58 projects and policies to direct the City of Boston's transportation agenda for the next decade and beyond
Submitted by Mayor's Office
Mayor Martin J. Walsh released the Go Boston 2030 Vision and Action Plan that will direct the City of Boston's transportation agenda for the next decade and beyond. The plan is comprised of 58 transportation projects and policies that are designed to expand access to a variety of connected transportation options, improve traffic-related safety on Boston's streets, and ensure reliability of service for the City's residents, commuters and visitors. The Plan highlights projects already underway and presents a blueprint for the City to direct its capital plan funding.
"Go Boston 2030 addresses the transportation challenges that we face as a city and a region, and lays the foundation for how we can create a safer, more equitable transportation future," said Mayor Walsh. "Shaped by the feedback from thousands of residents, the action plan includes both short and long-term projects that will create greater transportation access that is reliable and safe for all users of our city's streets. Altogether, the initiatives in this plan will connect people to the region's fastest growing job centers, tackle transportation inequality, prepare our transportation networks for climate change and increase economic mobility for the people of Boston."
The "Top Policies and Projects" of the Go Boston 2030 Vision and Action Plan include:
Walking and Bicycle Friendly Main Street Districts - improve access into and around Boston's neighborhood commercial districts for people traveling on foot and by bike.
Fairmount Line Service Improvements and Urban Rail - provide improved connections for Dorchester and Mattapan with an increase to the frequency of service and better payment systems, and then introduce new rail cars to create a rapid transit line.
Columbia Road Greenway - create a neighborhood friendly street for those walking, biking, or traveling by bus along this corridor, that connects to Franklin and Moakley Parks.
Neighborhood Mobility microHUBs - develop prominent neighborhood access points to help residents select from a range of connected travel choices including subway, bus, bike-share and car-share.
Smart Signal Corridors and Districts - program traffic lights to work together to facilitate movement in congested parts of the City.
Mattapan to LMA Rapid Bus - design high-quality stops, signal priority, all-door boarding, and some exclusive lanes to create direct access from Mattapan and Southwest Dorchester to jobs and medical care in Roxbury, Mission Hill, and the Longwood Medical and Academic Area.
North Station to South Boston Waterfront Rapid Bus and Ferry - introduce direct bus service in exclusive lanes between the Seaport and northern commuter rail in tandem with ferry service.
Top Policies
Vision Zero Safety Initiatives - continue to implement innovative measures to reduce traffic-related fatalities and severe injuries due to crashes on Boston's local streets.
State of Good Repair - investments by the City to repair and maintain Boston's roadways and bridges for the decades ahead.
Restructure Bus Routes - work with the MBTA and local communities to develop a new network of bus routes that better match the travel needs of Bostonians.
Autonomous Vehicles - develop policies to prepare for self-driving vehicles and support on-street testing of autonomous vehicles.
"Boston is booming, with new housing and new businesses opening up and even more on the way," said City of Boston Chief of Streets Chris Osgood. "With the Go Boston 2030 Vision and Action Plan,we now have a framework to provide connections between Boston's neighborhoods and to new job centers, allowing people to access them using transportation options that are affordable, efficient and enjoyable. "
"In 2015, Mayor Walsh directed BTD to develop a plan to make transportation improvements that would benefit all of Boston's diverse communities in all of the City's neighborhoods, in both the short and the long-term," said Boston Transportation Commissioner Gina N. Fiandaca. "An unprecedented public engagement process was undertaken that led to thousands of ideas and comments being submitted by residents and stakeholders. This Plan, and the aspirational goals and targets that are established and prioritized in it, is the direct result of that collaborative process."
Five thousand ideas were submitted to the City during the first round of the public engagement process, helping to set the project's goals and metrics. Moving forward from goals to specific projects, the public submitted another 3,500 policy and project ideas. After analyzing these ideas, nearly 4,000 Boston residents and others helped to prioritize them by voting for their top choices of projects.
Go Boston 2030 reflects a partnership between several public agencies and, in particular, complements the Imagine Boston 2030 and Climate Ready Boston initiatives.
The Go Boston 2030 public process will continue through the execution of individual projects, with policies and projects receiving a more in-depth planning process at the local level, including through further collaboration with residents and other stakeholders.
For more information on Go Boston 2030, please visit http://goboston2030.org/en/