Construction and increased traffic have Bostonian drivers complaining about slow highways on the city’s East Side.
There’s a lot of traffic on Boston Toll roads. Some think it might flow better if the toll plaza hadn’t been removed. “Getting into the tunnel is something of a daily crisis, with changing traffic patterns during construction confusing drivers and causing long backups on neighborhood streets, while a surge in volume has overwhelmed the road network,” Adam Vaccaro reports for the Boston Globe. Some argue that the toll plaza filtered drivers to the appropriate lanes, and that the sorting trumps any benefit from time saved in not physically paying tolls.
Whatever the case, it’s true that traffic is up. Possible culprits include a strong economy that boosts driving, trips to Logan airport and ride-hailing vehicles that cruise the highways waiting for fares. All that additional traffic, hasn’t translated to empty trains, MTBA has seen strong growth in train riders. “That spike comes even as ridership on the MBTA’s Blue Line — which also connects East Boston to downtown — grows,” Vaccaro writes.
FULL STORY: Did removing a toll plaza ruin East Boston's roads?
Coming Soon to Ohio: The Largest Agrivoltaic Farm in the US
The ambitious 6,000-acre project will combine an 800-watt solar farm with crop and livestock production.
Pennsylvania Mall Conversion Bill Passes House
If passed, the bill would promote the adaptive reuse of defunct commercial buildings.
U.S. Supreme Court: California's Impact Fees May Violate Takings Clause
A California property owner took El Dorado County to state court after paying a traffic impact fee he felt was exorbitant. He lost in trial court, appellate court, and the California Supreme Court denied review. Then the U.S. Supreme Court acted.
Dallas Surburb Bans New Airbnbs
Plano’s city council banned all new permits for short-term rentals as concerns about their impacts on housing costs grow.
Divvy Introduces E-Bike Charging Docks
New, circular docks let e-bikes charge at stations, eliminating the need for frequent battery swaps.
How Freeway Projects Impact Climate Resilience
In addition to displacement and public health impacts, highway expansions can also make communities less resilient to flooding and other climate-related disasters.
City of Costa Mesa
Licking County
Barrett Planning Group LLC
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Tufts University, Department of Urban and Environmental Policy & Planning
City of Universal City TX
ULI Northwest Arkansas
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This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
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Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.