Transportation in Mass. is a prepare wreck, in keeping with new MassINC ballot

Dealing with world-infamous site visitors and a $24.5 billion backlog of MBTA repairs, Bay Staters are unimpressed with the state of transportation — they usually assume Gov. Maura Healey and the Legislature have finished a middling job of dealing with it, in keeping with a brand new MassINC ballot.

Sponsored by The Barr Basis and launched Friday, the ballot discovered that few Massachusetts residents really feel “very secure” on the state’s roads or public transit, whereas greater than half really feel that site visitors is worse than it was earlier than the COVID-19 pandemic. And of the 1,390 residents who participated within the ballot, pluralities gave Healey and state lawmakers C grades for his or her management on public transportation. 

“Relating to transportation, it seems like Massachusetts is caught in impartial,” MassINC summarized.

Ballot: Reckless driving, highway rage, crime amongst prime security considerations

The state of the T and different public transit methods was the highest transportation situation that residents cited, adopted by site visitors congestion and highway circumstances, in keeping with MassINC. 

“Priorities do differ by area, with public transit dominant in Larger Boston and site visitors and highway circumstances prime of thoughts farther from Boston,” the group defined. “1 / 4 (23%) in Western Massachusetts wish to see expanded public transit, together with East-West Rail and expanded bus service.”

Fifty-two p.c of residents surveyed assume site visitors of their a part of the state is worse now than it was pre-COVID, whereas one other 37% assume it’s about the identical. In line with MassINC, residents inside Interstate 495 had been almost definitely to assume site visitors had worsened. 

Whether or not they drive, bike, or take the T, most respondents stated they really feel not less than considerably secure — if not very secure — whereas utilizing transportation, in keeping with the ballot. 

Street rage and reckless, dashing, or distracted drivers had been a few of the prime causes residents really feel unsafe on the roads, MassINC stated. Cyclists additionally expressed concern about reckless or distracted drivers, whereas transit riders cited crime and violence, adopted by overcrowding and previous or damaged infrastructure. 

In line with the ballot, Black, Latino, and Asian American and Pacific Islander residents usually really feel safer on most modes of transportation. Nevertheless, solely 26% of Black residents stated they really feel very secure strolling round of their group, in comparison with 40% of white residents, 38% of Latino residents, and 44% of Asian People and Pacific Islanders. About two-thirds of Black pedestrians who really feel unsafe cited distracted drivers as a trigger for concern, MassINC stated. 

Black, Latino, and AAPI residents additionally gave Healey and the Legislature larger grades on transportation, although the general outcomes had been nonetheless pretty lackluster; lower than one-third of all respondents gave state leaders an A or B.

Nonetheless, MassINC famous that Massachusetts’ transportation woes largely predate Healey, who took workplace in January. 

Even former Gov. Charlie Baker, who nabbed the title of America’s hottest governor greater than as soon as, struggled with transportation — a UMass Amherst / WCVB Ballot final yr discovered that 57% of registered voters thought Healey’s predecessor dealt with transportation and transit “not too nicely” or “not nicely in any respect.”