Traffic Report
April 2002, by the Alliance of Boston Neighborhoods
Fact sheet prepared for ABN Town Meetings, Spring 2002


WHY DO WE HAVE SO MUCH TRAFFIC?
AND WHY IS IT GETTING WORSE?

Growing traffic is increasing congestion, noise, air pollution, health problems. Yet, development plans call for more parking, road widening and ramps -- the generators of traffic.

  • Since l990, the number of jobs in Boston increased from 583,000 to over 700,000. About 600,000 workers commute daily to Boston, 75% by car.

  • Of some 927,000 total daily trips into Boston from the metro area, 77% are by car.

  • In 2000, 13 million people visited Boston, up 9% from l999.

  • Private shuttle bus use by institutions and corporations is increasing.
    Shuttles connect garages and destinations, make driving more attractive. They add hundreds of thousands of vehicle miles to our traffic load. They reduce the middle-class constituency for transit.

Regional vehicle miles traveled rose 75% since l970, and growing 5 times faster than the population.

Boston commuters spend 136 hours yearly in traffic jams.

Air quality in 2002:
29 "unhealthy" days in summer "ozone season," the highest since l988.

BOSTON HOUSEHOLDS ARE OWNING MORE CARS
ADDING TO ROAD CONGESTION AND COMPETING FOR PARKING

Local car ownership grew 36% since l990 --

  • 5 times faster than jobs,
  • 12 times faster than the population,
  • 25 times faster than housing, and
  • 120 times faster than land area development.

Since l994, car ownership rose 44%; in 2000 alone, it rose15%.

Homeowners have double the car ownership rates of renters.

  • Since l993, renters in Boston decreased by 3000; owners increased by 10,000.
  • The City is now issuing 4 to 5 times the number of resident parking stickers as there are spaces.

DOWNTOWN PARKING FREEZE IS NOT EFFECTIVE

  • In l973, cap set at 35,000 (10% over existing)
  • "Accessory spaces" (for designated users) exempted - mainly employees and residents

Result:

  • There are now 134,000 private off-street parking spaces in the central city districts.
  • 26,000 net new parking spaces are in the pipeline.
  • City transportation plan sets parking ratios for new development without limiting development -- so the number of cars will keep rising.
  • City and MBTA operate 4,200 parking spaces in Boston's neighborhoods

WHO LIVES NEAR TRANSIT?

98% of Boston residents live within a 1/2 mile walk of a public transportation route.

57% live within 1/2 mile (10 minute walk), of rapid transit.

35% live within 14 mile (5 minute walk) of rapid transit.

63% of all trips made within Boston are made by car.

WHY DON'T PEOPLE USE TRANSIT INSTEAD OF CARS?

Since l950, much of the city's rail transit has been replaced by buses -- less frequent, dependable, and comfortable-- while commuter rail and park-&-ride lots have increased for low-density, car-oriented suburbs.

MBTA bus system: 8000 stops, 300 shelters.

Most rapid transit lines are already crowded at peak hours. Little added capacity is planned so new developments can't count on more space for new riders. They build garages, encouraging driving and reducing transit constituency.

TRANSPORTATION JUSTICE

MBTA fares rose 25% in 2000. Additional increases of 10% in 2003 and in 2005 are called for in the MBTA's financing plan.

Commuter rail users are 10% of MBTA riders, but commuter rail gets more of the transit budget, and more subsidy per rider.

MBTA spends 4 times as much on commuter rail as on buses, but there are 4 times more bus riders than commuter rail riders.

65% of bus riders in the central corridor have no other choice.

Lung cancer, infant deaths, narrowing of the arteries, birth defects, and asthma are increased by car emissions such as ozone, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), benzene, and small particulate matter (SMP).

There were 14,346 car crashes in Boston from l996 to l998.

There are 3 ambulance calls a day for pedestrian injuries.

DENSITY CAN REDUCE TRAFFIC AND SUPPORT TRANSIT

Supporting local businesses without increasing traffic requires density of walking-distance population, or mass transit -- which also depends on density.

The customer base needed to support various businesses is about 4,000 people for a convenience store, 60,000 for a bookstore, 100,000 for a supermarket. They must either live in walking distance, or drive.

  • Yet neighborhoods resist development density -- fearing traffic!
  • And residents demand ample parking built for new developments, creating more traffic!

WHAT DOES THE FUTURE HOLD IF WE KEEP GOING DOWN THE SAME ROAD?

Nationally, only 6.5% of Federal transportation dollars have gone to transit in l992-l999.

MBTA Capital Investment Program FY 02-07 budget:
77% for maintenance; 23% for expansion.

Metropolitan Planning Organization Transportation Improvement Plan FY 02 :
$1.6 billion for roads; $338 million for transit.

30% growth in vehicle miles traveled is projected in the 25-year Regional Transportation plan.

Land in Massachusetts is being developed 7 times faster than population growth. Car-based sprawl is replacing farmland and natural areas.

Mobility options will decrease for non-drivers -- seniors, children, teens, disabled, and those who can't afford the $6,000 annual cost of car ownership.