There is no greater threat to humanity than our changing climate. And there is no greater daily struggle for Massachusetts residents than our broken transportation system. The struggle is especially acute for historically marginalized communities, who disproportionately bear the burden of congestion and pollution. Congestion is for many an economic injustice that locks them out of jobs and steals time from their families, and pollution an environmental injustice that is causing asthma and other health problems at increasing rates in the most vulnerable populations.

The challenge—and opportunity—before us is to solve both the problems of climate change and transportation through bold policy change. Congress must pass a Green New Deal that provides state and local governments with the incentives to reinvent our transportation infrastructure to meet the demands of the 21st century.

 

IF YOU AGREE WITH JAKE'S PLAN, PLEASE SHARE IT