Rick Dimino

Gov. Charlie Baker’s congestion study declared that Massachusetts has reached a tipping point with respect to vehicular congestion. It also described how increased traffic since 2013 is causing problems throughout the entire commonwealth, resulting in longer, less predictable travel times for drivers and more carbon emissions from vehicles.  

These findings are no surprise to commuters, but we can now apply this new data with our own personal travel experiences to produce a comprehensive solution. Roadway congestion and inefficient transportation options are a threat to our economy, quality of life and ability to adapt to the impacts of climate change. This report is another reason why we must develop an action plan. 

 Congestion is Strangling Us 

The report does suggest some potential solutions, specifically the idea of “managed lanes” where at least one highway lane is be dedicated to drivers choosing to pay an access fee or toll, while the other lanes of the highway remain untolled. This strategy has shown some success in other states for reducing congestion, but it does not go far enough to meet the challenge we are facing.  

Building an additional highway lane, to be used as a managed lane, could take many years to implement and likely be very expensive. Adding one additional lane to Route 128 took 13 years at a cost of $420 million and this route still experiences heavy congestion today.  

Alternatively, if Massachusetts wants to create managed lanes by removing an existing highway lane – and then reprogramming it as a managed lane – we might create more congestion by compressing the remaining traffic into a highway with one fewer lane, especially if there is not a viable transit alterative. Still, this idea is worth studying to determine how well it could work here in the Boston area. 

Roadway congestion is a concern for many industries, business and the workforce. We learned last week that the biotechnology industry may not sustain its current growth in Massachusetts unless transportation infrastructure improves.  

Workers are also feeling anxious over these recent trends in commuting times. A MassINC poll showed that 51 percent of workers with longer daily commutes consider changing jobs and 30 percent may leave the Boston area entirely because of our transportation options. It is time to address these concerns and make the investments necessary for a 21st century transportation system that supports businesses and workers alike.  

State Needs Toll Equity 

Assigning a price for driving in order to reduce congestion and influence commuting behavior is a strategy that is common in many areas of the U.S. and throughout the world. New York City is the latest example of a city that sets a price for driving into the business district in Manhattan. Managed lanes may not be the best solution for this region, but the larger philosophy of roadway pricing can work here in Massachusetts.  

We are already partially setting a price for some drivers in the commonwealth today. From the Berkshires to Boston, drivers throughout the Massachusetts Turnpike corridor from are paying to use that road. Vehicles entering Boston from MetroWest, from the North Shore over the Tobin Bridge and when driving through the Sumner, Callahan and Ted Williams tunnels are all asked to pay tolls.  

However, drivers entering Boston from the north or south on Interstate 93 are not asked to pay a user fee; neither are users of Route 2. Both were identified by Baker’s congestion report as the most severely congested roads in the state. Establishing some regional equity to our roadway pricing is an appropriate idea for our current challenges and should be applied consistently in the metropolitan Boston region.  

The technology is already available, through all-electronic toll collection, to expand roadway pricing onto additional roads and highways across metropolitan Boston. It can be the key component to a comprehensive transportation plan, where we set a fair price on all modes of transportation, provide better options for mass transit and build in credits to address equity concerns. We must acknowledge the interconnected nature of our transit system and our roadway traffic congestion.  

Tolls Should Help Fund Transit 

Previously this year, when MassDOT and the MBTA voted to increase subway and commuter rail fares, their own analysis showed higher prices would force more commuters off transit and onto our congested roadways. After the Red Line derailment, reduced subway service resulted in increased roadway traffic in the entire region south of Boston. To improve mobility and transportation for drivers and non-drivers at the same time, we need to better coordinate prices and dedicate some revenue from roadway pricing towards additional bus, subway, ferry and commuter rail options to encourage drivers to choose mass transit options.   

Without additional interventions, our current and future transportation system will continue to be a drag and cost to our economy. A comprehensive approach to transportation pricing, congestion relief and funding can prevent roadway congestion from getting worse and avoid the lost hours of productivity and increased carbon emissions.  

Without this type of comprehensive transportation and congestion plan, Massachusetts’ future success is at risk. Fortunately, the urgency is growing for a plan that offers more frequent and reliable transit service, accelerates the system’s state of good repair and safety needs and builds new transit access and mobility to emerging job centers and Gateway Cities. 

Rick Dimino is CEO of A Better City.