On June 8, MBTA announced the Bus Network Redesign plan (BNR) under its “Better Bus Project” to improve the bus service system. The plan marks MBTA’s effort in providing better access to jobs, education, and essential services for the residents of transit-critical communities, such as Roxbury, Everett, Chelsea, Mattapan, and Lynn. As a part of MBTA’s $8-billion, 5-year systemwide capital investment program since 2018, it now claims to deliver a more equitable future of transportation by ameliorating many travel inconveniences experienced by riders during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Promoted as the “once-in-a-generation redesign,” the BNR strives to rearrange individual routes to focus service into core areas, connect more riders to rapid transit, and make trips more direct. In the last decade, the Boston population marks a 7% increase from 2012 to 2017. Households owning vehicles marks a 15% increase from 2012 to 2017, and the average trip during peak hours took 20% longer in 2019 than it did in 2006.
As Boston reopens, BNR strives to be a re-imagining of the transit system that will better reflect the region’s travel needs and create a more pleasant experience for current and future bus riders.
However, the Director of Housing and Community Development in Chelsea Alex Train expressed some concerns. “We feel that those goals are often in conflict with our [stance on] environmental justice and equity. In particular, we’re seeking to prioritize and preserve service on key bus routes, such as route 112. They provide the only public transit service from the soldier’s home, home to low-income seniors who depend on certain routes for running errands, going into the grocery store, and visiting the doctor.”
Train maintained that the MBTA system requires a more comprehensive assessment, as the Authority could restructure certain routes to improve service for riders. There are also concerns on other routes, some of which are not necessarily the most heavily used bus routes.”
In response to these concerns, the MBTA Community Liaison Terrie Chan told Sampan that the MBTA is currently in partnership with the Office of System-Wide Accessibility, Mass Senior Action Council, and other local community-based organizations to plan for targeted outreach to seniors and people with disabilities.
“We are looking into all trips in the region, including non-work trips and those that are not taken by MBTA service. For this reason, we are not solely focused on congested corridors but areas with high travel demand instead. The data we are using has shown, for example, that there is a lot of travel between downtown Chelsea and downtown Everett that the MBTA does not currently serve well. We also know the data will not show everything — which is why we are planning for extensive community outreach so that the people who know these neighborhoods the best have the opportunity to provide their input. All of this together will shape what the future of MBTA bus service looks like,” Chan said.
In spring and summer of 2021, MBTA will work toward its proposal for a new network. And they will continue to talk to riders and stakeholders about the project. In the fall and winter of 2021-22, MBTA will share its proposal for a new network and gather extensive public feedback on it. MBTA will incorporate feedback into a final network map for Board approval in early 2022. The implementation will begin from 2022-2026. To learn more information on the Bus Redesign project, please visit https://www.mbta.com/projects/better-bus-project and sign up for email updates.
