Tens of thousands rely on the MBTA and other transit agencies to get around. For them to safely go back to work, these systems will need to move faster and more reliably. Local and state officials need to give them the tools to do so.
Previously in this space, this paper noted how mass transit systems will be both a valuable and a necessary tool for Massachusetts’ post-pandemic reality.
If, as is likely, a certain percentage of workers don’t feel comfortable returning to mass transit right away and instead use private cars or ride-hailing trips to commute, our roads may quickly turn into traffic-choked nightmares. Buses’ and trains’ ability to carry far more people per unit of volume than a private car – even at reduced, socially distant maximum capacities – will be critical to addressing this.
Massachusetts’ public buses will be a critical front in this battle. By feeding passengers into the MBTA’s core rail systems and offering transit to areas across the commonwealth unlucky enough not to have subway or commuter rail service, they represent communities’ best shot at heading off traffic jams.
However, the way most cities and towns manage their roads have created a public health hazard. Most buses are consigned to sit in mixed traffic, causing delays and “bus bunching.” When this happens, too many people gather at stops and crowd the first buses that appear.
Fortunately, experiments piloted before the pandemic in Everett, Arlington, Somerville, Boston and Cambridge offer an affordable way for communities to respond in a way that will carry benefits long after COVID-19 recedes into the rear-view mirror: dedicated bus lanes.
By taking away some parking spaces along congested streets or in approaches to critical intersections, these cities enable buses to skip ahead of traffic jams, maintaining the timetables so critical to reducing the chance of disease transmission. The state can help in a similar manner by letting buses use highway shoulders during rush hour.
For not much more than the cost of a few gallons of paint and limited additional traffic enforcement, municipalities across the state can set up pilot bus lane projects which can transform the bus experience and offer lasting benefits.
“Pop-up” bus lanes may be an important tool to fighting resurgences of COVID-19, but they also can form the bones of new transit infrastructure which communities across Massachusetts will need when the economy eventually returns to full strength to cut down on gridlock and carbon emissions.
We’ve seen just how bad traffic can get in a booming economy. Let’s take the opportunity to make sure that doesn’t happen again.
Letters to the editor of 300 words or less may be submitted via email at editorial@thewarrengroup.com with the subject line “Letter to the Editor,” or mailed to the offices of The Warren Group. Submission is not a guarantee of publication.
