Representative Livingstone and Senator Brownsberger have been getting a number of emails about bike travel on the redesigned Longfellow Bridge. Here are Mass DOT’s responses about both inbound and outbound bike travel on the bridge.
Proposed legislation adds visibility to issue of cyclist safety
The Belmont Citizen-Herald reports on Senator Brownsberger’s efforts to pass bike safety legislation. “I have been working on this issue as long as I have been in the Legislature,” said State Sen. Will Brownsberger, D-Belmont, who is sponsoring four of the key bills. “Several currently pending bills have been filed in the past couple of years, but we have reached the point where the issue has the necessary visibility.”
Side guards and the trucking industry
To learn more about the complexities of the highly regulated trucking industry and how bill S1810 would impact tanker truck drivers, Senator Brownsberger did a site visit to Houghton Chemical in Allston on January 14. He met with owner Bruce Houghton to discuss the engineering and safety obstacles to adaptation of side guards to the tanker trucks operated by Houghton.
Criminal Justice Reform Seen As Major Goal For Baker And Beacon Hill Democrats
WGBH reports, “A new working group lead by Gov. Charlie Baker’s top legal aide and the Legislature’s two Judicial Committee Chairs is bringing the state’s court, law enforcement, public safety and reentry stakeholders to the table to establish comprehensive criminal justice reform goals and the means to execute them.”
New Review Of Mass. Criminal Justice System Prompts Deeper Look Into Recidivism
WBUR reports on the initial finds presented by the Council of State Government’s Justice Center to the state’s new Working Group reviewing the criminal justice system. “So far, the center’s researchers have analyzed publicly-available data and decided to further its review of three areas: incarceration, recidivism and supervision.” The presentation given by the Council at the meeting can be found at this post.
Two in five leave Mass. prisons unsupervised, review says
The Boston Globe reports on “the start of a months-long examination of the state’s criminal justice system that could lead to significant policy shifts.” Senator Brownsberger, who serves as the legislative co-chair of the Working Group partnering with the Council of State Governments on the policy review, told the Globe, “I think it’s very positive that the top leaders on Beacon Hill are all focusing together on real data about the criminal justice system. I can’t think of a conversation that is more likely to lead to support for real reforms.” The presentation given by the Council at the meeting can be found at this post.