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Transportation: Goals & Measures
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Indicator Measures
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How are we doing?
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10.1.1 Metro Boston’s global and national transportation capacity
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The Big Dig provides Boston with 160-lane miles of interstate highway, about half in tunnels; South Station is the 8th busiest in the Amtrack passenger rail system, with 987,000 and alightings in 2004; Logan Airport traffic reached 26 million in 2004, a 14% increase over 2003 and nearly the pre-9/11 level; and the Port of Boston provides New England with a deep-water berth for both general cargo and passenger ships and access to world ports. |
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10.1.2 Household income spent on transportation: Boston vs. comparable regions
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In 2003, transportation accounted for 17% of the household expenses of Boston-area residents, making mobility the second largest household expense after shelter - an average of $7,175 per household. This share has been fairly constant throughout the period for which data are available. |
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10.2.1 Distribution of daily trips, Boston and Metro Boston
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More than three quarters of the 927,000 trips to the City of Boston daily are by private motor vehicle: 30% to downtown neighborhoods and 70% to the rest of Boston. And while about half of the downtown trips were by public transit, only 27% were to the rest of Boston, indicating poor transit connections across neighborhoods. Boston residents drove alone 40% of the time compared to 74% statewide. Boston residents use public transit for 32% of commuting trips – nearly double the 17% share for Metro Boston. |
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10.2.2 Trends in rapid-transit ridership
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The MBTA’s subway systems grew by 26% from 1991 to 2001 but declined in ridership by 9% as the region dipped into recession. Bus ridership (including electric trolleybuses) continued to increase even as the region lost jobs, growing 17%. Trolley ridership fell 11% between 12991 and 2001, and then fell another 7% through 2004. Commuter use doubled between 1991 and 2004, reflecting expanded service north, south and west. |
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10.3.1 Residents within a 10-minute walk or short drive from transit nodes by race, income, age group and transit dependency
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In Boston, almost 80% of jobs, 51% of public schools, and 56% of residences are located within a one-quarter mile or town-minute walk of a public transit or trolley stop. While 76% of Asian and white households were close to rail transit, only 54% of Latino households and 41% of back households were. Almost 98% of Bostonians are within a ten-minute walk of a bus or transit stop. |
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10.3.2 Convenience of service to bus riders
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MBTA bus service has been improving. The MBTA placed into service 358 new buses in 2003–2004, and another 175 are scheduled to be deployed in 2005. However, reliability remains a problem, with only 62% of bus trips on schedule; and only 400 of the MBTA’s approximately 8,500 bus stops have shelters. |
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10.4.1 Car ownership and vehicle miles traveled, Boston and Metro Boston
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Between 1996 and 2002, car registrations in Boston rose by 26%, but as the economy cooled in 2003, registrations fell by 3% in Boston and 5% in the region as a whole. Between 1982, the population of the region grew by only 6% but the vehicle miles traveled increased by 37%. The percentage of households without a car in Boston declined from 38% in 1990 to 35% in 2000, and only 15% of households in Metro Boston had no car in 2000. |
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10.4.2 Vehicular greenhouse gas emissions
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Almost 97% of greenhouse gas emissions in MA consist of carbon dioxide released in fossil fuel combustion, with the transportation sector generating the largest share at 37%. Rising emissions from motor vehicles are posing a major challenge to the state's goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions to below 1990 levels. |
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10.4.3 Use of low-emission vehicles
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The fleet of new vehicles sold in MA is becoming dramatically cleaner due to the implementation of tighter emissions regulations under a California program adopted by MA. In 2003, 55% of the vehicles sold met the Low Emission Vehicle standard and 41% met the Ultra Low Emission standard. Further improvements are expected as the tougher standards are phased in through 2010. |
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10.5.1 Miles of bike and pedestrian ways, people walking and biking to work
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More than 48% of all trips within the downtown area of Boston are on foot – more than by automobile and transit combined. Only one-half of 1% of commuting trips are made by bicycle statewide. Data are not yet tracked on miles of bike and pedestrian ways. |
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10.5.2 Traffic and parking volume in Boston
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The only Boston road with less traffic is the Callahan Tunnel, reflecting the opening of the Ted Williams Tunnel. All others increased volume significantly between 1977 and 1999. The most impacted neighborhoods are Chinatown, the North End, Charlestown, and East Boston. The number of residential parking permits grew by nearly 75% since 1990 to about 76,500 in 2004. Boston has about 134,000 private garage spaces. |
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10.5.3 Hours spent stuck in traffic
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From 1982 – 2002, the most recent year for which data are available, the average delay per person per year for car travel increased from 8 hours to 27 hours. For 2002, the Boston Urban Area had the fifth most congested roadways out of 85 metropolitan areas studied. It took Boston area drivers 45% longer to make a trip during peak travel periods than off-peak periods. |
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10.6.1 Transportation Funding by Mode
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In fiscal year 2004, MA spent about $4.2 billion on all forms of transportation. The largest portion, $1.8 billion, or about 42%, was expended by the MBTA, with operating costs of about $836 million and about $339 dedicated to debt service for past capital projects. The MBTA is now dedicating most of its capital budget to deferred maintenance. Federal transit funds for MA have declined, and the MBTA’s 20% of statewide sales tax revenue is less than projected. The largest growth in revenue is from fares, which increased by 129%, due in part to fare increases in 2000 and 2003. Forward funding reforms have eliminated the MBTA’s ability to spend capital dollars on system expansion. Highway expenditures were $1.7 billion, and the Port Authority expended about $515 million. |
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