General Boston Discussion

[Justbuildit]

Might be that there are just too many cars. My ruthless capitalist mindset would tell me we therefore need to tax drivers and use that revenue to improve traffic infrastructure and fund public transit so people have more and better options to commute into and around the metro area. Making driving easier would surely only exacerbate the issue. A sufficiently high tax would even disincentivize some of those trips, reducing demand and improving congestion in the aggregate.

With Work From Home remaining high and many pointing out that commercial real estate is suffering, I wonder where all these people are going as they drive into Boston? Vibrant urban experience? Leisure and food? Odd to have such demand on our roads.

 

[Charlie_mta]

Report: Boston traffic is the fourth worst in the world. The WORLD​

Boston’s average time lost to traffic spiked 72% over 2021, but it was still 10% below 2019, when INRIX declared the city’s traffic congestion the worst in the country for a second year in a row.

Report: Boston traffic is the fourth worst in the world. The WORLD.

The average Boston driver lost 134 hours — more than five days — to traffic last year, according to a new report. Read more on Boston.com.

www.boston.com

Tax dollars seem to be misallocated in Massachusetts.
Infrastructure for the MBTA is a disaster
Infrastructure for the bridges/Highways is a disaster

Well, in 1971 all new highways inside Rte 128/I-95 were cancelled, so we were left with gridlocked 1910 vintage roads. Not that expressways were the answer, but an expansion of rapid transit, commuter rail, bus rapid transit, and multi-use paths/bike lanes extensive enough to offset the cancellation of the expressways unfortunately did not happen, leaving the Boston metro area with worsening congestion.

 

[KCasiglio]

Report: Boston traffic is the fourth worst in the world. The WORLD​

Boston’s average time lost to traffic spiked 72% over 2021, but it was still 10% below 2019, when INRIX declared the city’s traffic congestion the worst in the country for a second year in a row.

Report: Boston traffic is the fourth worst in the world. The WORLD.

The average Boston driver lost 134 hours — more than five days — to traffic last year, according to a new report. Read more on Boston.com.

www.boston.com

Tax dollars seem to be misallocated in Massachusetts.
Infrastructure for the MBTA is a disaster
Infrastructure for the bridges/Highways is a disaster

100%. Our region continues to suffer from so many people wanting to live and work here, while we continue to spend our tax dollars as if we were some third rate region with a low enough population to justify auto-centricity.

 

[DZH22]

......I wonder where all these people are going as they drive into Boston? Vibrant urban experience? Leisure and food? Odd to have such demand on our roads.

Dive in a little deeper and you'll find this caveat about the study:
"INRIX uses anonymous trip data to identify the most frequented routes and destinations throughout a region, not just to and from a downtown core."

scorecard-city-2022

INRIX helps cities and businesses use big data to identify and solve transportation problems, making the world safer, happier and greener.

inrix.com

 

[DBM]

https://www.boston.gov/public-notices/16161006

If people truly care enough, they should show up to the hearing.

 

[as02143]

I'm not going to comment on the entire ideological argument, but I will say that 4.5 years to repave 8.5 miles of highway makes absolutely no sense - on average that's 110 lane *feet* of paving per day. Nothing in that scope should take that long, nor is Holcim a small bit contractor.

View attachment 50420View attachment 50421

Was this not the project that was going to do work to repair things like this condition of the bridge support columns on the viaduct or this condition at Route 16 or finally make the repair at Roosevelt Circle?

 

[Stlin]

Was this not the project that was going to do work to repair things like this condition of the bridge support columns on the viaduct or this condition at Route 16 or finally make the repair at Roosevelt Circle?

As far as I'm aware, no. I believe that 610726 is supposed to address only bridge superstructure (deck and up) repairs only. those bridge supports (substructures) are part of MassDOT Project 613211, and the bridge IDs suggest it'll touch the first two locations you flagged.
Roosevelt Circle repairs is MassDOT Project 612786.

 

[PercyL]

https://www.boston.gov/public-notices/16161006

If people truly care enough, they should show up to the hearing.

Of course scheduled during the two biggest vacation weeks of the summer (the week before and after July 4th).

 

[Blackbird]

https://www.boston.gov/public-notices/16161006

If people truly care enough, they should show up to the hearing.

Ah, yes. The hearing that’s at 2pm on a weekday

 

[kdmc]

You can email or mail comments in as well.

 

[Blackbird]

Dive in a little deeper and you'll find this caveat about the study:
"INRIX uses anonymous trip data to identify the most frequented routes and destinations throughout a region, not just to and from a downtown core."

scorecard-city-2022

INRIX helps cities and businesses use big data to identify and solve transportation problems, making the world safer, happier and greener.

inrix.com

I wonder the extent to which the housing crisis has exacerbated traffic.

My theory: people need to drive farther to work, school, errands, etc. because they can’t afford to live close to those things anymore. As a result, even if there aren’t actually many more cars on the road as before, you suddenly wind up with many more overlapping trips since all those trips are going farther and taking longer even before factoring in traffic. The more overlapping trips you have, the more people are on the road at any given time. The more people on the road, the heavier the congestion.

You can email or mail comments in as well.

Might as well send comments telepathically, the good the hearing will likely do.

 

[KCasiglio]

My theory: people need to drive farther to work, school, errands, etc. because they can’t afford to live close to those things anymore. As a result, even if there aren’t actually many more cars on the road as before, you suddenly wind up with many more overlapping trips since all those trips are going farther and taking longer even before factoring in traffic. The more overlapping trips you have, the more people are on the road at any given time. The more people on the road, the heavier the congestion.

I believe this is the commonly accepted answer in the field.

 

[BronsonShore]

Report: Boston traffic is the fourth worst in the world. The WORLD​

Boston’s average time lost to traffic spiked 72% over 2021, but it was still 10% below 2019, when INRIX declared the city’s traffic congestion the worst in the country for a second year in a row.

Report: Boston traffic is the fourth worst in the world. The WORLD.

The average Boston driver lost 134 hours — more than five days — to traffic last year, according to a new report. Read more on Boston.com.

www.boston.com

Tax dollars seem to be misallocated in Massachusetts.
Infrastructure for the MBTA is a disaster
Infrastructure for the bridges/Highways is a disaster

I have lived in both Boston and New York for 8 years each. Boston traffic is nowhere near as bad as NYC. You absolutely cannot compare the two. I once spent five hours on the BQE. That is simply not possible on any Boston roadway.

Frankly, any list that was accurately measuring the worst traffic in the entire world wouldn't have a single American city in the top 25.

 

[nm88]

I don't check in here as often as I used to. (Daily for many many years) This traffic thing, however, I have to respond to. Gimme a break. I agree with Bronson. Bangkok anyone? Talk about sitting in traffic! It's every driver for himself! The rules of the road be damned. Crowded and dangerous. Boston worse than that?

I can name other places. Many. I'm sure you all can too. In the US New York and Los Angeles to my mind are far worse than Boston. It's not even close. Navigating the copious potholes in LA makes that city alone hands down worse.

One other thing, since I'm online and writing anyway - I'll tell you what we do stand out for: Cleanliness. Don't laugh. I'm serious. Every time I return I have the same impression; beyond how pretty our city is - how remarkably tidy it is. The nice parts anyway. (I can think of a few places that could use a good power wash. But not many.)

I asked my cabbie recently as we departed Logan and headed into the city. "What is the one comment you hear most from tourists?" He didn't bat an eye, "How clean the city is." He said Europeans in particular remark on this. Interesting. I'd agree.

Wanted to end my post on a positive note...

 

[Charlie_mta]

I don't check in here as often as I used to. (Daily for many many years) This traffic thing, however, I have to respond to. Gimme a break. I agree with Bronson. Bangkok anyone? Talk about sitting in traffic! It's every driver for himself! The rules of the road be damned. Crowded and dangerous. Boston worse than that?

I can name other places. Many. I'm sure you all can too. In the US New York and Los Angeles to my mind are far worse than Boston. It's not even close. Navigating the copious potholes in LA makes that city alone hands down worse.

One other thing, since I'm online and writing anyway - I'll tell you what we do stand out for: Cleanliness. Don't laugh. I'm serious. Every time I return I have the same impression; beyond how pretty our city is - how remarkably tidy it is. The nice parts anyway. (I can think of a few places that could use a good power wash. But not many.)

I asked my cabbie recently as we departed Logan and headed into the city. "What is the one comment you hear most from tourists?" He didn't bat an eye, "How clean the city is." He said Europeans in particular remark on this. Interesting. I'd agree.

Wanted to end my post on a positive note...

Yes, Boston is incredibly clean and nice looking compared to Seattle, Portland OR, and San Francisco.

 

[Blackbird]

I can name other places. Many. I'm sure you all can too. In the US New York and Los Angeles to my mind are far worse than Boston. It's not even close. Navigating the copious potholes in LA makes that city alone hands down worse.

Maybe I haven’t been in the right place at the right time, but I’ve driven in NYC and around its local highways a handful of times in the past year and have never seen anything as bad as here.

Took me 1hr 20min to get from my house in Medford to Foxborough yesterday at 2pm in the afternoon. A distance of just 37 miles! And the way back was projected to be longer, so I stopped in Waltham halfway just to take a break from it.

 

[citydweller]

I'll tell you what we do stand out for: Cleanliness. Don't laugh. I'm serious. Every time I return I have the same impression; beyond how pretty our city is - how remarkably tidy it is. The nice parts anyway. (I can think of a few places that could use a good power wash. But not many.)

I'm in agreement, especially when comparing to other East Coast cities. Have you been to Philly / Baltimore / DC lately? Sure, there are some areas that are rundown but, for a city as old as Boston, it's rather impressive.

 

[DBM]

Maybe I haven’t been in the right place at the right time, but I’ve driven in NYC and around its local highways a handful of times in the past year and have never seen anything as bad as here.

Took me 1hr 20min to get from my house in Medford to Foxborough yesterday at 2pm in the afternoon. A distance of just 37 miles! And the way back was projected to be longer, so I stopped in Waltham halfway just to take a break from it.

Sadly, not remotely surprising.... but I find it extremely hard to believe metro Boston's traffic is meaningfully (*statistically significantly*) worse than other great metros across the country.

For example, here's 3 other 37-mile itineraries I just mapped-out:

1.) LA: From the intersection of Hwy 39 and I-10 in Covina, I-10 all the way west through Downtown to Santa Monica Pier.
2.) Atlanta: from Arbor Trace on I-85, I-85 all the way southwest through Downtown to Hartsfield International Airport.
3.) NYC: from Darien, CT, from the intersection of Hwy 1 and I-95, all the way southwest through the top of Manhattan, down to Battery Park.

I'd be astonished if you could ever do those drives mid-day, workweek, in less than 80 minutes.

 

[Blackbird]

Sadly, not remotely surprising.... but I find it extremely hard to believe metro Boston's traffic is meaningfully (*statistically significantly*) worse than other great metros across the country.

For example, here's 3 other 37-mile itineraries I just mapped-out:

1.) LA: From the intersection of Hwy 39 and I-10 in Covina, I-10 all the way west through Downtown to Santa Monica Pier.
2.) Atlanta: from Arbor Trace on I-85, I-85 all the way southwest through Downtown to Hartsfield International Airport.
3.) NYC: from Darien, CT, from the intersection of Hwy 1 and I-95, all the way southwest through the top of Manhattan, down to Battery Park.

I'd be astonished if you could ever do those drives mid-day, workweek, in less than 80 minutes.

4 points:

1) I’ll check these eta’s around 2pm today to see, but…

2) I was not driving through downtown. I went north on 93, then around on 128 to 95 south. I’m sure I could’ve forcibly made the time even worse if I’d taken a different route.

3) If I understand the study correctly, it’s looking at time lost across the metro an all routes for all trips. It’s not saying “this one stretch in New York takes 11hrs to travel at 5:30pm”.

4) I assume the study was data-driven. Disagree with its methodologies or assumptions or whatever. But “I feel strongly that this other place is worse” doesn’t hold a lot of weight.

Edit: Didn’t get to check today, but will report back if/when I do.

 

[nm88]

Maybe I haven’t been in the right place at the right time, but I’ve driven in NYC and around its local highways a handful of times in the past year and have never seen anything as bad as here.

Took me 1hr 20min to get from my house in Medford to Foxborough yesterday at 2pm in the afternoon. A distance of just 37 miles! And the way back was projected to be longer, so I stopped in Waltham halfway just to take a break from it.

No Doubt. Bad traffic here. I've endured it too, even though I'm not doing a regular rush hour commute. I was in Los Angeles a week ago. I drove from the Palisades to LACMA in the Fairfax district at 3;10 PM. What should have been a 30 minute drive was 2 hours. I almost turned around and went back. Traffic is bad everywhere, I guess. I just haven't suffered here in Boston the way I have elsewhere. Still hard for me to imagine it's earned the rating stated.