Service on the 71 Bus line is not what it used to be. What was 10 years ago a very well functioning route is now plagued by delays, overcrowding, bus bunching, ever-lengthening commutes and dubious reliability. The Key Bus Initiatives work has been completed and a decent interval has passed. Although a number of stops …
Personal Responsibility & Trapello Rd.
Something to think about as we begin the redesign of Trapello Rd We might take a lesson from Holland, which was the site of an enlightening traffic experiment a few years back. Officials in the city of Drachten removed all traffic signs, controls and markings from the city center. Despite this free-for-all design, traffic flowed …
Juvenile Justice Reform
Kids are kids — emerging research confirms that capacity for self-control doesn’t fully develop until well after the age of 18. That insight, taken to heart, has far-reaching implications for the way we respond to youthful misbehavior. The MacArthur Foundation has funded much of the recent research. The Foundation was troubled by the trend in …
Service Issues on the Waverley Bus
We’ve been hearing complaints about a degradation of service on the 73 bus line — unexplained significant delays in the arrival of buses. We’ve brought them to the attention of the MBTA and their position is that nothing has changed — the schedule with the diesel buses is the same as it was with the …
Senate Passes Election Reform Bill
The Senate on Thursday voted 37-1 to pass legislation reforming the election laws in the Commonwealth by authorizing early voting for state and federal elections and primaries, allowing residents to register to vote on Election Day and creating an online voter registration system. The bill also allows 16 and 17-year-olds to preregister to vote.
“This bill will modernize the state’s election system and bring us in line with many other states that have already successfully implemented early voting,” Senate President Therese Murray (D-Plymouth) said. “Supporting the right to vote should be our top priority and these changes are necessary to help us reach that goal.”
Special Committee on Section 35 & Drug Addiction
Senate President Murray announced the creation of a Special Committee on drug addiction issues with a particular focus on “Section 35” which pertains to involuntary commitments of persons with substance abuse issues to treatment. I look forward to serving on the committee — Massachusetts faces an epidemic of substance abuse and I’ve long had a …
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