Rep. Steve Owens

112 Followers
38 Following
10 Posts
State Representative for the 29th Middlesex District — Cambridge & Watertown.
Boston area traffic is the fourth worst in the world! We need to fix the T & put all options on the table to manage commuting congestion. #boston #congestionpricing https://www.boston.com/news/politics/2023/02/10/traffic-congestion-pricing-beacon-hill-could-pass/
'Congestion pricing' and other traffic mitigation options are back on the table. And this time they could actually pass.

Average Boston drivers lost $2,270 and 134 hours to congestion in 2022. A proposed mobility pricing commission could fix Mass. traffic.

Boston.com
@ceresbzns @itamarst No, I pointed out that removal of the most parking spaces in the densest part of the project is controversial. A tough pill to swallow. Also, DCR has been an obstacle & I worry that if they delay, the FPP/Brattle intersection will be more dangerous for everyone.
“[I]nfrequent, unreliable bus service pushes many commuters to drive, if they have the means to do so, putting more cars onto already congested Boston roads.” https://www.bostonherald.com/2023/01/23/mbta-bus-system-fails-greater-boston-residents-report-says/
MBTA bus system ‘fails’ Greater Boston residents, report says

The MBTA needs to purchase 200 to 600 electric buses and hire 740 additional drivers to meet the current demands of a Greater Boston population that grew 53% over the past 50 years while the region…

Boston Herald
Fourth worst in the World!! What happens when you replace all those cars with EVs? You still have the 4th worst traffic in the world. We need solutions that not only electrify, but also reduce reliance on single-occupancy vehicles! https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/01/11/metro/boston-traffic-ranked-fourth-worst-world-study-says/
Boston traffic: How does it compare?

The average Boston driver spent 134 hours stuck in traffic last year, making the famously gridlocked city the fourth worst in the world in 2022 in terms of bumper-to-bumper delays, according to an annual study from the company INRIX.

The Boston Globe
Beautiful lights at Mt Auburn Cemetery for their Solstice exhibit. So glad I could make it over there tonight.
Great piece in the Globe about Miyawaki forests, highlighting the first ever in the Northeastern US in Cambridge’s Danehy Park https://www.bostonglobe.com/2022/12/16/opinion/tiny-urban-woodlands-big-biodiversity/
Tiny urban woodlands, big biodiversity

Miyawaki forests, some smaller than the average parking space, mitigate the effects of climate change and offer a host of other benefits, too.

The Boston Globe
“Towns that are more urbanized, which means more concrete impervious surface that doesn’t absorb water, and that are located downstream are likely to be most affected.” https://www.wbur.org/news/2022/11/22/report-charles-river-flooding-increase-climate-change
Report: Charles River flooding will increase considerably with climate change | WBUR News

As rainfall increases with climate change, the report projects more urbanized downstream towns will likely be the most affected.

WBUR
Had a telling conversation with a constituent today who told me he preferred larger vehicles because he felt safer. I asked him to consider how he was more likely to injure or kill someone else - a pedestrian for example - while driving a larger vehicle & he suggested that wasn’t his problem. Lots of work left to do….
@ssfckdt He’s been doing great so far! We expect big things!
Trying to wean myself off Twitter & all my favorite #Boston / #CambMA area transit & political folks seem to have landed here. As an #introduction, I’m a soon-to-be 2nd term #MAPoli State Rep, proudly representing most of West & North Cambridge as well as 2/3 of #Watertown