Transit Connections

While walking is a viable and appealing transportation choice for short trips, longer trips – including most commutes to work – require the combination of walking and public transportation. WalkMassachusetts has set improved walking access to transit as a major goal to both better serve the needs of transit users and to encourage more people to choose walking and transit as their preferred mode of travel.

Key elements of this work include:

• Making sure that every bus, rail and transit stop in Massachusetts has safe street crossings
• Ensuring better snow clearance at bus stops and prioritizing sidewalk snow clearance on walking routes to transit
• Helping municipalities use complete streets projects to improve walking access to transit
• Promoting increased walking to commuter rail stations, especially where there are opportunities for off-peak access to local activities such as parks, museums or town centers
• Building stronger working relationships with transit providers and transit advocates across the state

WalkMassachusetts is engaged in long-term efforts to better connect transit and walking through our significant work with the T4MA Coalition (Transportation for Massachusetts), a diverse coalition of more than 70 organizations working together to create safe, convenient, climate-friendly and affordable transportation for everyone. T4MA advocates for transportation funds to be spent fairly and wisely, for transportation decisions that are transparent and accountable, and to ensure that the transportation system has sufficient resources to meet tomorrow’s needs all throughout the Commonwealth. 

We have also worked on many transit-related projects, some that address access issues at a particular location and others that look at the issue more broadly.  

Walking to Transit Research Report

Using a real-life setting, WalkMassachusetts’ project focused on developing and testing techniques to broaden the scope and range of public participation in transportation planning is a large neighborhood in Boston. The team explored methods of seeking out and talking with people who are seldom involved in the formal planning processes. The goal was to explore public participation techniques designed to elicit their opinions on the plans being developed by public agencies.

Improving Pedestrian Access to Transit

One of the first reports prepared by WalkBoston (1998). It is an advocacy handbook written for ordinary citizens who advocate for public transit and walking. The report illustrates key steps that activists can take to ensure that transit supports community needs and creates livable communities through improved pedestrian access.

Wollaston MBTA Station Area Walk Audit 

We led a walk assessment at the Wollaston T station in Quincy to evaluate pedestrian safety at the station and along the major road corridors and intersections leading to the T station. The assessment fulfilled several mutually beneficial goals by bringing together federal agencies, state agencies, municipal departments, and advocacy groups around the central issue of implementing built environment solutions to improve pedestrian safety.