3 ms·

ridership is about half of what it was pre-pandemic, so there are likely a lot of differences - the green line extension and some additional orange line station

ridership is about half of what it was pre-pandemic, so there are likely a lot of differences - the green line extension and some additional orange line stations have also opened since the whole system is a mess right now, but there's a new general manager that seems to be the best chance we've ever had at turning it around

ghaff 3y ago
My very anecdotal sense as someone who doesn't come into the city a lot is that rush hour traffic is worse than ever and transit is less crowded than it used to be be.
- micromacrofoot 3y ago
  surprisingly traffic is lower than pre-pandemic overall, though possible it's clustering more at rush hour... anecdotally I do notice that people are worse drivers than ever
kibwen 3y ago
Worth noting that the bicycle infrastructure in Cambridge, Somerville, and the adjoining parts of Boston has also skyrocketed in quality relative to its pre-pandemic state, it's extremely heartening to see. I don't take the T much anymore just because it's so easy to bike anywhere that I need to go. Shout out to the new path parallel to the green line extension, which makes it feasible to get from downtown to Somerville (and out to the Minuteman and 20 miles beyond!) without needing to navigate that viaduct and nightmare highway overpass east of Union.
- ghaff 3y ago
  The bicycle infrastructure, at least in Cambridge, does seem to be very heavily used even if it does make for some pretty crazy intersections between pedestrians, bikes/e-scooters, and cars--especially when it's getting dark in the evenings like now. I drove in last night for an event--really no alternative from well outside the city--and it's a pretty wild mix of transportation modes.
- BenFranklin100 3y ago
  The bad part of the new bike lanes however is that it is now politically impossible to implement street cars or dedicated Bus Rapid Transit. There’s not enough space on the main streets and the bike lobby is very powerful. I say this is someone who bikes, but who would rather have working mass transit first as it is far more useful and also equitable.
  - micromacrofoot 3y ago
    True, but we are getting more center-running bus lanes, which in the absence of street cars is at least a reasonable step forward
  - kibwen 3y ago
    I can name several places in Cambridge and Boston which are using dedicated bike+bus lanes as a solution to accommodating public transit and micromobility on our narrow streets. I'm sure that some bike people grumble about it, but the rest of us recognize that every person who decides to bus rather than drive is one less car that we have to contend with. As for streetcars, Philadelphia shows that you can mix streetcar lanes with car lanes.
    - madcaptenor 3y ago
      I have lived on a streetcar line in Philadelphia and sometimes people double-park. It's not ideal.
- markc 3y ago
  True. I chose my neighborhood in Somerville with proximity to the T as a top priority because I assumed I'd be taking it to work in Kendall every day. Then I bought a bike and found it better in almost every way: free, enjoyable (much of the time), healthier, and much faster. So much so that I biked nearly all of the time, year-round. I had dedicated lanes for most of the trip, and quiet almost car-free neighborhoods for much of the rest. An unexpected pleasure was the schadenfreude of passing scores of cars on Hampshire/Beacon on my way home during rush hour. An unexpected annoyance was the fair weather bikers who don't seem to know their bike has gears, and take f.o.r.e.v.e.r. to get going at a green light.

ghaff 3y ago

My very anecdotal sense as someone who doesn't come into the city a lot is that rush hour traffic is worse than ever and transit is less crowded than it used to be be.

micromacrofoot 3y ago
surprisingly traffic is lower than pre-pandemic overall, though possible it's clustering more at rush hour... anecdotally I do notice that people are worse drivers than ever

kibwen 3y ago

Worth noting that the bicycle infrastructure in Cambridge, Somerville, and the adjoining parts of Boston has also skyrocketed in quality relative to its pre-pandemic state, it's extremely heartening to see. I don't take the T much anymore just because it's so easy to bike anywhere that I need to go. Shout out to the new path parallel to the green line extension, which makes it feasible to get from downtown to Somerville (and out to the Minuteman and 20 miles beyond!) without needing to navigate that viaduct and nightmare highway overpass east of Union.

ghaff 3y ago
The bicycle infrastructure, at least in Cambridge, does seem to be very heavily used even if it does make for some pretty crazy intersections between pedestrians, bikes/e-scooters, and cars--especially when it's getting dark in the evenings like now. I drove in last night for an event--really no alternative from well outside the city--and it's a pretty wild mix of transportation modes.
BenFranklin100 3y ago
The bad part of the new bike lanes however is that it is now politically impossible to implement street cars or dedicated Bus Rapid Transit. There’s not enough space on the main streets and the bike lobby is very powerful. I say this is someone who bikes, but who would rather have working mass transit first as it is far more useful and also equitable.
- micromacrofoot 3y ago
  True, but we are getting more center-running bus lanes, which in the absence of street cars is at least a reasonable step forward
- kibwen 3y ago
  I can name several places in Cambridge and Boston which are using dedicated bike+bus lanes as a solution to accommodating public transit and micromobility on our narrow streets. I'm sure that some bike people grumble about it, but the rest of us recognize that every person who decides to bus rather than drive is one less car that we have to contend with. As for streetcars, Philadelphia shows that you can mix streetcar lanes with car lanes.
  - madcaptenor 3y ago
    I have lived on a streetcar line in Philadelphia and sometimes people double-park. It's not ideal.
markc 3y ago
True. I chose my neighborhood in Somerville with proximity to the T as a top priority because I assumed I'd be taking it to work in Kendall every day. Then I bought a bike and found it better in almost every way: free, enjoyable (much of the time), healthier, and much faster. So much so that I biked nearly all of the time, year-round. I had dedicated lanes for most of the trip, and quiet almost car-free neighborhoods for much of the rest. An unexpected pleasure was the schadenfreude of passing scores of cars on Hampshire/Beacon on my way home during rush hour. An unexpected annoyance was the fair weather bikers who don't seem to know their bike has gears, and take f.o.r.e.v.e.r. to get going at a green light.